Course Description

This course explains the place and behavior of people in society. The scope of study extends from concerns of the family to problems of mass society. Topics of discussion and analysis include culture, status, roles, norms, birth order, deviance, social institutions, social structure, and social problems. Students participate in a variety of individual and group projects that examine how groups operate and the conflicts that affect society. Speakers from the community and field trips illustrate practical applications of the sociological principles studied in class.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Extra Credit Assignment: Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992

Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 is the fourteenth part of Anna Deavere Smith's work in progress, On the Road: A Search for American Character, begun in 1983. The play's unifying focus is the civil unrest in Los Angeles following the April, 1992, verdict in the first Rodney King trial, presented from the perspective of the wide range of persons that Smith interviewed. The actress-playwright interprets a limited number of these actual people in her solo performances, editing and rearranging her raw material as she deems appropriate.

Closely related to themes of race and racial prejudice, anger and hatred have a powerful, resonating presence in Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. Some of the persons, like Rudy Salas, Sr., the Mexican artist, seem almost consumed with hatred. His is directed against "gringos," especially white police officers. His anger is shared by others, mostly by inner-city blacks and Latinos who resent the treatment afforded them by the LAPD.

Questions:
  1. Keep a log of biases, racism, and stereotypes that are portrayed in the play.
  2. What types of racism was encounter in the United States?
  3. How did racism affect their lives?
  4. How many of you have experienced racism in your personal life?
  5. Has someone you know experienced racism?
The following questions will be answered in a reflection paper format. The paper would be due on Friday, December 16, 2011 in class.
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2 comments:

  1. Rosa E. SolisDecember 6, 2011 at 7:42 AM

    1.Global Emotions is the study of emotions in different countries. The six identified by anthropologist are the following:
    A. Anger
    B. Disgust
    C. Fear
    D. Happiness
    E. Sadness
    F. Surprise

    2.This means that people are not capable of self-reflection without taking into consideration a peer's interpretation of the experience or you can say people define and resolve their internal musings through other's viewpoints.

    3.Gender roles are the roles that each gender is supposed to do for example. The roles of women and men in society vary greatly. Men are supposed to take care of women and provide for them and their family. They are supposed to be the primary head boss in the family and bring home most of the money and support. Men prefer the hard manual labor jobs and think that they should be the ones doing the hard stuff. The women are supposed to take care of the house and the children. This includes laundry, dishes, cooking, bathing the kids, and general cleaning chores. These roles have been changing drastically over the course of the years.

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  2. MToribioDecember 13, 2011 at 7:26 AM

    Maria Toribio 4thPeriod 12/7/11

    1)Global emotions are common emotions felt by everyone regardless of the culture and society in which they live. Sic global emotions identified by anthropologist Paul Ekman are anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise.

    2)A social mirror is how we view ourselves compared to how society views us.

    3)Gender roles are the behaviors and attitudes considers appropriate because you are a male or a female.

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