Sophie Miles

ALL NEEDED INFO IS ATTACHED

Week 2: Your Culture in Context

Individual cultures do not exist in vacuums; rather, they exist beside or within other cultures in prescribed relationships. That being said, an unconscious hierarchy (or rank system) has been established by those in authority, assigning value to some cultures and not others. The assigning of value may seem absurd and arbitrary, but, as Nieto and Boyer (2006) explain, rank greatly affects lives. For example, being classified as “female” places a person at a lower rank and therefore not part of the dominant group and the benefits that go with that group.

So… where does your particular culture fit within this larger hierarchy—and to what extent have you been aware of it? This week, you continue examining the concept of culture by engaging with rank and status. 

Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Analyze power and status moves in conversations

· Describe the connection between culture and status

· Examine personal rank and status in society

· Explain determinants of social class and privilege

· Describe experiences of status play 

Learning Resources

Cultural Rank and Status

Critical Media Project. (n.d.). Why identity matters. https://criticalmediaproject.org/why-identity-matters/

Gay, R. (2012, May 16). Peculiar benefits. The Rumpus. https://therumpus.net/2012/05/peculiar-benefits/

Jacob, S. A., Palanisamy, U. D., & Chung, C. M. C. (2017). Perception of a privilege walk activity and its impact on pharmacy students’ views on social justice in a service learning elective: A pilot study. Journal of Pharmacy Practice & Research, 47(6), 449–456. https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.1322

Note: Go to page 455 of the article and read through the “Statements” section for this week’s Reflective Assignment.

Chicago Humanities Festival. (2018, January 10). Beverly Daniel Tatum: Why are all of the Black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGZniOuoREU&feature=youtu.be

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 59 minutes. 

Status Play

Changing Minds. (n.d.). Status conversations. http://changingminds.org/techniques/conversation/types/status_conversation.htm

Nieto, L., & Boyer, M. F. (2006). Understanding oppression: Strategies in addressing power and privilege. ColorsNW.

Credit line: Nieto, L., & Boyer, M. F. (2006). Understanding oppression: Strategies in addressing power and privilege. https://www.evergreen.edu/sites/default/files/writingcenter/docs/cv/Nieto_Ask%20Leticia.pdf 

Walden University. (2020b). Status play [Video]. Walden University Blackboard. https://class.waldenu.edu

Accessible player 

Credit: ""

THIS IS DUE THURSDAY BY 10PM PLEASE

Discussion: Status Play

You may have heard the phrase “to put someone in their place.” Perhaps two people are having an argument and one gives a vicious retort and then stomps away, leaving the other person stunned and feeling down. A bystander might say, “Wow, she really put you in your place.”

This idea of “place” refers to one’s social status in relation to others. In interactions (both neutral conversations and arguments), individuals are constantly alternating roles of high and low status compared to the other, to reinforce their position. For example, a child may say, “You’re not the boss of me!” (claiming high status), while the parent says, “Yes, I am” (asserting their high status and the child’s low status). Status moves in other conversations may be subtler than seen with a parent and child and can include people actively working to lower their own status, rather than always trying to dominate.

In this Discussion, you analyze conversations between people engaging in status play, also called status games.

To Prepare

· Review your course announcements for possible information related to this week’s Discussion and Assignment.

· Review all of the Learning Resources assigned for this week. Pay special attention to the information on status play in the Nieto and Boyer and Changing Minds articles.

· View the Walden University (2020b) Status Play video in the Learning Resources, and select one of the demonstrations within it to use for this Discussion.

· Review the selected demonstration, paying close attention to the interaction between the people and how power is shown through status.

· Observe body position, eye contact, tone, statements, and moment-to-moment changes in status.

By Day 4

Post an analysis of the demonstration that you viewed in the context of culture, power, and status. In your analysis, be sure to:

· Describe who holds power in the conversation and at what points. Who has high status and who has low status, and how do you know? Be specific and provide examples.

· In general, describe how culture relates to the status roles people take. 

THIS IS DUE SATURDAY 10/22/21

Reflective Assignment: Rank and Status Within Dominant Culture

As you have seen, status is fluid and can therefore change in a given conversation as people assert their dominance or subordination. Rank, on the other hand, is fixed and based on the established social hierarchy involving different cultural factors (age, disability, religious culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social class, indigenous background, national origin, and gender). Your rank on these factors comes with privilege, what Gay (2012) calls “peculiar benefits” or advantages of one group over another. What kind of privilege have you experienced?

In this Assignment, you assess your own rank as a valued or devalued group and reflect on your privilege and oppression as part of that group. Again, your insights and discoveries with regard to this exercise will not be seen by your classmates and will not be shared unless you choose to do so.

To Prepare

· Review the Nieto and Boyer and Gay articles and view the Chicago Humanities Festival video in the Learning Resources.

· Consider your own culture’s place in the power hierarchy and from whom you learned your place (e.g., main caregivers, extended family, schools, peers, the media).

· Access the Jacob et al. article on “Perception of a Privilege Walk Activity” from the Learning Resources. Go to page 455 of the article and read through the “Statements” section. Circle or highlight the statements that apply to you, and consider where they place you. Does each factor put you “forward” or “backward” in terms of rank? You may even record a plus or minus to indicate your virtual movements ahead and behind. Reflect on your results. 

By Day 7

With your Privilege Walk results in mind, submit a 1- to 2-page critical reflection addressing the following questions:

· Which statement resonated with you the most? Why?

· Where do your results place you—and others like you—in terms of rank? How do the results compare to your own perception of where you stand?

· How has privilege impacted your life (e.g., access to healthcare, educational opportunities)?

· How and by whom are social class and privilege determined?

· When have you directly experienced status play in your life, similar to what you observed for this week’s Discussion? To what extent does that experience illustrate rank and privilege?

Reference the Learning Resources to enrich your reflection.