AP seminar unit 1

Ethnocentrism

Meaning:
Believing your own culture is superior and judging other cultures by your own standards.

How it works:
People use their own way of life — food, clothing, religion, language, or traditions — as the “normal” or “better” way to do things.

Example:
A Canadian tourist says, “People in India are weird for eating with their hands. That’s unsanitary.”

How to spot it:
→ Words that show judgment or comparison between cultures (“better,” “weird,” “wrong”).

Cultural Relativism

Meaning:
Trying to understand another culture based on its values, not yours.

How it works:
Instead of judging, you say: “Let’s understand why they do this.” You compare within their culture, not to yours.

Example:
An anthropologist studies Indigenous ceremonies and says, “These rituals have deep meaning for this community,” instead of calling them “primitive.”

How to spot it:
→ Words like understand, respect, context, appreciate rather than judge, weird, wrong.

Cultural Appropriation

When someone takes elements from another culture (especially one that’s been marginalized) without understanding or respecting its meaning.

How it works:
Usually happens when a dominant culture borrows traditions, symbols, or clothing just for fashion, entertainment, or profit.

Example:
A pop star wears a sacred Indigenous headdress in a music video because it “looks cool.”

How to spot it:
→ Look for someone borrowing from a culture without respect or awareness.

Cultural Imperialism

When one culture’s values, language, or media dominate and replace others.

How it works:
Often caused by globalization or colonialism — the powerful culture shapes what people watch, wear, speak, or think.

Example:
Western movies and fashion spreading worldwide, making traditional local clothing less common.

How to spot it:
→ Keywords like dominance, replacing, spreading Western values, global influence.

Cultural Norm

Meaning:
An unwritten rule about how people are expected to behave in a culture.

How it works:
These norms tell us what’s polite or rude, normal or strange. They can change between cultures or over time.

Example:
Shaking hands to greet someone in Canada vs. bowing in Japan.

How to spot it:
→ Look for “expected behavior,” “what people usually do,” or “social rules.”

Anticipatory Socialization

Learning and practicing for a future role you don’t have yet.

How it works:
You start adapting your behavior or mindset before officially entering the role.

Example:
A teenager working at a summer camp to prepare for becoming a teacher someday.

A student shadowing a doctor before medical school 

How to spot it:
→ Words like prepare, practice, get ready, training for future role.

 Hidden Curriculum

Meaning:
The informal lessons you learn (often in school) that aren’t part of the official curriculum.

How it works:
You learn social norms, obedience, punctuality, teamwork, etc., just by being in that environment.

Example:
Learning to respect authority because teachers always have the final say.

How to spot it:
→ “Learned at school,” “not officially taught,” “lessons about behaviour or obedience.”

Media Socialization

Meaning:
The process of learning norms, values, and behaviours from media sources.

How it works:
TV, movies, and social media shape what we see as normal — body image, success, relationships, etc.

Example:
A teen learns beauty standards from influencers or body ideals from ads.

How to spot it:
→ Mentions TV, social media, influencers, movies, advertising, etc.

Social Prescriptions 

Meaning:
Society’s expectations about what people should do based on identity or role.

How it works:
These are like unwritten “job descriptions” for groups — men, women, parents, etc.

Example:
“Women should be nurturing” or “Men should not show emotions.”

How to spot it:
→ Words like expected, supposed to, should, roles, norms for group.

Gender, Race, and Class Socialization

= learning process

The way society teaches us to act based on our gender, race, or class.

-> this is the process, how we learn the behaviours, values and expectations connected ot our gender, race and social class 

Ex: A girl is given dolls and told she’s “pretty.” A boy is encouraged to play sports and “be strong.”

Think: “Learning who we ‘should be’.”

Cultural Capital

Meaning:
Non-financial assets that help people succeed in society — things like education, manners, taste, or connections.

How it works:
It’s what gives someone social advantages beyond money.

Example:
A student from a wealthy family knows how to speak confidently in interviews because their parents taught them how.

How to spot it:
→ Look for advantages from upbringing, knowledge, or social background.

 Coleman’s Social Categories

Meaning:
Groups that shape your identity and social behavior — like age, gender, religion, or class.

How it works:
People behave differently depending on which categories they belong to or identify with.

Example:
A teenager acts differently around adults than with peers because of age category.

How to spot it:
→ Mentions social identity labels or group membership.

Goffman’s Total Institution & Resocialization

Meaning:
Total institution: A place where people are isolated from society and controlled completely (like prisons, boot camps, monasteries).
Resocialization: Learning new norms and behaviors to adapt to a new environment.

How it works:
Old identity is stripped away, and a new one is built through strict rules or training.

Example:
A person joins the military and learns discipline, obedience, and teamwork — replacing civilian habits.

How to spot it:
→ Mentions isolation, control, strict rules, identity change, retraining, new environment.

Mead’s Role-Taking Model

Meaning:
How we learn to see ourselves through others’ perspectives — part of developing a social self.

Stages:

1. Imitation (under 3): Copying others.
   
   

2. Play (3–6): Acting out roles (like teacher or parent).
   
   

3. Game (7+): Understanding multiple roles and rules (team games).
   
   

Example:
A child pretends to be a doctor treating a patient — learning how others see them.

How to spot it:
→ Any mention of pretend play, imitation, understanding others’ roles, empathy.

 Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

Meaning:
How children’s thinking develops as they grow.

The four stages:

1. Sensorimotor (0–2): Learn through senses and actions (touching, tasting, moving).
   
   

2. Preoperational (2–7): Begin to use language and imagination, but thinking is egocentric (they can’t see others’ perspectives yet).
   
   

3. Concrete Operational (7–11): Logical thinking develops, but only about concrete things.
   
   

4. Formal Operational (12+): Abstract and hypothetical reasoning begins.
   
   

Example:
A 4-year-old thinks the moon follows them home.

How to spot it:
→ Clues about age and how someone thinks (imaginary play, logical reasoning, or abstract thought).

 Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

How moral reasoning matures:

Avoid punishment → Follow rules → Act on ethical principles.

Meaning:
How people decide what’s right and wrong — not what they do, but why.

The three levels:

1. Preconventional: Obey rules to avoid punishment or get rewards.
   
   

2. Conventional: Obey to fit in or follow authority.
   
   

3. Postconventional: Act based on personal ethics or justice, even if it breaks rules.
   
   

Example:
A child doesn’t steal candy because they’ll get in trouble (preconventional).
An adult doesn’t steal because it’s morally wrong (postconventional).

How to spot it:
→ Look for reasoning behind choices — fear of punishment vs. personal ethics

Gilligan’s Gender-Role Model of Moral Development

Meaning:
Carol Gilligan said Kohlberg’s theory was male-biased — women often make moral decisions based on care and relationships, not just rules.

How it works:
Men → justice and fairness.
Women → compassion, care, maintaining relationships.

Example:
A woman forgives a friend’s lie to preserve the friendship, prioritizing empathy over strict rules.

How to spot it:
→ Mentions care, empathy, relationships, or different moral reasoning by gender.

Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

Each stage of life comes with a challenge that shapes personality and identity.

Key examples:

• Infancy: Trust vs. Mistrust
  
  

• Childhood: Initiative vs. Guilt
  
  

• Adolescence: Identity vs. Role Confusion
  
  

• Adulthood: Intimacy vs. Isolation
  
  

Example:
A teenager explores different styles and friend groups to figure out who they are.

How to spot it:
→ Look for age + personal challenge (identity, trust, intimacy, etc.).