I need support with this Social Science question so I can learn better.
Throughout
the course, you will engage in Discussions with classmates to share
reflections on the concepts of each unit. The Discussions will also give
you the opportunity to learn from the interpretations and perspectives
of your classmates. This course itself will be a study in different
social, political, and cultural influences, as the class is made up of
individuals with varying views of the world. The Discussions will give
you an opportunity to express your point of view. Be sure to write
carefully and respond to classmates respectfully.
To make the most out of your learning experience and earn a good
Discussion grade, you must answer the Discussion question and then
respond substantially to at least two classmates’ postings for each unit
Discussion. You should write at least 200 words in the original post;
then you should post with content and detail on the posts to your peers.
Aim for at least four sentences in each post to your peers, building
the Discussion with references to the Reading, application in your life,
or other information to help share your perspective. With the original
reply and two posts to your peers, this means you will post three times
to each Discussion Board. You will want to use APA format with in-text
and full end reference for citation of sources, which can help to give
credit to the research you used and also to distinguish between your
ideas and the sources.
Topic 1: Social, Political, and Cultural Influences
Many people within a country may recognize how social, political, and
cultural influences have an impact upon them. At the same time, social,
political, and cultural influences may be such a part of daily life
that they seem merely “the way things are.” For example, when reading
that America is an individualistic culture, you may not understand how
life could be any different. Exposure to ideas from other ways of living
can broaden your perspective and open your imagination to different
philosophies of life.
Identify one social, political, or cultural influence from the
assigned reading that you believe would be difficult to identify if you
were a part of that culture. Why do you believe this influence would be
difficult to notice? What is its impact upon the people?
Next, introduce one artistic expression that may help one to express
individuality, independence, and creativity. What can the act of
artistic expression do to open up the experience of the individual? How
can it expand the perspective of the artist and possibly the whole
country or culture?
Heather Burlew posted Oct 21, 2020 7:28 PM
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I
thought reading about the Mexican culture was very interesting. I agree
that there are things in our culture that we think is completely normal
but when looked at from another point of view could very well be
completely out of the ordinary. If I was from the Mexican culture I
think a cultural influence that would be hard to notice would be how
important family is in the Mexican culture. Mexican families are usually
large and Mexicans take their responsibilities to their families very
seriously (Zimmerman, 2017). The reason I think this would be hard to
notice is that just like anything else this is a way of life for them
from the day they are born. When something is taught to a person from
the very beginning of your life and is implemented every day it is not
something a person can really imagine being any different.
An
artistic expression that stuck out to me was the skulls made out of
sugar for the popular holiday in Mexico called “The Day of the Dead”.
These skulls definitely express creativity. I also found it interesting
that they position skulls to do things the dead enjoyed doing when they
were living. For example, they showed a picture of a skull sitting
quietly reading in the Jordan: Dia de Muertos article. I believe this
shows how much this culture values this Holiday as well as how much they
value their family. Isn’t it interesting that Mexico is a culture with a
strong belief in family and they have this day they put so much thought
and art into to remember and value the family members and loved ones
they have that passed away?
References:
Zimmerman. (2017). Live Science. Mexican culture: customs and traditions. Retrieved from: https://www.livescience.com/38647-mexican-culture.html
Hannah Serra posted Oct 22, 2020 12:16 PM
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Hey everybody!
The
way we live our lives and the ‘norms’ we experience may not be the same
to a different culture. Learning their ‘norms’ is vital to broadening
our perspective and being open to new ideas. In Mexican culture, they
have high family values. According to History.com, family is one of the
most important elements in Mexican society. I feel that this influence
would be difficult to notice because America is such an individualistic
culture even among family. Extended family doesn’t often live with
immediate family. In Mexico, family members are strongly connected and
often assist each other in day-to-day life.
A
prominent artistic expression is Mexican art. “Clay pottery,
embroidered cotton garments, wool shawls and outer garments with angular
designs, colorful baskets and rugs are some of the common items
associated with Mexican folk art” (Zimmerman, K.). Through art, the
people are able to express themselves and their culture. Diego Rivera
was a very famous Mexican artist. He was a “pioneer of Muralism, a
movement that used expansive wall art to educate the people” (Zimmerman,
K.). Not only does art promote creativity and independence, it can also
be used as a means to educate and bring people together.
References:
Zimmermann, K. (2017, July 20). Mexican Culture: Customs & Traditions. Retrieved October 22, 2020, from https://www.livescience.com/38647-mexican-culture.html
