Cultural Diversity In The United States Society Sociology Discussion Help
Cultural Diversity.
Cultural diversity is a common term in contemporary American culture, but what does it really mean? This course examines cultural diversity from a sociological perspective, covering topics designed to demonstrate how entrenched patterns of discrimination affect your life and the lives of others, even if you as an individual are not prejudiced.
Sociology is the study of society and how groups within that society influence social realities at the macro level. This means that sociology may examine racism at the group, national, or international level by looking at measures such as income discrepancies or health care inequities. Sociology is not well-equipped to explain whether or why a specific individual is or is not racistthat is the realm of psychology. Sociology as a science relies heavily on data collection; theory is helpful in interpreting what we may observe, but this must be supplemented with statistics, so that we are examining existing patterns of behavior, not what we think is happening based on commonly held cultural beliefs.
With this in mind, this course seeks to understand how macro-level processes create and sustain inequality along racial, ethnic, gender, and age divisions. By understanding these differences, we may be better able to offer useful, workable solutions to many of the problems facing us in contemporary society as it becomes increasingly global. By understanding cultural diversity from a sociological standpoint, we are better equipped to interact with others in our professional and private lives, as well as critique proposed political solutions.
Overview
Write a 5 page essay describing, examining, and reflecting upon a personal cultural diversity encounter.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
Competency 1: Describe theoretical ideas of power in relation to policy.
Connect a personal experience to sociological concepts of power.
Competency 3: Analyze the effects of social policy using aggregated data.
Analyze data to make valid sociological inferences.
Competency 4: Analyze how laws are applied or created based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and social class.
Analyze how laws or policies are applied to a diversity issue.
Competency 5: Apply diversity strategies in professional, educational, and personal contexts.
Apply strategies for addressing a cultural diversity issue.
Discuss personal characteristics or experiences that might account for feelings or reactions involving a diversity issue.
Competency 6: Communicate effectively.
Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format and with few errors of grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Context
Understanding cultural diversity from a sociological perspective first requires understanding the concepts and theoretical frameworks that guide sociological thinking. Cultural diversity encompasses a variety of social categories, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, social class, age, and physical or mental disability. Sociologists examine these categories at both the micro level (how they affect or are affected by individuals) and at the macro level (how they impact society as a whole).At the micro level, sociologists might explore, for example, how and why certain individuals may be prejudiced or racist while others are not. Yet prejudice and racism are not just individual problems, but are structural phenomena that are built into the way a society is organized. Understanding prejudice and racism requires not just focusing on individuals but also examining overall patterns of discrimination and racism within society. Sociologists study how those patterns have changed over time, as well as their causes and consequences for society as a whole and for individuals and families.
Questions to Consider
To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community.
What is the distinction between a dominant and a minority group?
What are the differences among prejudice and individual and institutional discrimination?
What are the key sociological theories used to describe relationships between dominant and majority groups, and how do these theories explain these relationships? For example, consider how conflict or functional theory approach race or ethnic relations or the theories of inequality proposed by Max Weber and Karl Marx.
What particular issues surrounding diversity are most important or prevalent in today’s society?
FMG Video
Click the following link to view a video purchased through Films Media Group for use in this Capella course. Any distribution of video content or associated links is prohibited.
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