ILLUSTRATION 5: Culture

Culture is the a complex collection of values, beliefs and behaviours passed on from one generation to the next. There are five defining factors that represent what culture is. The first is “Culture is learned.” Culture is taught through our families and is passed down from our ancestors. We are not inborn with the notion of culture but instead we attain it. The second factor is “Culture is shared.” This factor represents the fact that every generation has shared values that are passed down generation to generation. The third factor is “Culture is transmitted.” This factor is similar to the concept of shared culture. The fourth factor is “Culture is Cumulative.” As the concept of culture is passed around throughout the family, more people become aware of their culture and keep it growing. The final factor is “Culture is Human.” The concept of culture is a major part of some families. It is a real conception, and has a different symbolic meaning to each family.

ILLUSTRATION 4: Five features of Canadian Sociology

Sociology is the study of origin, development and organization. There are five defining features of Sociology. The first is Geography. Some factors that contribute to geography are size, climate, community and proximity to the United States. The second factor is french speaking sociology. Francophone Sociology involves the Quite Revolution, politics, religion and social justice. The third factor is Canadianization uses American influences to investigate Canadian Society from a Canadian perspective. The fourth factor that contributes to Canadian Sociology is Political Economy. Political Economy attracts politics, government and the social constitution. This feature of political economy emphasizes Harold Innis and Staples Thesis. The last feature that contributes to Canadian sociology is the Radical Approach. This approach puts attention on Canadianization movement, feminism and francophone sociology. All five of these factors play a big part in Canadian Sociology, and are a big part of Canadian national history.

ILLUSTRATION 3: Worldview

There are three different worldviews which all describe how the knowledge is created. Epistemology is the word used to illustrate that knowledge is not out there but is rather created by yourself. Ontology is the study of what is and what could be. An example of Ontology is Worldview one. Worldview one is is knowledge by discovery and is the the premise that “seeing is believing,” which uses the five senses to demonstrate this concept. An example of Epistemology is Worldview two. This viewpoint demonstrates knowledge by interpretation. The premise of this viewpoint is constructive because it states we construct our own reality. The last of the three Worldviews is knowledge by criticism. The main premise tells us to not just adapt to the world but rather change it. These three worldview premises consist of the approaches including, empiricist and constructivist which go along with the two philosophies of Epistemology and Ontology.

ILLUSTRATION 2: Functions of Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism can be defined as the belief in the superiority of one’s own ethnic group or culture. Ethnocentrism contains both positive and negative functions that contribute to the perception. Some of the positive factors of ethnocentrism consist of: social perception, social identity, and social soldarity. Social perception and social soldarity help people see their cultures in a positive light. This is a major factor because it give people a way to understand their given social practice. Social soldarity assists people to bind with their own kind. Moreover, some of the negative functions of ethnocentrism consist of : the “Us versus them mentality,” collective tunnel cision and the false sense of superiority. Althought ethnocentrism has both its positive and negative functions, the positives outweigh the negatives and we should focus more on the positives.

ILLUSTRATION 1: Engaging your sociological perception

My gender has greatly affected the person I have become today. Growing up with two older brothers, I played with their group of guy friends for a large portion of my life. Although I was a tom-boy growing up I still definitely got treated much different than them. In my teenage years they got a lot for freedom then me whereas for me it would be a lot harder to go out to parties and just go out with my friends. My parents saw my gender as a possible set back and always thought girls shouldnt be seen going out as much as guys should. If i did go out with my friends, I would get a phonecall from my mom at 11 o’clock pm asking when I would be home, whereas my brothers could stay out till 1-2 o’clock in the morning and my parents would not question why they got back so late. It does get frustrating at times to be treated not differently then they do and not have as much freedom as them but in a way it could be looked as a positive aspect. Not having much freedom to do the things my friends would let me focus more on my school work and get great grades. So all-in-all, me being treated differently than my brothers could be seen as a positive or negative and has shaped me to be the person I am today.

Consequences of Racism (Video)

Racism can take many forms including, biological, individualistic, and institutionalized. Biological racism goes forth with that ‘Biology is destiny.’ Racism is a major contributing factor in sociology thats is a dislike or hate towards the other not only because of who they are but also because of what they do (biology). I believe that all races and the well being of each memeber of the human family is a psychological foundation of freedom.  Racial discrimination takes a big tole on metal health. Increased exposure to racial discrimation leads to more experiences of racial discrimination and it also accumulates to daily negative effects from family to friends and further on. Racism has many negative effects that can hurt someones well being and possibly lead to suicide.

Canadian Culture (Video)

In my opinion, the defining features of Canadian Culture consist of beliefs, moral values, traditions and laws held together by a nation. These culturally determind characteristics include the language(s) spoken at home, acceptable gender roles and occupations and customs including marriage customs. Languages spoken at home is a major defeying factor in determining who you are. If your family isnt supportive of your occupation, you are less likely to succeed and follow through in your life goals. Furthermore, if you live in a very religious family, it may be harder for you to marry out of your race due to family beliefs. In nations with large immigrated populations there is a wide range of cultural diversity, religious beliefs and customs reflecting the scattered orgins of the people. In conclusion, I believe the most important features of Canadian Culture are: morals, beliefs and traditions.