Assignment:
Discussion 1:
Consider your youth. When cultures raise a child, there are values, attitudes, traditions or beliefs that are communicated. The child must adapt to these elements to find their place in the culture. Often, for children, the first influences of culture are behavioral. This can be as simple as participating in holiday festivities, completing expected duties around the house, or maintaining that "we always do X on Fridays." Behavioral expectations nearly always serve as demonstrations of a belief. For example, we always eat dinner at the kitchen table is meant to demonstrate time spent as a family in communication.
Please choose a story from your youth when your culture was communicated to you, and you responded by adapting or rebelling. Identify the cultural value, belief, or tradition that was expected of you. Who was in this culture and taught it to you? Why was this such an important cultural element for you to learn? Tell a story about how it had an impact. Finally, note whether this is still a part of your behavior or belief system.
Discussion 2:
Read the assigned article about the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He undertook many changes to establish a secular state, such as changing the alphabet to Latin letters instead of Arabic script, ending the rule of Islamic law, and permitting divorce. "In 1934, the [Turkish people] were required by law to take last names" (Lawlor, 1996). This final idea can be hard to imagine, but it can also show the importance of names and naming. One may wonder how families would decide. As a result, many Turkish last names have meanings, such as Yildiz (star), Berberoglu (son of a barber) or Korkmaz (fearless).
First, why do you think last names may have been an important part of "modernizing" the Turkish Republic?
Next, talk about your own name. Does your name have a meaning? What are some of the historical or familial reasons for your first and last name? Do you have a nickname or preferred titles at work or in your community?
How can names communicate ideas about traditions, values, and beliefs?
Reference:
Lawlor, E. (March 1996) "His Name Meant ‘Father Turk' and That He Was." Smithsonian. Vol. 26, Issue 12.
Discussion 3: Revolution through Music and Film
Cultural revolutions lead to changes in beliefs, actions, and how people see the world. Part of how you see the world is informed by the creative expressions to which you are exposed. Creative expressions can be a reaction to revolutions in culture, and it can simultaneously seem to change the culture as well.
1. Introduce one musician, genre of music, or film that you believe caused a cultural revolution. If you speak of a genre of music, you will want to give several specific examples of artists in that genre. Identify your choice to the class on the assumption that your classmates have never heard the music or seen the film. It is important to give details about style, talk about what can be heard in this music or seen in this film, and explain the impact of your selection. Though you are welcome to select music that you enjoy, it may be helpful to add research in order to talk about the popularity, innovation, or change from this selection. What made this creative expression in music or film particularly transformational?
2. Next, still assume that classmates are not familiar with your selection, then introduce one musician, genre of music, or film that created a personal cultural revolution in your life. This may be music or a film that helped you in a hard time, allowed you to rebel, connected you with another culture, changed the way you view your own potential, or any other change that could be considered a revolution. Tell the class about the music or film, define it and explain its impact upon you.
3. Why do you think that music and films can have a revolutionary impact upon the listener or viewer? What can create this connection and change?
Discussion 4: Your Cultural Expressions
Select one item of expression that you keep to preserve or create a cultural tradition, belief, practice, or custom. This could be a physical object, like prominently displaying a work of art from one's ancestors as a way to maintain a link to that history. This could be a practice, such as Sunday dinner to preserve a family tradition from your childhood. It could also be a new endeavor, such as learning Bhangra Dancing to learn more about the culture of India.
Introduce the cultural expression and explain why it is important for you. Have there been challenges in preserving or creating this expression in your life? What have been the rewards of this expression in your experience and what have you learned from introducing or maintaining this tradition?
Culture and Critical Thinking
How can an understanding of beliefs and customs that reflect cultural expressions help you in the workplace? Consider a career you are pursuing or a position that you have held in the past. What is a specific task required of that job? Explain how an understanding of culture could help you to manage the challenges and opportunities of that task.
Next, discuss how an understanding of culture can make you a stronger critical thinker. When might this be useful for managing a task you have in your daily life?