University of Phoenix Material

Appendix A

Part I

Define the following terms found in Week One and Week Two readings:

Term Definition The inclusion of different types of people into groups or organizations
Ethnocentrism
The tendency to assume that one’s culture and way of life are superior to all others.
Melting pot Diverse racial or ethnic groups or both, forming a new creation, a new entity.
Minority group A subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their own lives than do the members of a dominant or majority group.
Emigration
Leaving a country to settle in another
Immigration
Coming into a new country as a permanent resident
Culture
The customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group

Part II

Answer each question in 250 to 350 words:

1. What are some of the ways groups of people are identified?
People are identified by color, beliefs, social attitude, gender, and culture. Even when someone looks or talks just like someone else they are still looked at differently. For example, the women’s rights movement was started because women were tired of being pushed around and degraded. They wanted men to look at them like they were human. They did not want to feel like they were only there to make their husband and children happy. They wanted to belong. They began protesting and fighting the belief that women were beneath men. Today women now have a voice. They are able to vote, run for office, work outside of the home, and feel good about themselves as individuals. They are able to speak out for what they believe is right, no matter how anyone else feels about it. Another example is Christianity. People have always looked down on Christians because they are different from others. They dress differently, act differently, and believe differently than what is deemed “normal”. For many years, Christians have been persecuted, from being made fun of, to being hunted and killed. Today Christians do not always have to worry about death but they are still looked down upon and have a constant struggle to get people to understand what they are trying to do. No matter what the identifier is, it should not make a difference how you look at that person. The constitution specifically states that all men are created equal. We should see that every day.

2. Why do people label and group other people?
I believe it is because they think it is easier to label someone and write them off than it is to get to know that person on a more personal level. It is much easier for them to classify someone into a group even if that person has nothing to do with the group they are being placed in. I have a friend that I have only known for about two or three months. When I met him I was not ure what to think about him. Honestly, I actually assumed he was gay. I soon found out I was wrong because we became very fast friends and I began to find out that he and I are not that much different. I now know that he is not gay and he is a very nice guy. We have been friends for a few months and I have found out many things about him that have made me want to stay friends with him. If I had continued to go off of hearsay and what my first impression was, I would have missed out on a good friend. Since then I have tried to find out what a person is all about before making any judgments. I am still on my guard because I do not want to leave myself wide open for people to take advantage of me but I always want to allow myself to open new avenues of friendship. SO far, this has helped me a lot.