Assignment

Assignment

Part 1:  Read:  The material under “Week 8” in the Course Content section of the classroom(materials to be attached separately).

Part 2: Main Post:

*Be sure to cite a scholarly, outside source for full credit*

Consider this case regarding culture, behavior and the law:  A 25-year old man and a 67-year old woman plan to wed.  In any culture the age difference may raise eyebrows as it is abnormal.  What is exceptional about this case is that the couple lives in Kenya, a country with strong customs and traditions.  An important factor in this case is that the man is younger.  Older men regularly marry younger women in the Kenyan culture.  Their marriage causes an intense debate in.  There were those who supported the couple’s individual rights and the woman’s right to choose.  There were also others who thought that marriage should be based on tribal values and traditions that have been in existence for many generations.  

1. To what extent should people go to challenge deep-seated customs and values of a traditional community?
2. Is respecting all tradition, even if you disagree with them, more important than challenging them and undermining a society’s cultural foundation?
3. Is there a way to compromise?

Part 2: Main Post 2:

Some government ban state employees from using foreign words, particularly English words. Several years ago, France created a campaign to remove English words from a computer-related vocabulary. In a similar fashion, the government of Venezuela mandated that a state-owned telephone company to stop using terms such as “marketing” and “password” and use Spanish terms instead. Usually campaigns such as these fail because of the psychological phenomenon: If you want to promote a trend or a fashion style, ban it. However, governments continue to use legal means to “preserve culture”.

1. Can governments impose culture?
2. Do you think France, and other countries, are justified in imposing these legal limits?
3. Do the limitations prohibit the free exchange of information and ideas?
4. Are there any benefits to limiting foreign cultural influences? What are they? Explain your answers.

Shiraev, E. (2017). Cross-Culture Psychology. Routledge.

*Provide constructive, thoughtful feedback designed to build an engaging dialog.  To achieve this, ask questions and share insights that will contribute to a broader analysis of the topic(s) at hand.*

Grading Criteria

Extraordinarily thorough and well-written, answers question(s) posed, and includes significant content-rich follow-through on presentation of the information, includes at least three references to the text material when appropriate (with page numbers).