Multiculturalism

Crime and Violence in the United States Globalization

Multiculturalism

A. Discussion

Discuss these questions with your classmates:

• Why do you think the crucible and the patchwork quilt are often used as symbols of the multicultural character of U. S. society?

• What does the crucible do to different metals mixed in it?

• Is the culture of your country heterogeneous, as in the United States, or homogeneous?

Q B. Vocabulary and Key Concepts

Read through the sentences, trying to imagine which words would fit in the blanks. Then listen to a dictation of the full sentences, and write the missing words in the blanks.

1. I understand why a foreigner might react_____________________

to U. S. culture, especially if the person comes from a more ethnically and racially____________________________________________ society.

2. It seems naive or even perverse to_________________________

the existence of a culture that has such great___________________

on other cultures, for better or worse.

3. A________________________ pot, literally a pot in which metals

like aluminum and copper are melted in order to blend them, is the traditional_____________________________________ for the way the differ­

ent groups of immigrants came together in the United States.

4. Some people feel that the monoculturalist view of many national­ities blending together into an____________________ :________________ of all

the parts in it is a__________________________

5. Opponents point out that many groups have at times been

________________________ from participating in U. S. society

through segregation and__________________________

6. U. S. society probably did not assimilate new cultural input until

the new immigrants were_________________________ with less

7. The metaphor the multiculturalists use is the patchwork quilt, a

________________________ of separate,______________________

subcultures.

8. and the_________________________

of children of another race make a difference in how people in a family look at themselves.

9. The point here is that the ethnically and racially pure individuals

————————————– by the multiculturalist view are

more the_________________________ than the rule.

10. We_______________________ some of our culture from our

families and_________________________ some of our culture

unconsciously.

11. If_________________________ does not take place in the first

________________________ , it most certainly does by the second

or third.

12. Monoculturalists fear a________________________ , or even

destruction, of U. S. culture, whereas_________________________

of the pluralistic view disagree.

13. It would be wrong to assume that the________________________

culture we’ve been speaking about_________________________

the culture of only one group.

14. _______________________ of the pluralistic view of culture cite

________________________ , especially Mexican immigrants, the

single largest immigrant group since the 1990s.

Follow-up: Check the spelling of the dictated words with your teacher.

Discuss the meanings of these words and any other unfamiliar words

in the sentences.

C. Predictions

Using the photographs and the vocabulary exercise as a starting point, write three questions that you think will be answered in the lecture. Examples: • Is U. S. culture becoming more like the cultures of new

immigrants?

• Is American culture basically European?

1.

2.

3.

Follow-up: After you have written your questions, share them with your teacher and your classmates.

D. Notetaking Preparation

1. Key Words: Listening

Work with a partner to practice taking down key words: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. One partner will read Vocabulary and Key Concepts sentences 1-4 while the other takes notes. Then switch parts for sentences 5-8.

Follow-up: With your partner, test your key words by recalling all the information in the sentences from what you wrote. Your partner will check to see if you can recall the message, not necessarily the exact words. Then change roles and test your partner’s key words.

2. Rhetorical Cues: Transition Words

Formal speech, like formal writing, is characterized by more frequent use of transition words and phrases. Transition words like however, therefore, and in fact help the listener understand the relationship be­tween the lecturer’s ideas. A good understanding of transition words will make a formal lecture more coherent to you. Test your knowledge of the italicized words on the next page by using them to complete the sentences in the exercise.

• Nevertheless, on the other hand, and however all point out con­trasts between two ideas.

• For instance presents examples.

• In fact is used for emphasis.

• Rather is used like instead.

• Furthermore is used like also.

a. The United States is not a racially homogeneous society; , Japan is.

b. The melting pot metaphor is a very old one.________________ ,

it’s been used for well over a century.

c. Culture comes to people in different ways.

________________________ , we inherit some, we absorb

some, and we choose some.

d. There are many proponents of the multiculturalist view; , I don’t really agree with this view.

e. The multiculturalists don’t use the metaphor of the melting

pot._________________________ , they use the patchwork quilt.

f. Monoculturalists fear a fragmentation of U. S. culture because of

a massive Latino immigration._________________________ ,

pluralists see the bright side of this immigration.

g. There are two problems with this theory. Some existing groups were excluded from participating fully in society,-

________________________ , newly arrived groups were

discriminated against.

Follow-up: Discuss your answers as a class.

Culture note: "Latino" is now a more a frequent way to refer to a Spanish – or Portuguese-speaking resident in the U. S. The use of "Hispanic" to refer to someone who speaks Spanish is objectionable to many Spanish-speaking people who feel no particular connection to Spain and to those who have no connection at all to Spain. ("Hispanic" was used in Chapter 1 to be consistent with the terminology in the 2000 census.)

Q A First Listening

Listen for general ideas. The lecturer begins with some objections to current views of U. S. culture, views that she finds naive. The main part of the lecture is a discussion of three different views of multicul – turalism, and these views might sound similar at first. However, they are quite different, if only in subtle ways. Listen for these three differ­ent views, and write them down under ST1, ST2, and ST3. Take down details you have time for, but make sure you take down the subtopics.

NOTES

Introduction:

ST1

ST3

Follow-up: Now check your major subtopics with your teacher.

Q B. Further Listening

While listening again, write down necessary relevant details below the main subtopic to which they belong. Remember to use key words to save time.

Follow-up: Check your notes. If you missed important information or have doubts about your notes, (1) verify them by asking a classmate questions to fill the gaps in your notes or (2) listen to the lecture a third time. When verifying your notes with a classmate, do not show each other your notes; ask specific questions to get the information you need.

Examples: • By any chance, did you catch what was said about the im­

pact of U. S. culture on the world?

• Could you help me out? What does "in all fairness" mean?

This is also a good time to check to see if the lecturer answered your Predictions questions about the lecture.

Q A. Accuracy Check

Listen to the following questions, and write short answers. Use your notes. You will hear each question one time only.

1. 2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10._________________________________________________________________

Follow-up: Check your answers with your teacher. If your score is less than 70 percent, you may need to listen to the lecture again or rewrite your notes so that you can understand and retrieve the information in them.

B. Oral Activities

1. Review

In groups of four, use your notes to reproduce sections of the lecture. Student A will present the introduction, Student В subtopic 1, and so on. Check what you hear against your notes. If you don’t understand or you disagree with what you hear, wait until your classmate finishes. Then bring your notes into agreement by seeking clarification, as follows:

• I beg your pardon, but I didn’t catch what you said about the im­pact of the United States on other countries.

• I’m sorry. I don’t believe I followed what you said about discrimi­nation against certain groups.

2. Transfer

If your class is multinational, prepare a short oral report about the cul­ture of your country, covering the points below. Work with the other students from your country.

If your classmates are all from your country, discuss the culture of your country as a class. Discuss these points:

• Is your culture racially and ethnically homogeneous or heteroge­neous?

• How open is your culture to influences from other cultures? Do people who spend long periods of time in your country assimilate to the culture, or do they maintain their own cultures?

• What metaphor do you think fits your culture?

C. Collaboration: Summary

In groups of three, with one member acting as secretary, write a one – paragraph summary of the lecture on multiculturalism. Use the guide­lines below to decide which information to include. Write the answers in complete sentences in paragraph form, but limit your summary to 100 words.

1. Write a first general sentence that tells how many views of culture the lecturer mentions and tell whether the views are similar or different.

2. Characterize each view briefly. Mention the metaphor used to describe it as well as its main characteristics.

Follow-up: Exchange summaries with at least one other group. Find something you like in other groups’ summaries. Alternatively, each group can read its summary to the class, which can then vote on the best one.

D. Pursuing the Topic

The following are recommended for a closer look at the multicultural nature of the United States:

Books/Periodicals/Internet

Postrel, Virginia I. "Uncommon Culture." Reason, May 1993, pp. 67-69.

Postrel discusses how and why assimilation takes place in the United States.

Rodriguez, Richard. Days of Obligation: An Argument with My Mexi­can Father. New York: Viking, 1992.

Rodriguez, born of Mexican immigrant parents, discusses his con­troversial views of U. S. multiculturahsm.

Search under the terms multiculturalism or pluralism for thousands of Web sites, many of which originate from or relate to many countries around the world besides the United States, including Australia, Canada, Nepal, India, and the United Arab Emirates, among many others.

Films/Videos

The Joy Luck Club, Wayne Wang, director,- 138 minutes, R.

The movie charts the lives and loves of four Chinese immigrants and their American-born daughters.

Mississippi Masala, Mira Nair, director; 118 minutes, R.

The movie explores the hves of Asian Indians living in the rural U. S. South and their dealings with African American and white communities around them.