Exam 2: Culture

Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) described hegemony as one of two primary aspects of power. Define hegemony and provide a minimum of two concrete examples of how it serves as a form of power. What is the second aspect of power that Gramsci described and how does it differ from hegemony? Which of the two aspects of power do you believe is likely to be more effective and why?

Clifford Geertz (1926-2006), who urged anthropologists to explore culture primarily as a symbolic system, is a key figure in which of the following anthropological approaches?

An anthropologist's suspension of judgment while attempting to understand a group's beliefs and practices within their own cultural context is termed:

Which of the following anthropologists argued that power must be viewed as an aspect of all human relationships?

Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) described two aspects of power that included material power and:

Individuals and groups have the power to contest cultural norms, values, mental maps of reality, symbols, institutions, and structures of power, which is a potential known as:

A key group that the credit card industry in the United States explicitly targets is:

Which of the following is defined as the anthropological approach that views society as consisting of various parts that fit together with each part having its unique function within the larger structure?

The advent of computers and deregulation of banking in the 1970s caused which of the following financial tools to burst on the scene in the United States, transforming the financial environment?

Which of the following individuals was a student of Boas and explored the ways in which cultural traits and entire cultures are uniquely patterned and integrated?

Migration in the world is now occurring at unprecedented levels. How does migration relate to globalization? What is meant by a two-way transference of culture and how does migration figure into it? What are three examples of two-way transference of culture? What effect do you think migration will have on cultures in the future?

The notion of a culture of consumerism is distinct from the concept of culture more generally. Do you think that the culture of consumerism affects culture more generally in some way, and if so, how? What are some benefits and drawbacks of the culture of consumerism in society today? Do you think it will affect the future of societies, and if so, in what explicit ways?

The borrowing of cultural traits and patterns from other cultures is a concept in anthropology known as:

Former Harvard University president and economist Lawrence Summers commented in a 2005 speech that his school and others similar to it likely had more men in science and math faculties than women because men's brains were better suited for success in these areas. Does Summers's statement reflect a nature or nurture perspective of human experience? Based on what you have read in Chapter 2 of your textbook, is Summers correct in his statement? What may be some of the reasons why there is a gender discrepancy in science and math faculties in U.S. colleges and universities? What role does culture play in such gender discrepancies?

Evolutionary psychologists generally argue that our genetic makeup determines who we are and how we behave, while anthropologists argue otherwise. What do anthropologists argue regarding the nature versus nurture debate surrounding who we are and how we behave? What evidence do anthropologists have to substantiate their argument? Which argument do you find more convincing, that of evolutionary psychologists or anthropologists, and why?

Using an interpretivist approach, anthropologist Clifford Geertz (1926-2006) argues that seemingly straightforward actions such as winking have deep cultural meanings. Describe what constitutes an interpretivist approach. Next, provide your own example of a cultural action that you think conveys deep cultural meaning. What do you believe the action symbolizes culturally? How do you know that the action conveys deep cultural meaning and how did you learn its meaning? Would an individual need to be a member of the particular society in order to understand the deep cultural meaning of the action, or would anyone be able to interpret it correctly? Discuss why or why not.

Edward Burnett Tylor (1832-1917) is credited with crafting the first definition of which of the following concepts utilized in anthropology?

Culture is more than a set of ideas or patterns of behavior shared by a group of people because it also includes which of the following general mechanisms created by people to promote and maintain their core values?

Which of the following is defined as the ability or potential to bring about change through action or influence-either one's own or that of a group or institution?

Which of the following is defined as the process of learning culture?