Maintaining and Transmitting Culture: Thanksgiving holiday discussion

A – Maintaining and Transmitting Culture

This discussion addresses module outcome 1. In this discussion you will discuss how culture (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video, 26:41 mins] is maintained and transmitted within the family context. Culture is the glue that binds society together. Before you begin the activity, make sure that you have read Chapter 3 and viewed the video on culture linked above. Every group that comes together and forms a society develops a culture that is unique to that group. There is some discussion among theorists on the existence of an overall American culture. Some argue that the US is too young and too much of a melting pot to have one overall unifying culture. Others argue that this is true of all nations and not only the US. They argue that family or community culture is often different from the overall culture that the majority of the population shares.

Before beginning this activity, be sure to read the Module Notes and the assigned readings and viewings. Use as much detail from the readings and other learning materials in the module as possible to answer the following questions.

1. Identify one thing that your family shares as part of its culture that is indicative of the greater culture in your community.
2. Identify one thing that your family does that is different from the greater culture in your community.
3. How did these behaviors, both similar and dissimilar, come to be the culture of your family?
4. How do these behaviors reflect the culture norms in your family and your community?