Similarities and Differences Between African Americans and the European Whites
Details:
It is important to identify and understand your own family culture in order to be able to understand and respect other cultures. Interview a family member, and an individual from another culture with which you are unfamiliar. Some examples of an individual from another culture to consider for the assignment include a neighbor, coworker, patient, or friend. Please inform the individuals of the purpose of this assignment and make sure you receive their consent.
Interviews:
Review the "Family Interview" template prior to the interview. Additional space is designated on the template for you to create three additional questions to ask both interviewees (family member and person from another culture). Additional questions should be relevant to the readings or discussion and should provide value to the interview by helping to understand culture.
Some of the questions may include:
Family beliefs: Have they changed over generations?
Educational and occupational status in the culture and in the family
Communication methods: verbal and nonverbal
Current family goals/priorities
Family member roles and organizational systems
Spiritual beliefs: current practice and death and dying
Alternative lifestyles
Work attitudes and structure
Written Paper:
Using the "Family Interview" template, interview your designated family member and the person from another culture. Be sure to write your responses in a way that will assist you in writing your paper. After the interview is completed, write a paper of 750-1,000 words that includes the following:
An introductory paragraph with the reasons for selecting the interviewees.
A summary of the responses from the interview template gathered from the interviewees.
A comparison and contrast of your findings between the two interviewees.
A reflective concluding paragraph on how family roles affect the cultural domains and relationships for each individual.
General Requirements:
Submit both the completed "Family Interview" template and the written paper" to the instructor.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.
Compare and Contrast Culture Paper
Name
Institution
Compare and Contrast Culture Paper
Introduction
I conducted a family interview on my grandfather who is of South American origin and a neighboring grandmother of African American Origin. The interview was based on a family template attached to this paper. From the responses I gathered from this interview, I noticed several similarities between the South American Culture and the African American Culture. Briscoe (n.d.) defines culture as a collection of norms and attitudes that define the way of life in a given society. According to Durska (n.d.), culture is an important component of a society because it defines the behavior and attitude of a given society towards others. I decided to select the African American and European American aged interviewees because they comprise a bigger percentage of ethnic societies in the United States. I also settled in these ethnic groups because they have a long history of dwelling together, particularly from the age of Slave Trade and the period of the Civil War to date. My goal was to determine how history has impacted their attitudes towards life.
Summary of Findings
This study revealed massive similarities between the European American culture and the African American culture. The two ethnic groups appeared to have common values in life and towards others. In this context, norms are understood as what the given society considers to be right. Additionally, the social practices of these groups hold common perspectives towards life and the society at large. According to Idang (2015), the vastness of culture is what defines its interaction with others. Even though the culture is said to be unique for different societies, the interaction between white Europeans and African Americans has had a significant impact on the way of life of both groups. This is specifically applicable to religious life and spiritual beliefs, family and cultural gender roles, family goals, education and occupational status, and holidays.
Similarities and differences between African Americans and the European Whites in the United States
There were similarities in family and gender roles in the ethnic communities I interviewed. While gender roles are hardly universal, they are contingent in the sense that they revolve around masculine and feminine. Among African Americans and the whites of European origin, men were traditionally considered to be the sole decision makers at the family level. Women were restricted to house chores and were not allowed to occupy or prescribe over family functions. Men were also the sole breadwinners. This has changed today, and it is common to see families sitting together to plan for their family matters. Additionally, there are dual sources...