1. The syllabus lists the course objectives in Roman Numeral
III. Here they are:
III
Expected Outcomes
As a
result of course activities, students should be able to:
A.
Understand the concept of culture.
B. Recognize variability in human
behavior.
C. Contrast cultures inherited in their
own family, and
country with other societal views of human behavior.
D. Gain an awareness of
socio-cultural change.
E. Foster understanding among
culturally diverse peoples.
In Part
I: We focused on selected aspects of American Culture to achieve
expected outcomes B through E.
Via film, we
saw America through eyes and ears of Holy Boy, an Alaskan Eskimo
enlisted in Canadian Armed Forces as a WWII navigator. Holy Boy was
"bad luck" among his native fishermen because his tuberculosis had
caused his upbringing to occur under care of Canadian religious Sisters.
He fell in love with another patient - a native American Indian sweetheart,
who chose to call herself a white person, and therefore rejected him on
racial grounds, marrying into a whites-only society.
The
American topics include Jefferson's pursuit of happiness. We studied
that American dream by contrasting our initial violent preoccupation with
individual rights and liberties with ultimately, peaceful pursuits by
utopian, collectivist societies within our national borders. We
studied Hutterites and Amish in America. The former served our Armed
Forces while the latter protest the legitimacy of violence. We also
looked at Hispanic behavior in America. Finally, we looked Islamic
history and Jihad in America.
Take some time to review the requirements of the First
Book Report mentioned in the link on the course homepage. Then meet
with your country team and take some time to rehearse the roles you have set
for one another so that the result is a harmonious team briefing in which
each student has an equally important part to play.
2. Watch selections from these four videos:
A. Mosque - 28 minutes on appropriate behaviors required of followers of
Islam, and a visit to a mosque.
B. The Story of Islam - 120 of the history of Islamic thought and behavior
with footage in historical areas of the Middle East and Mecca. Do you think
Mohammed was a "freedom fighter" or a "terrorist" in his own day?
C. The Five Pillars of Islam - An hour's discussion of the five cardinal
beliefs held by followers of Islam.
D. Jihad in America - This 60 minute movie explores the radical Islamic
exploitation of American freedoms that led to the first bombing of the World
Trade Center. In what ways is the second bombing of the World Trade Center
similar to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor?
3. Here's an idea of what to expect
during Part Two as mentioned in your syllabus:
Part
II: We focus on selected aspects of International Cultures to
achieve expected outcomes B through E.
Culture
shock is not uncommon in Part II. We may confront
culture shock through musicals like King and I, and South Pacific.
We may "visit" foreign cultures in each continent where values,
human development, and sex-roles can differ greatly from American culture.
Another
kind of culture shock occurs as the result of war. Many peaceful
societies have not learned to be prepared for war. We will have the
opportunity to explore how Americans, Germans, and Japanese dealt with
preparation of their peoples for war.
We
don't ignore America's European roots. During Part II we see conflict
in WWII through eyes and ears of a trained cultural anthropologist.
Margaret Mead profiled differences among Western allied fighting forces, and
cultural characteristics of German and Japanese armies whom we were at war
with. We may read from And Keep Your Powder Dry - Mead's
contribution to defeat Nazism and fanaticism. The book helped train
military strategists to draw on cultural attributes, minimize cultural
limitations and exploit the same among enemy forces.
We
recognize difficulties in assimilating persons into American
society. We remember the United States is a collection of
sub-cultures, such as European, African, Latino, Asian, and native American.
We reflect on the fact that political leaders kept a nation united at
expense of 500,000 lives when racial economics seemed reasons for Civil War.
1A. Jihad in America traces the linkages among radical
Islamic supporters in America. It suggests that America, because of its
freedoms, is one of the best places for radical groups to raise funds, recruit,
and publish materials.
B. Visas issued to
foreigners who visit this country have a suspense date, but no governmental
authority currently checks to see if people holding visas actually have
completed their business and returned to their homeland.
C. Terrorism is a
bit like theater: both "play" to an audience, and are bankrupted if
there is no audience. The better the theater, the greater is the
audience.
D. There is great difficulty in differentiating freedom
fighters from terrorists. Seen from the point of view of the terrorist, he
or she regards himself as a freedom fighter. Seen from the vantage point
of those who are frightened or maimed, the originating person is a terrorist.
E. A well financed and patient terrorist has the
surreptitious advantage in being able to strike at many targets of opportunity
in a free society. The very freedoms of the society help enable the
terrorist to survive.
2. The journey from birth to death is punctuated by distinctive
life changes. Teens must ultimately renounce their childlike
behaviors and assume responsibilities of adulthood. Working adults must
ultimately retire. Retired adults must ultimately make peace with the
transition to nothingness, or to life after death. Joseph Campbell says
that the function of myth is to prepare men to make such transitions, by holding
forth for each person a hero who has done so before. This is one possible
thread which links many differing cultures together. Buddha was a certain
kind of hero to oriental peoples. Christ is a hero to Christianity.
Mohammed is a hero to Islamic peoples.
3. Most western peoples know little of Islamic thought
and belief, while people of Islamic belief frequently know more of Christian
thought than might be suspected. The lessons on Islamic Culture in America are
designed to help you answer the question: What elements of belief to these two
groups of people hold in common.
4. Ultimately, America must confront the Holy War thrust upon it.
Jihad is "Holy War." Ironically, America's confrontation in violent ways with
Islamic radicals began with the funding of Islamic rebels in Afghanistan by the
American CIA in order to contain Soviet expansion. You should be able to
discover why America is easily exploited by Islamic radicals, and learn the
extent of their infrastructure throughout America.
