Eth/125 Week 1 Appendix a

University of Phoenix Material

Appendix A

Part I

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

|Term |Definition |
|Diversity |Differences within the same group or organization. |
|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 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. |
|Migration |Leaving a country to settle in another. |
|Immigration |Coming into a new country as a permanent resident. |
|Culture |The total of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge, which constitute the |
| |shared bases of social action. |

Part II

Answer each question in 250 to 350 words:

1. What are some of the ways groups of people are identified? There are many ways groups of people are identified. One way a group is identified is by minority. There are five characteristics that are used to place individuals into a minority group. They are unequal treatment, distinguishing physical or cultural traits, involuntary membership, awareness of subordination, and in group marriage. There are four different types of minority or subordinate groups. The criteria for these groups are based upon race, ethnicity, religion, and gender. Racial groups are the groups that are socially set apart because of obvious reasons, such as the color of one’s skin and physical differences. Ethnic groups are differentiated from the dominant group on the basis of culture differences, such as language, attitudes towards marriage and parenting, and food habits. Religious groups are determined by which type of religion a person follows. Gender groups are groups formed based upon what gender you are. Men are the social majority, while women face a special challenge to achieving equality.

2. Why do people label and group other people? People label and group other people because it is what we learn to do as we get older. It comes as human nature to classify different people in different groups. We label people because we think it is easier to identify them if we attach a certain label to them. We identify each other by what label or group we are classified into. If you are from a middle class neighborhood, other people label you as middle class. When walking into a store you label people because of what they are wearing or what type of purse they are carrying. It comes natural to us because of the way we grew up. It is uncommon to see the high class people associating with the lower class people. A child who misbehaves is most likely to be considered a delinquent if he or she comes from a family with a known bad background, whereas a child who comes from a “perfect” family who has no known background will be have their actions reconsidered and may be given another chance. It seems that labeling others comes from what we are told about different people or from experiences we may have had with people that are not like us.