University of Phoenix Material

Appendix A

Part I

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

|Term |Definition |
|Diversity |The inclusion of different types of people of different races or cultures in a group or |
| |organization |
|Ethnocentrism |Belief in the superiority of one’s own ethnic group |
|Melting pot |Diverse racial or ethnic groups or both, forming a new creation, a new cultural 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 arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively |

Part II

Answer each question in 250 to 350 words:

1. What are some of the ways groups of people are identified? I think that some ways that groups of people are identified are by their gender, race, religion and ethnicity. As far as race goes, people are identified by the obvious and physical according to the text and for the obvious and physical it includes hair color, presence of body hair, skin color and things of that nature. I think this is mostly based on physical differences. As far as ethnicity, ethnic groups are identified by their cultural differences such as language, parenting habits, and food habits. The text states that Ethnic groups are groups set apart from others because of their national origin or distinctive cultural patterns. As far as religion goes, these groups of people are identified by what kind of religion they follow. There are religious minority groups but I found when reading that Jews are not in that category but placed in an ethnic group instead. I have found that there are so many different types of religion and people place such an emphasis on what they believe in that at times to me it seems a bit scary and I would just rather stick to what I know and/or believe in and not attempt to join any certain religion. As far as gender goes, well the text states that gender is another attribute that creates dominant and subordinate groups. It states that women are the minority yet they do not exhibit all the characteristics outlined as to what a minority is. And for some reason the text states that the males are the social majority.

2. Why do people label and group other people? This, to me, is a good question. I understand some aspects of the idea of labeling and grouping other people but at the same time I think some people go too far and sometimes I wonder why we do this to start with. If we all have the common knowledge that we are all humans and different in many ways yet we can still live amongst each other and go about our lives on a daily basis, then why even stop and waste time trying to label or group people. The United States has so many different cultures and ethnicities, and granted there are areas that are more populated with certain cultures than others, but we all exist on this planet and we were not meant to all be the same. I think some people label and group people so that they can feel better about themselves or at least see where they “rank” in society. I believe some people are worried that they just do not mean anything and want to know their “place” in society. I also think that some group or label because they disagree with how others live and do not want to live around them or have anything to do with other cultures and it may be because of religious reasons or just plain ignorance in my opinion. I think another reason that people label and group others is because maybe they want to be able to relate to them in some way, if they know about the other people and who they are, where they come from and their beliefs maybe they can relate to them and learn some things and be able to communicate better with them.