Topics: Culture Shock, Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

In order to begin the discussion you will need to view the presentations and read in your textbook about the terms and concepts listed above.

The video below is interesting and really highlights the concept of culture shock when the boys came from Sudan to the U.S. Things taken for granted can be very difficult when someone steps into a different culture.

Sometimes we think that people from different cultures should do things the way that we do, and we judge those people using our own cultural standards — this is called ethnocentrism.

But, by putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes, we can learn a lot about their culture and a lot about our own culture — this is called cultural relativism.

After watching the video below,discuss the following:

1. How did the boys react when they came to America?

2. From a cultural relativist perspective, what were some of the interesting things you learned about their culture versus our culture?

3. What examples of ethnocentrism did you notice in the video?

4. Personal application: Provide an example of how you may have experienced culture shock, and what you learned from that experience.

Watch Video
Individuals from Sudan are brought to the USA, cultural differences emerge
Duration: (4:59)
User: n/a – Added: 4/6/11
YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYCA6g9bNg0