复习资料(西方文化入门1).doc

第二周Western Culture (Sub groups) Different Groups/Cultures That Exist Within Western Society Groups/Classes/Sub-Groups/Languages/Practices/Customs “Melting Pot Theory” Originally social-scientists thought of western society as a “melting pot.” They thought that all of societies people/groups blended together like a nice big pot of soup (or stew). Each member/Group in society (although different) was said to come together to create a uniform flavor, and enhance the soup (or stew). “Mixed Salad Theory” Social-Scientists found flaws with the “Melting Pot Theory,” and developed the “Mix Salad Theory.” “Mixed Salad Theory” states that the people/groups/cultures do not all blend together to create one harmonious group, but they stay separate while contributing to the whole (like a salad). A salad has a bunch of different ingredients that are easy to identify on their own (e.g. lettuce, tomato, mushrooms, dressing, onion, cucumber, ect…), and each of these ingredients has its own unique taste and flavor (just like each individual/group has it’s own unique background /language/customs/practices). 3 Major Classes in Western Society Western Society is broken up into three major Socio-Economic Classes of people: 1) Upper Class—This is the wealthy group of people who fall into the top tier salary bracket (“High Society,” successful, title, ect…). 2) Middle Class—This is the group of people who are not consider wealthy or consider poor. They fall somewhere along the middle. This is by far the largest of the three groups (“Blue/White Collar,” Average Joe’s, ect…). 3) Lower Class—This is the lowest income group of the three classes. People falling into this group tend to be classified as “poor,” Low-Income, underprivileged Factors that contribute to Sub-Groups with Western Society Location--where you were born, where you were raised, and where you currently live. Religion—your religious background plays a major role in what sub-groups you identify with. Race/Ethnicity—certain rac