Part 2: Questions: Response to Group Member’s Reflection
Step 1. Choose one (1) group member’s work to reflect on. Identify the classmate you have chosen by name.
Step 2. Post a response on the Laulima Discussion Board. Your post must compare and contrast your learning with that of your group member by indicated due date:
* Reflect on similarities and differences in your understanding and interpretation of issues, concepts, and course learning objectives as they relate to ethnic prejudice and stereotyping.
* What was the most illuminating aspect of this assignment?
* What insights did you gain from your group mate’s post?
* Have you gained a greater understanding of ethnic prejudice and stereotyping?
* Have you gained any personal insights about yourself and/or the social world as related to ethnic prejudice and stereotyping?
* Select at least two course learning objectives from the list below that were most pertinent to your understanding in this assignment. Explain your chosen objectives and elaborate on how they became more meaningful.
* Please provide a solid explanation for your selected objectives and how they contributed to a better comprehension of race and ethnicity concepts.
1. Identify core sociological theories, concepts, and key features of social institutions and their role within the social structure.
2. Define and apply main sociological theoretical perspectives to the study of the social world.
3. Identify and describe fundamental sociological research concepts and methods in the study of social issues.
4. Explain the relationship between self and society by identifying one’s own values and behavior in relation to larger social influences.
5. Demonstrate a global perspective of social processes and events.
Groupmate’s work:
* Begin by summarizing your initial preconceived notions (stereotypes) of Iran and Iranians that you held before watching the video(s).
* If I am being completely honest, I had almost no preconceived notions of Iran or Iranians because I was never one to listen to the news. I am also grossly in the dark about history and world conflicts which does not help the matter. I of course will hear snippets of negativity against Iranians but I am never one to really take the side of hate so I always tend to ignore those posts on social media. I live my day-to-day life with the mindset that, all people deserve to be treated equally with respect unless they themselves have done something unforgivable.
* Next, elaborate on how your perception and views on Iran and Iranians have evolved after watching the videos. Please address the following questions:
* In what manner were Iran and Iranians portrayed in the video(s), and how did it differ from your preconceived perceptions? Remember to draw connections between these portrayals and your initial views.
* In the video, Iran and Iranians are portrayed as warm and welcoming many of which even invited Anthony into their own homes. Anthony did very well in keeping a neutral view and judging purely by how people actually treated him while he was there. As for making connections between my initial views, I am happy to see that most Iranians are so welcoming despite the history and others in their communities not being fond of America.
* What were the most surprising discoveries you made about Iran and Iranians from the videos?
* The most surprising discovery I made was the whole culture in general. I have never had a good understanding of Iranian culture. I was surprised to learn that “fun” could be seen as taboo in some eyes and that alcohol was all but banned. It was also eye-opening to learn that women there still have a long way to go to achieve equality and power.
* Reflect on the origins of your original preconceived notions/stereotypes about Iran and Iranians.
* The “origin” of my preconceived notions was basically second to none but the few little negative stereotypes that I was aware of came only from social media. I have never encountered people speaking on the negative stereotypes in person, it was only when they were behind a screen that they were so loud and unapologetic.
* Conduct a brief online research on the ethnic differences between Iranians and Arabs. Identify significant distinctions between Iranians and Arabs that you were not previously aware of. Please remember to cite your sources.
* According to my research, it is widely believed that Iranians or Persians, and Arabs are interchangeable when they are actually two entirely different ethnicities (Lester Myth vs. fact: Persians and Arabs). This is all very new to me as someone who had no idea that Persians and Arabs were so different. Not only do they live in different areas they also speak different languages and have their own individual cultures.
* To what extent were you prejudiced before watching the video? Did your original views exemplify the definition of ethnic prejudice and stereotyping in chapter 10?
* I do not believe that I was prejudiced before watching the video because I did not have enough information to go off of. The little bit of information that I have seen over the years all seemed to be negative so I did not pay any attention to them. According to Chapter 10, I was lucky enough not to fall into stereotyping clouding my point of view on people.
* By now you are familiar with the main sociological perspectives: functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and conflict. Choose 1 of these theoretical perspectives. Define the basic assumptions of the perspective. Then examine how the perspective explains ethnic prejudice against Iranians in American culture.
Symbolic interactionism is the theoretical perspective that people have shared associations with symbols. A common example would be people associating a stick figure with a dress on as a symbol for females. I think that this perspective is seen heavily especially when Americans see women in headscarfs and will automatically make the connection of those women to belong to the Middle East where they then begin to make other assumptions, whether good or bad.
* Propose a research study investigating ethnic/racial prejudice:
* Generate a research hypothesis regarding ethnic/racial prejudice. eWhat does the study aim to examine?Choose a research method (such as experiment, survey, field observation, etc.) and explain reasons for the choice of your method. What are the advantages and disadvantages? Describe your subjects and sample size.
* Hypothesis: Those who are heavily influenced by social media will start to believe that what they are seeing and hear are true regardless of the truth.
* This study will aim to examine just how strong the power of social media can be influencing future generations and even current. It will shine light on what many know but often try to ignore on the dangers that this can hold.
* It will be carried out in a experiment with groups of 10 (5 female, 5 male) and from age groups 10, 20, 30, so on and so forth. Experiment will be the best form as we will be able to control what new information they will receive and be able to compare the results based on what is being shown. The disadvantage of this would be that there are many different factors to consider such as location, parental views, etc.
* What type of data is generated (qualitative or quantitative)?
* This experiment will generate qualitative data to be analyzed further.
* How is data analyzed?
* Data is to be analyzed to hopefully aid in the education of the potential dangers of social media and what is seen.
