Multicultural diversity

Multicultural diversity of the world – the rules of gifts - giving

What is multiculturalism about?What factors cause multiculturalism?Are people around the world different or the same?What are the global trends in the migration around the world? We should also research and clarify the following things: what do we mean when we speak about race, ethnic group and cultural identity? Are our habits and culture dependent on how we identify ourselves?

«…all human beings, despite differences in external appearance, are really members of a single entity that’s had a very recent origin in one place. There is a kind of biological brotherhood that’s much more profound than we ever realized» Stephen Jay Gould/an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science; 1941-2002/Our motto for the lesson is:

Race - a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits. Evolutionary background – a concept relating to the way in which living things develop over millions of years and involving a gradual process of change and development. Verterbrate [‘vutubreit] -an animal that has a backbone and a skeleton. Such animals also include humans. Phenotype [‘fi:nutaip] - the appearance of an organism resulting from the interaction of the genotype and the environment. Genotype [‘jenutaip] - the genetic makeup of an organism or group of organisms with reference to a single trait, set of traits, or an entire complex of traits

Segregate - to keep one group of people apart from another and treat them differently, especially because of race or sex. Discrimination - treating a person or particular group of people differently, especially in a worse way from the way in which you treat other people, because of their skin colour, sex, sexuality. Aversion - a person or thing that causes a feeling of strong dislike or of not wishing to do something. Monogenists - those who believe that the human race has descended from a single pair of individuals or a single ancestral type. Polygenists - those who believe that existing human races have evolved from two or more distinct ancestral types. Ancestor; ancestral (adj.) - a person related to you who lived a long time ago; relating to, or inherited from an ancestor. To be descended (active form: to descend) - to be inherited or transmitted, as through succeeding generations

The human species: Homo sapiens. Much of our biology and behaviour is framed within an evolutionary background. Modern humans are a part of the natural world. As vertebrates, mammals and primates, we share a host of biological features with these animals. One of the things that we will be concerned with in this class is to examine the development of those features that make us unique.

The concept of race:

Race is a biological concept. Race is a geographically (hence, reproductively) isolated subdivision of a species, or subspecies. If reproductive isolation lasts long enough, then a new species is produced

Do human “races” exist?Human populations have not been reproductively isolated long enough to have developed into biological races. Early human classification into races have been dependent solely on the evaluation of phenotype (manifest biology—appearance, skin colour, hair texture, etc.)

Historical Views of Human Variation. Two schools of thought developed to explain human diversity. Monogenists believe that all humans were descended from a original pair of humans. Polygenists believe that all humans were descended from a number of pairs of humans

The “Standard” Geographical Groupings of Races. Negroid or African—Africa. Caucasoid—Eurasia. Mongoloid—Asia and Americas. Australoid—Australia and Oceania. Each group is based on differences in appearance (skin colour, hair texture, body form, etc.)

The Social Concept of Race In present day society the social concept of race is associated with the idea of an “ethnic group” Nowadays the term race is often describing groups of people who share language, culture and a vague historical background. For example, the use of the term “Hispanic” does not have any biological meaning, but rather refers to peoples from parts of Central and South America and the Caribbean

Other approaches toward “race”: Brazil. Brazilians use up to 500 different racial labels. Class status, though, is based on skin colour. Dark skin suggests hard labour, but “money lightens”Brazil lacks racial aversion and discrimination

“Pure” Japanese comprise 90% of the population. Japanese say Koreans “smell different”Burakumin (members of a large social minority in Japan), although genetically indistinguishable from other Japanese, are considered unclean, and segregated into separate communities. Other approaches toward “race”: Japan

Scan the article and supply answers to the following: Glossary: Foetus [‘fiːtəs] - an animal or human being in its later stages of development before it is born;To dilute [daɪ’luːt] - If a liquid is diluted or dilutes, it is added to or mixes with water or another liquid, and becomes weaker. Do Jews and Arabs have the same genetic heritage?Do these two nations possess similarities in biology?What did scientists compare to look into genetic similarities of Jews and Arabs?

Answer the following questions: Glossary: Foetus [‘fiːtəs] - an animal or human being in its later stages of development before it is born;To dilute [daɪ’luːt] - If a liquid is diluted or dilutes, it is added to or mixes with water or another liquid, and becomes weaker. Do Jews and Arabs have the same genetic heritage?Do these two nations possess similarities in biology?What did scientists compare to look into genetic similarities of Jews and Arabs?

Watch the video and be ready to supply answers to the following: Can we judge someone by their racial or religious belonging?Are we fair when we judge someone solely by their appearance?What issues should be taken into account if we don’t want to judge a book by its cover ( judge someone by their appearance)?

Answer the following questions: Can we judge someone by their racial or religious belonging?Are we fair when we judge someone solely by their appearance?What issues should be taken into account if we don’t want to judge a book by its cover ( judge someone by their appearance)?

Human entity

Let’s speak about cultural habits in gift-giving and certain taboos. Learn about peculiarities of gift-giving in different cultures and find out how much they differ

For the following questions, choose from the countries (A – F). Some of the countries may be chosen more than once. A – Egypt D – Australia B – Japan E – Great Britain. C – Thailand F – Arab countries. According to the writer, in which country: Did a politician receive an unexpected gift? Is the price of the gift unimportant? Are you expected to give a gift as large as the one you’ve received? Are most gifts specially made to celebrate a particular event? In which country expensive gifts are mostly given to the children by their parents? Have the rules of gift-giving been established for generations? Is it appropriate to bring a small gift if you are invited to dinner at the home of a friend? Is it common not to open gifts in front of the giver?

For the following questions, choose from the countries (A – F). Some of the countries may be chosen more than once. A – Egypt D – Australia B – Japan E – Great Britain. C – Thailand F – Arab countries. According to the writer, in which country: Did a politician receive an unexpected gift? (Egypt)Is the price of the gift unimportant? (Thailand)Are you expected to give a gift as large as the one you’ve received? (Egypt)Are most gifts specially made to celebrate a particular event? (Australia)In which country expensive gifts are mostly given to the children by their parents? (the UK)Have the rules of gift-giving been established for generations? (Japan)Is it appropriate to bring a small gift if you are invited to dinner at the home of a friend? (the UK)Is it common not to open gifts in front of the giver? (Thailand )

For the following questions, choose from the countries (A – F). Some of the countries may be chosen more than once. A – Egypt D – Australia B – Japan E – Great Britain. C – Thailand F – Arab countries. According to the writer, in which country: Is it unwise to say you like someone else’s possessions? Are there rules about how different types of gifts must be presented? Might people be unimpressed by a large gift? Is it inappropriate to give leather products as a present? Is it important not to damage the packaging of a gift? Will you be forgiven if you get the details of gift-giving wrong? Have the rules of gift-giving become less important in recent years? Should you not give gifts to the wife of your colleague?

For the following questions, choose from the countries (A – F). Some of the countries may be chosen more than once. A – Egypt D – Australia B – Japan E – Great Britain. C – Thailand F – Arab countries. According to the writer, in which country: Is it unwise to say you like someone else’s possessions? (Egypt)Are there rules about how different types of gifts must be presented? (Japan)Might people be unimpressed by a large gift? (Australia)Is it inappropriate to give leather products as a present? (Arab countries)Is it important not to damage the packaging of a gift? (Thailand)Will you be forgiven if you get the details of gift-giving wrong? (Japan)Have the rules of gift-giving become less important in recent years? (Thailand)Should you not give gifts to the wife of your colleague? (Arab countries)

Brainstorming ideas

What about Ukrainians? What are the rules of gift-giving we usually follow?Ukrainians belong to Caucasoid race. They are mostly adherents of the Ukrainian or Russian Orthodox Church. Representatives of different nationalities live on the territory of Ukraine;86% of the people living in Ukraine identify themselves as Ukrainians

Thank you for attention!