Analysis of Nathans Book My Freshman Year - Assignment Example

1. How is Nathan’s book, My Freshman Year, an ethnography? Why or why not? Do you think it is unethical for an anthropologist to pose as a freshman? Why or why not? My thoughts as to whether it is unethical or not for an anthropologist to pause as a freshman, is that it is not unethical. The course of establishing facts from students and the kind of life they lead can only be revealed if you pause as a freshman and make senior students to believe that indeed they are the one who are relied upon as role models. The other reason is that, students can only express themselves with ease if they are sure they are talking to a colleague as opposed to if they were talking to a lecturer or senior staff member. It is also easy to make friends who can lead you through your investigation if an anthropologist identified himself as a freshman as opposed to declaring his mission in his introduction.th factor of age difference between the student at the university and the anthropologist means that there will be communication barrier. The fact that the anthropologist is in a fact finding mission, requires that he employees a disguised identity all along if the mission is to bare any results. 2. What is an authoritative voice? How does it relate to the eight kinds of logic we have discussed An authoritative voice is a voice that speaks more of an insight that is full of self-believe, and disregard for advice from other. Perhaps, a person with an authoritative voice will always define the destiny of a team regardless of the position of the team in the same. Naturally, people are not impressed with being directed to do something especially if they know that it is not right as far as their understanding of the same is concerned. For instance, if a woman fears of her capacity to give birth in the natural way, they will insist on undergoing a caesarian delivery method. The other way it relates to the eight logics is in the commitment students show towards their education, some students may not heed the call to read a chapter before entering a discussion and still insist that they know what they are doing. 3. Can authoritative voices conflict? Discuss virginity in terms of the authoritative voices that influence our historical and cultural perception of virginity. Give an example of conflicting voices. The ideology that authoritative voices conflict is true in the sense that, anyone who speaks with authority, will want to be the final decision maker and in that regard, consensus is never arrived at under that leadership. Virginity for instance, in some cultures like the Islam, it is highly regarded, and everybody is expected to be a virgin before he/she gets married. While male counterparts from the same religion are not restricted by culture, the same prize seems to be an infringement on the side of the female. Decision on the same is a responsibility of the men in that society which sparks a conflict of interest as to why would someone who is not a virgin be a custodian of the same. While mothers on the other hand love their children regardless of their virginity loss, fathers stand on the contrary path of disowning a child for the same mistake. 4. What problems do recent developments in fertility technology present for individuals? For our culture? While the world is yet to celebrate the invention of fertility technology, many people are already poking holes in the same technology in as far as health issues are concerned. For instance, the process that is used to trigger hormones necessary for ovulation requires a treatment procedure to revert the process to normalcy. People who have tried this technology have had a problem in trying to have hormone production stabilized; and others view this as a threat to their health. The other problem with fertility technology is the fact that, some people are tied in some weird culture and belief that fertility can only occur through intercourse and that no other approach to that equals the results. While this may look ignorant, the chances of technologists misusing the privilege of that knowledge are not secured against by law. The fear here being, people may want to experiment technology beyond the urgent need of recreation and may go unnoticed by the law. 5. According to Hatfield and Rapson, one category of people that fall in love is the “skittish.” Name the five other categories. What life course experiences influence an individual’s reaction to intimacy? The other categories of people who fall in love are the clingy; the secure; the fickle; the casual, and the uninterested. The clingy types of lovers are influenced by the commitment, trust, satisfaction, and intimacy they project to come out of a relationship. The secure types of lovers assume that their partners have the right intentions towards them and will reciprocate as well. In general, the major influence that is responsible for an individual’s reaction towards intimacy is past experiences in her past relationship, and experiences of other colleagues who have been in relationships as well. An individual will try and ensure that the next relationship is better than the previous one. 6. What special problems related to the birth process have resulted from the physical evolutionary process? How do they influence the cultural experience of birth? There are a number of complications that have resulted from the birth process and serious among them is paralysis of part of the body especially if the mother is not physically able to give birth the natural way. Some of the mothers may not be able to withstand the pain of giving birth and in some cases, mothers some die or sustain injuries in their sexual organs. In some other cases, the mother is disappointed when they lose the baby due to birth complications. These challenges have influenced the cultural experience of birth in the sense that, de-campaigning of female genital mutilation has been globalized to safe the mother and the child from dangers of birth complication. Some other cases of HIV transmission have also influenced the cultural experience of births to raise the standards of hygiene and protection. 7. In Writing an Ethnography of Childbirth, Kay says there are some questions that must be asked about pregnancy when writing an ethnography? One is “By whom may a woman get pregnant?” How might this vary from one culture to another? “By whom may a woman get pregnant?” is a question that is culturally inspired. Different cultures have strict laws with regard to generation progression so that, if a couple sired a child out of wed lock, that child will be regarded as an outcast. Other cultures allow a couple to have a child out of wedlock for reasons that are understandable to the couple and the extended family as well. For instance, if the husband is important, the woman will be allowed to conceive a child with an in-law and that will be treated as an in-house matter. The other way in which a woman can get pregnant according to other cultures is through wife inheritance. In this case, when a woman loses her husband at an early age of their marriage, perhaps, before they have kids, the woman is allowed to remarry outside the family or if comfortable, can get married to the in-law and have children. 8. What does Mengue give as the fundamental cause of the sexual exploitation of children in Cameroon? Do you think her conclusion is specific to Cameroon or does it have wider implications? The most compromising and compelling need for education has been compromised in the sense that government policies are not being implemented seriously to the effect of ensuring that all children especially girls are able to access education. In this sense, girls who complete basic education and are not able to progress with secondary education remain vulnerable to be sexually exploited. The other reason is availability of commercial sex vendors who lure the children to being used in exchange for money. The fundamental reason however, is the fact that these children are not able to advance beyond elementary education and eventually opt for commercial sex to meet their needs. Her conclusion however, is a factor that cuts across all the areas that are experiencing political instability, and perhaps with a complacent government such that in areas where peace is compromised, girls and women are reported to be victims of sexual assault and forceful exploitation of the same. Most parts of Africa with political and policy challenges are not able to walk through as would be expected. 9. Who was the authoritative voice in the birth of Adhiambo? How did this affect the birth process? The authoritative voice in the birth of Adhiambo was her mother in the sense that she dictated where her daughter was going to be born. While it was expected of every mother would give birth in a hospital or clinic, Adhiambo’s mother defied the odds and decided that home was the best place for her African American daughter. The challenges that resulted after were regrettable in the senses that, while in the hospital, the care that a delivering mother is given, could not be accessed by home delivery, the pain endured was too much and unnecessary. The birth process was also comparatively delayed by the fact that it was a painful process and the maximum pain the mother could endure was considerably at risk of terminating the birth of the child. 10. What was the main message of the movie Giving Birth: Challenges and Choices? How does the concept of an authoritative voice relate to this movie? The main message in the movie giving birth, had the concerns of many mothers who usually who suffer from the challenges of not having to deliver in a hospital. While it is a choice for the mother to decide where to deliver, it still remains a concern that in this century some mothers still opt to the cultural way of doing things yet services are brought close to the doors. The concept of the authoritative voice is very relevant in this movie, in the sense that, it depicts the fact that people hold close to what they term it dear to their heart. 11. How does the concept of “normalcy” relate to inter-racial education and the education of people with disabilities? What is the relationship between the law as it relates to education and the concept of “normalcy”? The concept of normalcy with regard to inter-racial education and people with disabilities is the fact that, all students are treated as students and not discriminated on the basis of race, and or disabilities. Under the studying environment, where normalcy prevails, all the students are gathered in the infrastructure and enabling environment that will allow the foreign students and students with disabilities to access learning resources. The law as relates to normalcy is that, no all the students should be facilitated to learn irrespective of the place they come from and the physical challenges that limits their access to education. For instance, if a school enrolls student with physical challenges say walking challenges, the law requires of the school to infrastructure that will enable the students to access lectures at floors above the ground floor. The law also allows for anyone who feels that the systems in place deny him/her the right access to education for instance, if there is no lift to allow for the physically handicapped to access lecturers on higher floors. 12. How does the concept of an authoritative voice relate to the high rate of Caesarian deliveries in the United States today? Why do you think the rate of Caesarian births is lower in other countries? The concept of authoritative voice is related to the high rate of caesarian deliveries in the sense that some mothers have considered that as the way out of unbearable pain. While it is expected that mothers can give birth the natural way, it has become apparent that most of the mothers especially in the United States prefer to go the caesarian way. This is attributed to the fact that family sizes have been reduced to two children utmost and the parents. The mother, knowing that she has two cycles to give birth will opt to caesarian operation. In other parts of the world, caesarian operations are limited to complicated births where there is a danger of losing a life. This is because the understanding of birth is that the pain will bring the mother close to her child as opposed to selfish and personal gains of not going that way. 13. How does the social class and educational level of an American woman affect the choices she has about giving birth? The choices o of an American woman concerning giving birth is much determined by the social class and level education one ranks among her colleagues. The influence of other educated women may derail a woman’s desire to give birth in the fear of losing colleagues to interact with. The other reason is financial independence; with educated women earning good fortunes of their education, the need to get married becomes an issue at a distance and therefore, the time to give birth eventually becomes relegated in the list of priorities. This is because, while men were better placed in the society, women would get married partly to get the support of the man and then followed giving birth under a man’s control. Social class has some unrealistic approach to life where by a negative attitude dominates the mentality of the educated woman in the sense that, companionship is made to appear as though it is unnecessary. Instead of a woman looking for a man with whom to share their life, they opt to live in solitude and make family progression a one man’s affair. 14. There are significant contrasts between the way babies are ideally cared for in mainstream American culture and the way in which they are nurtured in some other cultures. Give some examples and discuss how they might affect adult personality. Culture affect the way a child’s future personality is nurtured; in America for instance, equality of both sexes starts with when a child is young and that way a child will grow to recognize that both sexes deserve equal treatment. In other cultures, there is preference on the male side and that happens from when a child is young through their teenage. Once such child matures, they will be holding the same preference as they have grown knowing and will be hard for them to embrace equality. Culture has a way of developing a stereotype driven mind in the child. These children, once they are adults, will only appreciate others in a one sided approach that is familiar to them. In other cultures, the rising cases of terrorism are associated directly to the way a child is nurtured as he/she grows so that they grow knowing that the only thing is to take human life. Children for this matter boys, are being thought how a particular group have compromised the way of living among a particular group, and while they are growing, their mission of revenge gets bigger and bigger. 15. Do parents play with their children in most world cultures? Why has the idea of parent-child play time become important to educated people in the developed world? In most world cultures, parents will get close and even play with their children for sometime before everyone walk their path alone. The concept of parent child play has attracted attention and among the educated people in developed world, parents want to be close to their children as much as possible. The essence of parent child playing together is vital in enabling a child to grow morally and psychologically, and enable them to bond and learn the right behavior from their parents. The children should also be given the opportunity to express themselves before their parents, and also for the parent to know what kind of future stands in the way of their children. Play time is a way of ensuring that children get the right physical exercise as opposed to getting crossed in computer games. The overarching health concern of rising obese cases among children as low as 10 years pause a threat to the live of the child, and so playing with parents will enable the child to reduce unnecessary accumulation of fats in the body. 16. How does the cultural concept of “childhood” relate to the perception of child soldiers in international conflicts? The concept of childhood is a sensitive one especially when it comes to matters of civil wars where child soldiers re recruited. The fact that children are subjected to war that eventually derails their growth, and turns them into young killers and murders without conscience, is outrageous. According to growth psychology, when a young child is thought to kill as young as he maybe, the child will have a heart that burns with the desire to kill for the rest of his life and will make governance hard since the only language they know is war of blood. When children are used as soldiers to wedge civil wars, unnecessary bloodshed stand in the way of child soldiers and that is the one think that demeans the dignity of human life. Childhood is considered the only stage in life when a child can be nurtured and prepared for good leadership in life. So that, recruiting soldiers will be the only way to undermine the right ambitions of every child which is to grow and contribute to nation building. Work Cited Nathan, Rebekah. My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2005. Print. Read More