Friday, October 30, 2009
What can you do with Anthropology?
If were to go into the field of anthropology I would want to work in the business and corporate aspect of anthropology. I never really thought about how anthropology relates to business, but it is actually really important in the field. With our increase in technology and communication with other countries our economies seem somewhat dependent on each other. In order for our business relationships to go smoothly we need to understand their culture and what is acceptable and inacceptable for them. This can also be important in marketing for the business. If you are marketing to another country you would need to understand their culture so you can better appeal to them and make sure that you don’t offend them. I also thought medical anthropology was interesting. When the woman was talking about HIV and other medical epidemics that occur I didn’t think anthropology had much to do with it. Then I realized that you have to understand someone’s culture to prevent these epidemics. You have to understand their everyday life and this could help you understand how these epidemics are occurring. They look at the differences and solutions to health problems.
Not only do I like the business and corporate aspect of anthropology, the one that interested me the most was Sociocultural Anthropology. This is when anthropologists work in the government and community to find and solve problems. I think this would be the most rewarding of the jobs for me, because I love to look at social problems. Anthropology plays a huge role in finding social problems because they usually stem from cultural differences and culture clashes. You can also analyze a culture and find where their problems come from, especially historically. The movie was very eye opening to the many things you can do with anthropology. It surprised me but I was able to understand how all of the jobs connect because of all of things we have looked at in our readings and class discussions.
Not only do I like the business and corporate aspect of anthropology, the one that interested me the most was Sociocultural Anthropology. This is when anthropologists work in the government and community to find and solve problems. I think this would be the most rewarding of the jobs for me, because I love to look at social problems. Anthropology plays a huge role in finding social problems because they usually stem from cultural differences and culture clashes. You can also analyze a culture and find where their problems come from, especially historically. The movie was very eye opening to the many things you can do with anthropology. It surprised me but I was able to understand how all of the jobs connect because of all of things we have looked at in our readings and class discussions.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
My Bitter-Sweet Relationship with Technology
I began using technology when I was about 13 years old. That is when I got my first laptop that had internet. I was so excited, I didn’t really know what I was going to do with it, I didn’t have papers to write or anything to type, I was excited because all of my friends went on the internet all of the time. I had been on the internet before but only to play games, and not for very long. Soon the boom of AIM and Myspace would hit and I would always be on the computer. I felt social; I was able to manipulate my Myspace to make me look older or cooler than I was. I then realized the dangers of technology when my friend got into some trouble, and I since then I have not used the internet as my space. I used to think as the internet as a space where I could write and post whatever I wanted, I was able to make friends and chat with people around the world. Then I realized that this space wasn’t private, but it felt like it to me. I used to use this technology as my private space, and then people I didn’t know recognized me from their friends Myspace and such. It creeped me out, technology was almost like my personal space, but I didn’t filter who was able to see it, now I do. My relationship with technology has changed in the sense that I don’t see it as my personal space; anyone can view what I post on the internet because I know that it is not private.
When I use technology it is generally for school. As I got older my relationship with technology became less social and more educational. I was I began to realize the social aspect of technology can become toxic. It replaces real relationships with people; it makes it way less formal, and people say things online that they wouldn’t usually say in person. I use technology for school because it is so important in education now. Can you imagine not having a laptop in High School or College? It wasn’t always like this, and I think it is very beneficial in education, but how much do we depend on it. I believe our society we have focused so much on technology that if it was taken from us we wouldn’t know what to do. It is embedded in us to use it, when teachers tell us to write a paper we never give them a handwritten paper, we always type it. We assume that is what we mean. We look at a typed paper as more professional than a handwritten paper; we value this technology to make us look presentable. We can make fancy power points and spell-check our papers, but we now tend to rely on this instead of editing our own work or creating our own designs. My relationship with technology is bitter sweet, I love technology and can’t imagine my life without it, but I also feel that it has gone so far as to enable us to be lazy and like I said depend on it for almost everything.
When I use technology it is generally for school. As I got older my relationship with technology became less social and more educational. I was I began to realize the social aspect of technology can become toxic. It replaces real relationships with people; it makes it way less formal, and people say things online that they wouldn’t usually say in person. I use technology for school because it is so important in education now. Can you imagine not having a laptop in High School or College? It wasn’t always like this, and I think it is very beneficial in education, but how much do we depend on it. I believe our society we have focused so much on technology that if it was taken from us we wouldn’t know what to do. It is embedded in us to use it, when teachers tell us to write a paper we never give them a handwritten paper, we always type it. We assume that is what we mean. We look at a typed paper as more professional than a handwritten paper; we value this technology to make us look presentable. We can make fancy power points and spell-check our papers, but we now tend to rely on this instead of editing our own work or creating our own designs. My relationship with technology is bitter sweet, I love technology and can’t imagine my life without it, but I also feel that it has gone so far as to enable us to be lazy and like I said depend on it for almost everything.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Going to Youth Group [Fieldwork Portfolio]
I am not a religious person. I have gone to church a couple times in my life with some friends, but never really began to immerse myself in it and participate in all of the activities. For this ethnographic fieldwork portfolio assignment I went to a youth group session with my friend Christine. I felt very out of place, yet I was welcomed with open arms the entire time. The youth group was composed of kids from 14-18 some of the people a little older, but they were considered councilors. My friend Christine is a councilor, she has attended the church for most of her life, she knew everyone there and helped anyone in need. Going into this fieldwork study I was skeptical if I was going to enjoy it, and I actually had a lot of fun.
At the youth group everyone was dropped off by their parents outside. The kids went inside while the adults discussed their lives and new events in the church outside. As the kids went in they had about a half an hour to socialize before the service. During this socialization the kids were separated mainly by gender, the girls and the boys said hello to each other, but they didn’t seem to have full conversations with them. Everyone their knew each other and they were all happy to see each other, Christine told me “most of us go to different schools and live in different towns, we have made some of our best friends here, so this is where we get to see each other.” I felt very out of place while everybody socialized, people were very nice to me and seemed happy to see I was there, but I felt as though I wasn’t part of the group, it was a very tight knit community in the youth group.
After everyone socialized they went into the chapel to listen to their service. Christine and I sat down close to the front and all of her friends sat around her. She turned to me and said “we generally always sit in the same spot” I asked her why but she didn’t really have a clear answer, she was considering it more habit than anything. Everyone was still chatting until the pastor came in and everyone bowed their heads and prayed. I didn’t know the prayer but I bowed my head with them until it was finished. Christine turned to me and said “its ok Ill teach it to you later.” I think she thought that she was going to make this a regular thing for me.
I felt that from a lot of the people there. The first question the pastor asked after the prayer and the announcements was “Do we have any new guests today?” He asked us to stand up, I was the only one, and he said “Welcome”. He began to preach about trust and the need to praise Jesus wherever you go, and to not be ashamed of Christianity. I thought it was going to be like this the whole time, but through out the sermon there were activities that people went up and participated in. My friend Christine and I participated in an example of the importance of praising Jesus even when others weren’t. We had to stage a High School situation where no one else prayed but us before a basket ball game, we made this up because Christine had experienced this. We pretended to run into the bathroom and pray with each other, and then go play the game. It emphasized the importance of Jesus in every aspect of your life. Everyone was laughing and having fun, it made me enjoy it as well.
After the sermon we all began to socialize again and discuss the events of the church coming up. Christine knew all of them and had every intent of participating, all of her friends did too. Everyone kept telling me to come back, the pastor had a long conversation with me about religion and how I should accept Jesus into my life, and how Christine “has to bring me back every Wednesday.” I felt very included yet out of place at the same time because they all knew I didn’t believe the same thing they did. After socializing everyone hugged each other goodbye, parents had discussions with the pastor, and they got in their cars and went home.
1. What understanding was gained from participation compared to just observing?
I was able to understand why they thought youth group was so much fun. When participating in the example I was able to connect with the members of the church because I felt included. No one made fun of me everyone was very supportive and it was good clean fun. I was also able to experience the emotion aspect tying us together. Even though I am not a religious person as I was singing the songs with them, people were crying and getting very emotional, and there was this emotional feeling through out the whole church that connected us.
2. What did having a key informant add to your understanding?
A key informant helped me understand what was going on. It was helpful to have her introduce me to people and people acted normal around me because they thought I was just a new member, or a friend of Christine’s spending time with her. It was also cool because she was there to give me the confidence to participate. I am a very shy person, I probably wouldn’t have done that if she wasn’t there.
3. What was learned from participant-observation at this event that a questionnaire or interview might miss?
I believe the main thing a survey might miss is the truly emotional moments in the church that really tied people together. Their sense of community is so strong and they all want to help each other, because they are going through these strong spiritual experiences together that a simple circle of an answer can explain.
4. For what purposes might a questionnaire or interview be better than participant-observation?
I think an interview would be better to get a broader sense of the structure of the church. You would get other people’s opinions that might be completely different, they might not go as much and have a different feeling while they are there. A questionnaire would be good to see what they might change about the church, no one complained about anything when I was there because I think they felt as though they weren’t supposed to, I think with a questionnaire you would get a more honest feeling about the structure of the church.
At the youth group everyone was dropped off by their parents outside. The kids went inside while the adults discussed their lives and new events in the church outside. As the kids went in they had about a half an hour to socialize before the service. During this socialization the kids were separated mainly by gender, the girls and the boys said hello to each other, but they didn’t seem to have full conversations with them. Everyone their knew each other and they were all happy to see each other, Christine told me “most of us go to different schools and live in different towns, we have made some of our best friends here, so this is where we get to see each other.” I felt very out of place while everybody socialized, people were very nice to me and seemed happy to see I was there, but I felt as though I wasn’t part of the group, it was a very tight knit community in the youth group.
After everyone socialized they went into the chapel to listen to their service. Christine and I sat down close to the front and all of her friends sat around her. She turned to me and said “we generally always sit in the same spot” I asked her why but she didn’t really have a clear answer, she was considering it more habit than anything. Everyone was still chatting until the pastor came in and everyone bowed their heads and prayed. I didn’t know the prayer but I bowed my head with them until it was finished. Christine turned to me and said “its ok Ill teach it to you later.” I think she thought that she was going to make this a regular thing for me.
I felt that from a lot of the people there. The first question the pastor asked after the prayer and the announcements was “Do we have any new guests today?” He asked us to stand up, I was the only one, and he said “Welcome”. He began to preach about trust and the need to praise Jesus wherever you go, and to not be ashamed of Christianity. I thought it was going to be like this the whole time, but through out the sermon there were activities that people went up and participated in. My friend Christine and I participated in an example of the importance of praising Jesus even when others weren’t. We had to stage a High School situation where no one else prayed but us before a basket ball game, we made this up because Christine had experienced this. We pretended to run into the bathroom and pray with each other, and then go play the game. It emphasized the importance of Jesus in every aspect of your life. Everyone was laughing and having fun, it made me enjoy it as well.
After the sermon we all began to socialize again and discuss the events of the church coming up. Christine knew all of them and had every intent of participating, all of her friends did too. Everyone kept telling me to come back, the pastor had a long conversation with me about religion and how I should accept Jesus into my life, and how Christine “has to bring me back every Wednesday.” I felt very included yet out of place at the same time because they all knew I didn’t believe the same thing they did. After socializing everyone hugged each other goodbye, parents had discussions with the pastor, and they got in their cars and went home.
1. What understanding was gained from participation compared to just observing?
I was able to understand why they thought youth group was so much fun. When participating in the example I was able to connect with the members of the church because I felt included. No one made fun of me everyone was very supportive and it was good clean fun. I was also able to experience the emotion aspect tying us together. Even though I am not a religious person as I was singing the songs with them, people were crying and getting very emotional, and there was this emotional feeling through out the whole church that connected us.
2. What did having a key informant add to your understanding?
A key informant helped me understand what was going on. It was helpful to have her introduce me to people and people acted normal around me because they thought I was just a new member, or a friend of Christine’s spending time with her. It was also cool because she was there to give me the confidence to participate. I am a very shy person, I probably wouldn’t have done that if she wasn’t there.
3. What was learned from participant-observation at this event that a questionnaire or interview might miss?
I believe the main thing a survey might miss is the truly emotional moments in the church that really tied people together. Their sense of community is so strong and they all want to help each other, because they are going through these strong spiritual experiences together that a simple circle of an answer can explain.
4. For what purposes might a questionnaire or interview be better than participant-observation?
I think an interview would be better to get a broader sense of the structure of the church. You would get other people’s opinions that might be completely different, they might not go as much and have a different feeling while they are there. A questionnaire would be good to see what they might change about the church, no one complained about anything when I was there because I think they felt as though they weren’t supposed to, I think with a questionnaire you would get a more honest feeling about the structure of the church.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Bone Thugs Money Money vs. Abba Money Money Money
"Money money, mighty dollar dollar" (Bone Thugs) sums up how the American culture feels about money. We idolize anyone who has money and the American Dream has us striving to get it. In the Bone Thugs in Harmony song "Money Money" they are representing the lower classes view of money, while in the song "Money Money Money" by Abba they are speaking more about how the rich men view money and how we want that. In the Bone Thugs song, with their lyrics and the way that they are rapping, you realize that they will do anything for this "mighty dollar". It reminded me a lot of the article "Workaday World, Crack Economy" by Philippe Bourgois because of the line "gotta get my grind on" generally refers to drug dealing. They are making it known that they will take the money if they have to, they just cant live without the money anymore. It really gives you insight on the poverty lifestyle and their feelings about the importance of money.
In the Abba song we are also seeing the American feeling of money and the greed that goes with it. We hear about how "money must be funny in a rich man's world". The concept of money in this song seems to be more directed towards a female audience and how she is going to marry a rich man. Without the violence and drugs Abba is still saying that they will do anything for money. At the beginning of the song she says that she worked all day with nothing to show for it. I think that is how most Americans live with this dream that they will somehow come to find a lot of money. Both songs speak about money and have the same sort of importance of money, but they are speaking to two different social classes.
In the Abba song we are also seeing the American feeling of money and the greed that goes with it. We hear about how "money must be funny in a rich man's world". The concept of money in this song seems to be more directed towards a female audience and how she is going to marry a rich man. Without the violence and drugs Abba is still saying that they will do anything for money. At the beginning of the song she says that she worked all day with nothing to show for it. I think that is how most Americans live with this dream that they will somehow come to find a lot of money. Both songs speak about money and have the same sort of importance of money, but they are speaking to two different social classes.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Reflection on Personal Space
After talking about space for the past week I began to observe how different cultures feel about personal space. I realized that all of my friends and I give each other hugs when we see each other but when we meet new people we generally don’t even shake their hands unless it is an adult or a formal introduction. When I went over to my boyfriend’s friend’s house the other night everyone gave me a hug, they sat close to me and when the spoke to me they stood very close. This was a very close Mexican family that my boyfriend had grown up with. I felt as though my personal space was being invaded at some points, but I realized that they just had a difference sense of personal space than I did.
After thinking about this topic I thought about the Arabic household that I have visited quite often. They seem to be the extreme opposite where personal space is much larger than mine. I remember my friends little sister was crying and talking to me and she thought it was weird that I gave her a hug, especially in front of others. The parents were quiet and straight faced as she was crying and consoled her with words and no visible affection. I felt as though I invaded her personal space now. It’s hard to judge other peoples personal space and I think that’s why in America we are not very touchy feely people.
I have always been told to keep distant of people until I am very close emotionally with them. I have never really given someone I just met a hug unless they give me one first. As children we have always observed adults shaking hands and being formal and I think we internalized that. We have internalized our own personal space and have not only made it a “bubble” around you but physical spaces.
As I was younger my personal space was just the space around me, now that I am older my personal space as grown to physical places, such as my room, my car, and my office. I realized this when we made our maps in class. Personal space is important in our society and after reflecting on this I saw how much our culture keeps people at a certain distance with our personal space. I think it determines who are friends and family are, who we trust, who we love, it represents a lot about who we let into our personal space.
After thinking about this topic I thought about the Arabic household that I have visited quite often. They seem to be the extreme opposite where personal space is much larger than mine. I remember my friends little sister was crying and talking to me and she thought it was weird that I gave her a hug, especially in front of others. The parents were quiet and straight faced as she was crying and consoled her with words and no visible affection. I felt as though I invaded her personal space now. It’s hard to judge other peoples personal space and I think that’s why in America we are not very touchy feely people.
I have always been told to keep distant of people until I am very close emotionally with them. I have never really given someone I just met a hug unless they give me one first. As children we have always observed adults shaking hands and being formal and I think we internalized that. We have internalized our own personal space and have not only made it a “bubble” around you but physical spaces.
As I was younger my personal space was just the space around me, now that I am older my personal space as grown to physical places, such as my room, my car, and my office. I realized this when we made our maps in class. Personal space is important in our society and after reflecting on this I saw how much our culture keeps people at a certain distance with our personal space. I think it determines who are friends and family are, who we trust, who we love, it represents a lot about who we let into our personal space.
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