SOCIETY AND CULTURETHE PRELIMINARY AND HSC COURSE

THE PRELIMINARY COURSE The Preliminary course is made up of three topics, The Social and Cultural World, Personal and Social Identity and Intercultural Identity.

The focus of the first two topics, The Social and Cultural World and Personal and Social Identity, will be based on psychology and sociology. By looking at different theories of growth and development we will better understand why teenagers act and think the way they do! To help us we will watch some teen movies and analyse how Hollywood depicts teenagers and to what extent this influences Australian teenagers and Australian society. The first two topics will help us to learn ways of gathering, recording and presenting information, this is referred to as research methodology. The focus of the third unit, Intercultural Identity, will be based on anthropology. By studying tribal societies we will better understand the way all societies are organized, how societies retain their traditions and how they adjust to change over time. This topic will also help us to learn research methodologies.

The Preliminary course overlaps with the HSC. All information, concepts and skills taught in the Preliminary course are integrated in the HSC course and may be examined in the HSC exam. The Preliminary course will be examined by three tests in Term One valued at 30%, 30% and 40% respectively.

HSC COREAn important part of the core unit, Social and Cultural Continuity and Change, is the study of a selected country. Our selected country is Afghanistan. We will study the traditions of Afghanistan and the way Afghanistan is adjusting to change.

The core topic, Selected Country, will be examined by short answer questions and multiple choice questions.

The Personal Interest Project is also an important part of the core topic, Social and Cultural Continuity and Change. It is worth 40% of your HSC mark. You are able to choose your own topic as long as it is related to the Society and Culture course. You must carry out your own research on a topic that is personally interesting to you. The examiners want you to show them that you understand the skills of research methodology, that is, how to gather, record and present information.

Social and Cultural Continuity and Change will be examined by a short answer question exam and an extended response valued at 20%.

HSC DEPTH STUDIESOur first depth study topic is Popular Culture. The focus of this study is the interconnection between the individual and popular culture. The student may choose a popular culture as a focus study such as a music genre or a film genre.

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Our second Depth Study topic is Equality and Difference. This topic analyses prejudice and discrimination in society and looks for solutions to the inequalities brought about by prejudice and discrimination.The Depth Studies are assessed by one essay per topic written under exam conditions valued at 25% each.

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THE PRELIMINARY COURSEThe Preliminary Course is made of three topics, Personal and Social Identity, Intercultural Communication, and The Social and Cultural World.

Personal and Social Identity will be assessed through a written response on the theories of Erikson and Piaget on human development. This is valued at 20 marks.

Intercultural Communication will be assessed by the presentation of a project on a tribal society. This is valued at 40 marks.

The Social and Cultural World will be assessed through a class test on terms and key concepts relevant to Society and Culture. The terms include key concepts, social and cultural literacy, micro and macro world and socialisation.. The Social and Cultural World will also be assessed by testing your knowledge of methodology, this means ways of finding, gathering, analysing and presenting data. This is valued at 40 marks.

SOCIALISATIONSocialisation: The process by which we grow and develop and learn to become members of society, by internalising the norms and values of society, and learning to perform social roles.

Society and Culture explores the discipline of psychology. It is interesting to see how famous psychologists and sociologists explained the process of growing and developing from infancy to adulthood. We will look at the theories of Piaget and Erikson.

Erik Erikson was concerned about teenagers and identity.

He believed the teenage years were an opportunity for individuals to gain a sense of identity. Of course there is confusion at this stage of life but the maturing process should lead to an end to confusion. According to Erikson teenagers at this stage of life choose their values and beliefs, they choose their aspirations, they choose those parts of their life experiences they will develop, they choose role models to help them set goals and show them a way to reach those goals. Therefore decision making is a critical aspect of the teenage years.

Erikson believed there are four ways a teenager reacts to decision making and this impacts on their identity.

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1 FORECLOSURE: This means a teenage forecloses or avoids making important decisions.These decisions are made by a dominant person in the teenager’s life such as a parent, sibling, or dominant peer. Think about important decisions that have affected your life lately. Who made the decision? Circle the appropriate response:

1 Leaving school myself family/ guardian peer n/a

2 Enrolling in TAFE myself family/ guardian peer n/a

3 Choosing subjects myself family/ guardian peer n/a

4 Leaving your peer group myself family/ guardian peer n/a

5 Staying within your peer group myself family/ guardian peer n/a

6 Leaving home myself family/ guardian peer n/a

7 Staying at home myself family/ guardian peer n/a

8 Choosing a mobile phone company myself family/ guardian peer n/a

9 Getting a part time job myself family/ guardian peer n/a

10 Learning to drive myself family/ guardian peer n/a

11 Setting a curfew myself family/guardian peer n/a

12 Buying a car myself family/ guardian peer n/a

13 Starting a boy/girl relationship myself family/ guardian peer n/a

14 Ending a boy/girl relationship myself family/ guardian peer n/a

15 Retaining a boy/girl relationship myself family/ guardian peer n/a

16 Choosing clothes myself family/ guardian peer n/a

According to Erikson the process of making the decision and the outcome of the decision contribute to a person’s identity. Have you avoided making decisions about your life?

How many of the above decisions were made only by you? ______

How many of the above decisions were made by other people? _______ How many of the above decisions were made by you and other people? ______

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2 IDENTITY DIFFUSION: Sometimes the circumstances surrounding the decision are so overwhelming the teenager is unable to make a decision or make an appropriate decision. They have no options. The circumstances may include discrimination, poverty, bullying or illness.

3 IDENTITY MORATORIUM: Sometimes students choose to take time out rather than face the process of making decisions and the outcome of those decisions. This may occur if the teenager is confused or is still experimenting with different roles, values or beliefs. The teenager can make a more informed decision at a later date based on personal experience.

4 IDENTITY ACHIEVEMENT: In this stage of development the teenager has resolved many of the issues that were making it difficult to make appropriate decisions or any decision at all. The teenager is able to balance many roles. The teenager is aware of their own individuality, and the broader social and cultural considerations.

Teen movies often explore the teenage identity crisis and the characters often portray an individual seeking their identity through role play and decision making.Watch some the following teen movies and judge whether the processes of teenage decision making have been explored in three movie of the following movies:

Rebel Without a Cause 1955American Graffiti 1973The Breakfast Club 1985Ferris Bueller’s Day Off 1986Muriel’s Wedding 1994The Delinquents 1989Ten Things I Hate About You 1999Juno 2008

In the table below write a paragraph about one character in three movies you have watched and show a clear example of a decision the character made, the influences on the decision and the process of the decision. Each table is valued at 5 marks.THIS IS PART ONE OF YOUR FIRST PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT TASK (Personal and Social Identity). WATCH THE MOVIES CLOSELY AND TAKE NOTES. MARKS WIL BE AWARDED FOR EVIDENCE OF UNDERSTANDING ERIKSON’S THEORY AND APPLYING THIS INFORMATION TO THE CHARACTERS PORTRAYED IN THE MOVIES. YOU MAY PREPARE THE TASK AT HOME AND WRITE IT UNDER EXAM CONDITIONS IN CLASS. COPYING THE WORK OF ANOTHER STUDENT WILL RESULT IN A MARK OF ZERO.

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TEEN MOVIE 1: EVIDENCE OF FORECLOSURE, IDENTITY DIFFUSION, IDENTITY MORATORIUM, OR IDENTITY ACHIEVEMENT: Name the movie and the character:

___________________________________________________________

TEEN MOVIE 2: EVIDENCE OF FORECLOSURE, IDENTITY DIFFUSION, IDENTITY MORATORIUM, OR IDENTITY ACHIEVEMENT: Name the movie and the character:

___________________________________________________________

TEEN MOVIE 3: EVIDENCE OF FORECLOSURE, IDENTITY DIFFUSION, IDENTITY MORATORIUM, OR IDENTITY ACHIEVEMENT: Name the movie and the character:

_____________________________________________________________

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Another theorist that was a contemporary of Erikson was Jean Piaget, he was a Swiss psychologist. He was also interested in the cognitive processes, this means the way people think. Piaget made some very interesting observations about teenagers. Piaget referred to the age of twelve onwards as the Formal Operations Stage. He believed that by the time an individual reached twelve years of age they were capable of “thinking about one’s thoughts”. (Donnelly et al 2008 p45). He called this introspection. Part of introspection is a preoccupation with one’s self referred to as egocentrism and this is an important part of growing up.

Adolescents or teenagers as they are more commonly called are also able to look at the world around them objectively and make their own decisions. Piaget also believed teenagers are able to look at their micro world objectively and compare their family to other families and friends. This helps them to make their own decisions.

In the Formal Operations Stage teenagers are able to see a range of possible consequences of their decisions and behaviours. This ability allows teenagers to think logically, often referred to as the skill of reasoning. This ability to “think about one’s thoughts” (Donnelly at al 2008 p45) also allows the teenager to see inconsistencies in the logic of their own thinking and other people’s thinking. As it also allows the teenager to see the consequences of their decisions and behaviour they are able to comprehend a future.

Another interesting idea of Piaget is delayed gratification. Small children want their needs satisfied immediately. As children mature they learn that an individual can benefit in the future by decisions and actions made in the present.

In the table below write a paragraph about one character in one of the movies you have watched and show a clear example of Piaget’s theory at work.

Is there evidence of one of the characters looking objectively at the world around them?

Is there evidence of one of the characters seeing inconsistencies in their own logic?

Is there evidence of one of the characters seeing inconsistencies in the logic of other people?

Is there evidence of one of the characters seeing the consequences of their decisions?

Is there evidence of one of the characters delaying gratification?

THIS IS PART TWO OF YOUR FIRST PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT TASK (Personal and Social Identity). WATCH THE MOVIES CLOSELY AND TAKE NOTES. MARKS WILL BE AWARDED FOR EVIDENCE OF UNDERSTANDING PIAGET’S THEORY AND APPLYING THIS INFORMATION TO THE CHARACTERS PORTRAYED IN THE MOVIES. YOU MAY PREPARE THE TASK AT HOME AND WRITE IT UNDER EXAM CONDITIONS IN CLASS. COPYING THE WORK OF ANOTHER STUDENT WILL RESULT IN A MARK OF ZERO. COMPLETION OF THE TABLE IS VALUED AT 5 MARKS.

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Name the movie and the character:___________________________________

TOTAL MARK FOR ASESSMENT TASK ONE: /20

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Genie’s StorySocialisation: The process by which we grow and develop and learn to become members of society, by internalising the norms and values of society, and learning to perform social roles.

However, sometimes the socialisation of individuals goes wrong. Over time there have been reports of children abandoned by their family and raised in isolation from human contact. One such case is Genie. Genie was discovered at age 13. She had spent the first 13 years of her life locked in her room.

Genie was the fourth child in her family. The eldest daughter, unwanted by her father, was placed in the garage and died of pneumonia at two months. A second child, a boy also died in infancy. A third child, a boy was rescued by his grandmother and survived. Unfortunately for Genie the grandmother was killed in an accident and Genie was at the mercy of her parents.

Genie was strapped in a harness and spent every day either in her cot or strapped to a potty chair. She was fed sporadically by her brother who had returned to his parents’ home. The brother was forbidden to speak to Genie, in fact all verbal communication with Genie was banned. At times the father barked or growled at Genie but that was all. If she made any noise she was beaten. Genie had a few homemade toys but overall everyday was spent in isolation, in silence without anything to do or see.

When Genie was discovered and taken to Los Angeles Children’s Hospital her condition was heart breaking. Genie had received none of the socialisation that allows all human beings to grow and develop and learn to become members of society. Genie had not internalised the norms and values of society, as she was isolated from them. Genie had not learnt to perform social roles as she had no role and had not interacted or communicated with other people.

The discovery of Genie restarted the nature v. nurture debate. Are we the result of our parents’ nurturing and care? Are our values, beliefs, abilities, behaviours, manners and mores a direct result of the agents of socialisation that have surrounded us since birth? Or are we biologically predetermined to hold certain values, behave in a certain way and have certain abilities? Could Genie answer these questions?

Genie was unable to speak, walk properly, stand up straight, control her silent bouts of rage or behave in a socially expected manner. The psychologists at the hospital wanted to know whether she was born with an intellectual and physical disability or was she in fact an average child subjected to unusual circumstances. Unfortunately Genie was subjected to years of testing and monitoring to find the answer to this question.

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However Genie proved she was more than a victim of abuse and more than a scientific experiment. She was eager to make human contact and engaged all who met her. They were drawn to her curiosity about the world, her innocence and the vulnerability in her eyes and frail body.

Genie learnt to speak but her vocabulary was very limited. It was also difficult to change her behaviour. If she saw someone with something she liked she simply walked up to that person and took the item. One of her carers taught Genie to express anger by shouting and stamping her feet. Unfortunately as the years progressed Genie had much to be angry about. She was moved from one foster home to another, some of her carers were abusive. Eventually she was placed in a home for intellectually disabled adults.

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In the first thirteen years of her life Genie was abandoned and isolated from all the agents of socialisation that help an individual grow and develop from infancy to adulthood. Make a list below of the individuals, experiences, and institutions in our society that act as agents of socialisation:

Socialisation is often recognized by rites of passage, these are ceremonies or rituals that mark important stages in our life as we grow and develop and learn to perform social roles. Rites of passage are often a link between the micro and macro world. Make a list of some important rites of passage in our society:

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LITERACY

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The aim of socialisation is to learn to become members of society, by internalising the norms and values of society, and learning to perform social roles. People who have internalised the norms and values of society and are able to perform their social roles successfully are socially and culturally literate.

The socially and culturally literate person:

Is self aware, with a sense of personal, social and cultural identity

Is interested in, observes, and asks questions about, the immediate (micro) and wider (macro) world

Questions the information presented in the media and is aware of bias

Makes informed decisions

Empathises with people of different societies and culture

Shows concern for the rights and dignity of all people

Researches effectively and ethically

Communicates effectively

Recognizes the past, lives in the present and plans for the future.

KEY CONCEPTS

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PERSONS: Every person is a unique individual, but each develops in a social setting in which they are influenced by, and interact with, other persons. The process of communication is one of these fundamental interactions.

SOCIETY: Society is made up of people, groups, networks, institutions, organizations and systems. These aspects of society may include local, national, and international patterns of relationships. People belong to informal and formal groups, and within and between groups there are patterns of interactions.

CULTURE: Culture refers to the knowledge, ways of thinking and behaving that bind each society together and give each society its distinctive way of life. Culture is demonstrated by the beliefs, customs, values, laws, technology and artefacts people use as they interpret meaning from their world and solve present and future problems.

TECHNOLOGY: Technology means the tools that make life easier, enhancing the natural ability of persons to perform those tasks.

How do we put these concepts into practice? Let’s look at tribal societies to understand the key concepts in context:

The first tribal society we are studying is the Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh in the Himalayas. Watch the DVD and consider the key concepts of Persons, Society and Culture and Technology of this tribe.

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PERSONS: Every person is a unique individual, but each develops in a social setting in which they are influenced by, and interact with, other persons. The process of communication is one of these fundamental interactions.

In a traditional tribal society the individual is often less important than the group or community. Some members of the Adi tribe have never left their remote community. The social setting in which they develop is limited to their family, extended family and tribal members. There is no evidence that interaction is influenced by gender or hierarchy. The group identity is very strong, during celebrations no one takes prominence, the whole community celebrates together.

However individuality is important. The village shaman resents her loss of prestige in the community over time. Some Adis have rejected the tribal religion of animism and have converted to Christianity, there is no sanction from the elders for this decision, their individual decision is respected.

SOCIETY: Society is made up of people, groups, networks, institutions, organizations and systems. These aspects of society may include local, national, and international patterns of relationships. People belong to informal and formal groups, and within and between groups there are patterns of interactions.

The Adi are organized in a tribal social structure. However it is a unique social structure, the village elder is respected but the democracy of the community respects all points of view.

CULTURE: Culture refers to the knowledge, ways of thinking and behaving that bind each society together and give each society its distinctive way of life. Culture is demonstrated by the beliefs, customs, values, laws, technology and artefacts people use as they interpret meaning from their world and solve present and future problems.

In your own words describe the culture of the Adi people:

Now consider the definition of the key concept of Technology: Technology means the tools that make life easier, enhancing the natural ability of persons to perform those tasks.

In your own words describe the technology of the Adi people:

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The Babongo tribe of Gabon in Central Africa were once referred to as pygmies. The term pygmy is now considered discriminatory and they are now called the forest people. Watch the DVD and consider the key concepts of Society, Culture and Technology of this tribe.SOCIETY: Society is made up of people, groups, networks, institutions, organizations and systems. These aspects of society may include local, national, and international patterns of relationships. People belong to informal and formal groups, and within and between groups there are patterns of interactions.

The Babongo are organized in a traditional tribal social structure. Institutions, organizations and systems do not exist. The society is hierarchical, there is a chief whose position is inherited. The social structure is patriarchal, only initiated men can visit the men’s hut. The tribe is based on the family and the bond that exists throughout the extended family and the tribe. The Babongo were isolated in the rainforest until logging companies built roads into the forest. The patterns of relationships once extended to the neighbouring tribe particularly the Bantu tribe. The relationship with the Bantu tribe is a master / servant relationship. The patterns of relationships now extended to the wider world as many Babongo leave the village to work for multinational logging companies. The forest is being opened up to eco tourism which will bring other patterns of relationships to the tribe.

The Babongo are no longer nomadic. They have settled in villages and now construct permanent houses. They are hunter gathers but the women also grow potatoes and maize.

CULTURE: Culture refers to the knowledge, ways of thinking and behaving that bind each society together and give each society its distinctive way of life. Culture is demonstrated by the beliefs, customs, values, laws, technology and artefacts people use as they interpret meaning from their world and solve present and future problems.

The Babongo are a closely bonded tribe. The discrimination from other tribes in Gabon unites the Babongo people. Their ways of thinking and behaving are also influenced by survival in the forest. They interpret meaning from their world through the religion of animism and their interpretation of animism called Wiki.

The Babongo are renowned for their knowledge of the forest, the plants and the animals. Other tribes consider the Babongo are sorcerers because of their knowledge of plants.

The Babonga require three to four hours of work to sustain livelihood. The rest of the day is spent caring for each other, playing with the children and telling stories. There are rituals for every aspect of life. The Babongo have a flamboyant culture of singing and dancing. At the heart of the culture is the iboga ceremony. The initiate drinks and eats ibogo, an hallucinogenic substance gathered from the root of the iboga tree. The drug acts on the part of the brain that deals with sorrow and remorse. The initiate relives in dreams his past wrongs and is able to feel the hurt he has caused to other people.

TECHNOLOGY: Technology means the tools that make life easier, enhancing the natural ability of

persons to perform those tasks.

Technology is changing the society and culture of this once remote tribe. Roads cleared for logging trucks make it easier for villages to visit the city or find work clearing the forest. The introduction of the

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axe has also changed culture. Instead of climbing trees to gather honey the trees are felled. Bows and poison arrows for hunting are being replaced by rifles.

THIS IS YOUR SECOND PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT TASK (Intercultural Communication). WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY FILMS CLOSELY AND TAKE NOTES. MARKS WILL BE AWARDED FOR EVIDENCE OF UNDERSTANDING THE KEY CONCEPTS OF SOCIETY AND CULTURE AND RELATING THEM TO A TRIBAL SOCIETY. YOU MAY PREPARE THE TASK AT HOME. COPYING THE WORK OF ANOTHER STUDENT WILL RESULT IN A MARK OF ZERO. THE PROJECT MUST BE BETWEEN 700 AND 1000 WORDS. THE PROJECT IS VALUED AT 40 MARKS.

Choose a tribal society for your own research. I will show you DVDs of several tribal societies to help you. Once you have made your decision you will find additional information on the internet and in National Geographic magazines in the library. Firstly write a short introduction describing the geographic location of the tribe. Secondly, divide the information into four subheadings: Choose any four from the key concepts of Society and Culture, Persons, Society, Culture, Time, Environment, Gender, Power, Authority and Technology. Finally write a short conclusion on a future scenario for the tribe. The project may include pictures to help illustrate the key concepts. Include a bibliography. The project must be between 700 and 1000 words. The project will be valued at 40%

Define the following terms:TIME:

ENVIRONMENT:

GENDER:

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POWER:

AUTHORITY:

METHODOLOGY

You have already learnt a great deal about finding, gathering, analysing and presenting data. Watching documentaries, reading books, magazines and newspaper articles and finding information on the internet is called content analysis. It is a secondary methodology because you are relying on information provided by someone else. Analysing teen movies and how they influence Australian teenagers is content analysis. Analysing Bruce Parry’s documentaries on tribal societies is also content analysis. However the research carried out by Parry is an ethnographic case study, he becomes part of the tribe to gather as a much data as he can about the tribe.

METHODOLOGY ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

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CONTENT ANALYSIS:

ETHNOGRAPHIC CASE STUDY:

You are about to begin your Personal Interest Project. Remember the examiners want to see how well you understand the methodology of research. The following table will help you to complete a successful Personal Interest Project.

METHODOLOGY ADVANTAGES DISADVANTGESSURVEY:

FOCUS GROUP:

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OBSERVATION:

The five methodologies will be assessed as your final Preliminary assessment task. You will also be tested on the nine key concepts. The terms socialisation and social and cultural literacy will also be tested. The terms micro and macro world will also be tested. The task will be valued at 40%

Now you are ready to begin your Personal Interest project. Choose a topic, do a lot of background reading, write a plan and start to write your survey.

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RESEARCH METHODOLGYNow it is time to learn about research methodology. This is at the core of the Society and Culture course. There are many ways research can be carried out. Usually effective research includes more than one research methodology to reach a reliable and justifiable conclusion. We will begin by learning about surveys.

A survey is a way of gathering and recording data. Sometimes the data can be gathered by observation and recorded on a data recording sheet. Usually a questionnaire is used to gather the data. The questions may be closed questions, open questions or Lickett scale questions, that means, questions that provide a sliding scale of responses. Observation provides qualitative data. A questionnaire provides both qualitative and qualitative data. Data can also be gathered from a structured interview. The questions are prepared beforehand by the interviewee. This is a qualitative research method because the interview is one – on - one and usually face to face. Surveys provide primary information. When the data is gathered the researcher must analyse the data. The information may be presented as a report or as a graph.

Choose a research topic that is relevant to Society and Culture.

Topic: ______________________________________________________________

Write a questionnaire that relates to the topic. Include in your questionnaire relevant closed questions, Lickett scale questions and open questions. You will need at least twenty respondents to make your data reliable and justifiable. When you have gathered the data present your findings in either a short report of 700 words or as graphs

1. Write a questionnaire of at least ten relevant questions. 10 marks2. Show evidence of at least twenty respondents. 5 marks3. Present a report or a graph. 5 marks

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