Resources
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Culture diversity of Japan
Japan is one of the most developed of the Asian Eastern Asian countries. Geographically comprising of over 6800 islands, Japan is strategically situated off the eastern coasts of China in the Pacific Ocean. Research shows that Japan’s history dates back to around 30,000 BC. Japanese history is maybe one of the most diverse histories in the world, with early influences of other nations and later going through long periods of isolation making Japan a very interesting part of the world as far as many aspects are concerned. Japan’s inhabitants came from many different cultural backgrounds like the Ainu people, the Yamato people and the Yayoi people who introduced wet rice farming around 500 BC in Japan. Chinese historians were the first to mention Japan in writing. Buddhism was first introduced into Japan by the Baekje, which was one of the “Three Kingdoms” as mentioned by the Chinese historians. But the later development of Japanese Buddhism was mainly influenced by China and, although faced resistance at first, it was encouraged by the ruling class and began to gain widespread acceptance at the start of the Asuka Period. However, “Pure Land Buddhism” became highly popular only much later in the 2nd half of the 11th century. Japan has been involved in many wars, mainly the two World Wars, which have highly affected Japan and it’s people and politics. Though victorious in WW1, Japan was tragically defeated in WW2 by the horrific atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Demographically Japan is considered one of the highest in number of residents mounting up to more than 127 million people. Out of these, over 98% are ethnic Japanese and the dominating ethnicity is of the Yamato people. The foreign minority groups include Koreans, Chinese, and as surprising as it may. There is much cultural diversity floating around the country and many religions such as Shinto which is the official religion. In the ancient mythology Shinto encourages the Japanese to be courageous about one’s own self reliance, to respect the nature’s beauty, to be polite, and reserved; another religion is Amaterasu which refers to the goddess of the sun and there are a few Catholic Christians and 3 percent Chinese and Koreans.
The population in Japan is estimated to be 135 million people, many located in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Their cultural diversity is wearing the latest motley clothes, but in business wear both men and woman wear business suits and a woman’s legs shouldn’t be revealed publically. If there is a special occasion or ceremony they wear Wufuku which usually comes in a red color.
Their behavior is very good and very strict such as their focus about one’s own loyalty, devotion, and losing your temper. They take care of the sickness by giving them face masks in the office to avoid contagions; they never talk about politics in public and never hurt other people’s feelings and when they meet strangers they greet by bowing or by closing their hands together. They always think about the future and heading to the right path although they never forget about the age and traditional ways. In Japan there are a lot of cultures that date back especially with the language, food, traditional dress, holidays and celebrations. First, 130 million of Japanese are talking Nihongo Language which is a primary language in Japan. However there are Chinese characters of the combination of three scripts with the written Japanese language; the first character is Kanji while the other two are Hiragana and Katakana. Second, the two primary foods of the Japanese are rice and noodles, and they can be served with sea food and beef. For example Sochi (fresh raw sea food with rice), Sashimi (fresh raw sea food with soy sauce) and Sukiyaki (paper- thin slices of beef or chicken with vegetables and cubes of tofu cooked in broth); these are famous delicious foods in Japan. They also drink tea, but the green tea is the national beverage in Japan. Third, the favorite traditional dress of Japan is the Kimono which is generally made of silk and it has large sleeves reaching from the shoulders all the way down to the heels and it is tied with an Obi; this Obi is a wide belt. Kimonos are now usually specially worn at weddings, special occasions and festivals. However, there is another kind of the traditional dress called Yukata and it is often worn in summer by children and young adults at festivals and other special occasions. Fourth, there are a lot of holidays in Japan, such as citizens’ holiday on May 4. Finally, in Japan they have a special traditional ceremony such as The Tea Ceremony and they are doing this ceremony to keep their culture ongoing. However, there are a lot of other ceremonies, for example The Birth Ceremony, The Marriage Ceremony and The Death Ceremony.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Airport reflection
In the early days we visualized the frustration in the black and white video which took in Sharjah in the 1930s, and as we can see there are local Arabs and Indians who are currently working for the British general council in Sharjah airways. The way they travelled long distances from one city to another is by camels and donkeys. And you can see the lack of technology around them; the way of living was limited and the way they studied the weather was very difficult; the people were very into their work and they respected it; because the number of population was very small the environment lacked human spirit. The buildings were built in a geometric way to cool the hallways. In the second video which took in Dubai in the modern days you can see they have grown over the years and the population has increased three times larger in the last decades; and not only proud locals but you can see every nationality from Asians to Europeans dancing together and respecting their own nationality and customs.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
reflection
reflection
13 years ago in 1998 the population in the UAE was different than nowadays. First is the number of people in the region; second the way of living has changed to more high tech way of life and the people are keeping up in the developing world.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
1. Affluence = wealth.
Abu Dhabi is an example of an affluent society.
The opposite of affluence is poverty.
2. Ethnicity= is determined by factors such as race, religion, language.
Ethnicity is not the same as nationality.
3. Ability= skill.
He has the ability to get very high grades.
4. Diversity = the quality of being different.
This course is about cultural diversity, which means people of different cultures living and working together.
5. Assimilation = absorption
Cultural assimilation is the process whereby a minority group gradually adapts to the customs and attitudes of the prevailing culture and customs.
6. Demographics = composition of a population.
The demographics of the UAE are discussed in our first post. You can analyse demographics according to race, religion, age, wealth, etc.
7. Religion = a set of beliefs.
Religious people try to live according to the teachings of their religion.
8. Race = a group of people with similarities, particularly physical appearance.
You can a similar nationality but a different race.
9. Multiculturalism = many different cultures.
A multicultural society is one where people of different cultural backgrounds live and work together.
10. Personality = individual character.
She has a very nice personality: kind, patient, tolerant and loving.
11. Prejudice = bias.
Apartheid in S. Africa was based on racial prejudice against black people.
12. Acculturation = the mixing of different cultures.
If a foreigner here in the UAE says he does something like an Emirati, then that would be an example of acculturation.
13. Bias = prejudice.
Bias is a negative opinion of a person or group based on race, colour, culture or whatever.
14. Discrimination = treating people differently.
Apartheid meant discrimination in favour of whites and against blacks.
15. Fringe = edge, margin.
A fringe group is a small minority, usually expressing an extreme opinion.
16. Population = the number of people.
A census is a count of the number of people in a country.
17.Stereotyping = making assumptions or generalisations about a person or group of people.
Americans are rich, while Mexicans are poor.
18. Gender = sex.
There are two genders, male and female.
19. Resistance = opposition.
There have been many signs of political resistance to established governments in the Arab spring of this year.
20. Advantage = a favoured position.
If you are an expatriate, being able to speak the local language is a big advantage.
21. Racism = hatred of another person or group of different race, often based on colour.
The apartheid system in S. Africa was an example of racism.
22.Ethics = morality, i.e. what is right or wrong.
Ethical behaviour is honest behaviour.
23. Productivity = the ability to produce something.
The company's productivity rates are rising.
24. Behaviour = the manner of acting/conduct.
The students' behaviour is very good.
25. Belief = confidence, opinion..
I have great belief in her.
Tibetans believe in re-incarnation.
26. Majority = most.
The vast majority of Arabs are Muslim.
27. Income = salary.
All employees have a monthly income.
28. Adverse = bad, harmful.
We didn't go on a picnic because of the adverse weather conditions.
29. Values = beliefs.
I value honesty very highly.
30. Traditions = customs.
They are handed down from generation to generation.
31. Generation = group of people born at about the same time.
In some societies people talk about a generation gap; each generation has its own ideals & standards.
32. Sensitivity = empathy, awareness of someone else's feelings.
She's very sensitive. She cares about how other people feel.
33. Slang = slightly improper language.
Have a shufti at my blog.
34. Ethnocentrism = seeing everything from the viewpoint of your own culture.
An ethnocentric viewpoint is narrow and limited.
35. Stratification = rigid division of society.
The Indian caste system is an example of social stratification.
36. Socio-cultural = relating to society & culture.
Language, ethnicity, religion are all socio-cultural factors.
37. Resident = someone living in a particular place.
Khalid, Aziz and Hedley are all Abu Dhabi residents.
38. Poverty = being poor.
The opposite of poverty is affluence or wealth.
39. Nationality = the country you belong to.
You can have different race or ethnicity but the same nationality.
40. Minority = less than half.
Christians are a minority of the UAE's population.
41. Class = group.
You can have upper class, middle class, lower class.
42. Globalization = worldwide connectivity.
Global brands or logos today are recognised worldwide; we all know the logos of Nike, McDonald, Mercedes etc.
43. Virtual = not real, imaginary.
Computer games create a virtual world which is not real.
44. Barriers = obstacle.
To make progress you have to climb over or go round or go through barriers.
Abu Dhabi is an example of an affluent society.
The opposite of affluence is poverty.
2. Ethnicity= is determined by factors such as race, religion, language.
Ethnicity is not the same as nationality.
3. Ability= skill.
He has the ability to get very high grades.
4. Diversity = the quality of being different.
This course is about cultural diversity, which means people of different cultures living and working together.
5. Assimilation = absorption
Cultural assimilation is the process whereby a minority group gradually adapts to the customs and attitudes of the prevailing culture and customs.
6. Demographics = composition of a population.
The demographics of the UAE are discussed in our first post. You can analyse demographics according to race, religion, age, wealth, etc.
7. Religion = a set of beliefs.
Religious people try to live according to the teachings of their religion.
8. Race = a group of people with similarities, particularly physical appearance.
You can a similar nationality but a different race.
9. Multiculturalism = many different cultures.
A multicultural society is one where people of different cultural backgrounds live and work together.
10. Personality = individual character.
She has a very nice personality: kind, patient, tolerant and loving.
11. Prejudice = bias.
Apartheid in S. Africa was based on racial prejudice against black people.
12. Acculturation = the mixing of different cultures.
If a foreigner here in the UAE says he does something like an Emirati, then that would be an example of acculturation.
13. Bias = prejudice.
Bias is a negative opinion of a person or group based on race, colour, culture or whatever.
14. Discrimination = treating people differently.
Apartheid meant discrimination in favour of whites and against blacks.
15. Fringe = edge, margin.
A fringe group is a small minority, usually expressing an extreme opinion.
16. Population = the number of people.
A census is a count of the number of people in a country.
17.Stereotyping = making assumptions or generalisations about a person or group of people.
Americans are rich, while Mexicans are poor.
18. Gender = sex.
There are two genders, male and female.
19. Resistance = opposition.
There have been many signs of political resistance to established governments in the Arab spring of this year.
20. Advantage = a favoured position.
If you are an expatriate, being able to speak the local language is a big advantage.
21. Racism = hatred of another person or group of different race, often based on colour.
The apartheid system in S. Africa was an example of racism.
22.Ethics = morality, i.e. what is right or wrong.
Ethical behaviour is honest behaviour.
23. Productivity = the ability to produce something.
The company's productivity rates are rising.
24. Behaviour = the manner of acting/conduct.
The students' behaviour is very good.
25. Belief = confidence, opinion..
I have great belief in her.
Tibetans believe in re-incarnation.
26. Majority = most.
The vast majority of Arabs are Muslim.
27. Income = salary.
All employees have a monthly income.
28. Adverse = bad, harmful.
We didn't go on a picnic because of the adverse weather conditions.
29. Values = beliefs.
I value honesty very highly.
30. Traditions = customs.
They are handed down from generation to generation.
31. Generation = group of people born at about the same time.
In some societies people talk about a generation gap; each generation has its own ideals & standards.
32. Sensitivity = empathy, awareness of someone else's feelings.
She's very sensitive. She cares about how other people feel.
33. Slang = slightly improper language.
Have a shufti at my blog.
34. Ethnocentrism = seeing everything from the viewpoint of your own culture.
An ethnocentric viewpoint is narrow and limited.
35. Stratification = rigid division of society.
The Indian caste system is an example of social stratification.
36. Socio-cultural = relating to society & culture.
Language, ethnicity, religion are all socio-cultural factors.
37. Resident = someone living in a particular place.
Khalid, Aziz and Hedley are all Abu Dhabi residents.
38. Poverty = being poor.
The opposite of poverty is affluence or wealth.
39. Nationality = the country you belong to.
You can have different race or ethnicity but the same nationality.
40. Minority = less than half.
Christians are a minority of the UAE's population.
41. Class = group.
You can have upper class, middle class, lower class.
42. Globalization = worldwide connectivity.
Global brands or logos today are recognised worldwide; we all know the logos of Nike, McDonald, Mercedes etc.
43. Virtual = not real, imaginary.
Computer games create a virtual world which is not real.
44. Barriers = obstacle.
To make progress you have to climb over or go round or go through barriers.
BLINDSIGHT
1-what types of cultural diversity are present in the movie?
-The types are Tibetan kids speak Tibetan language and their religion is Buddhist, the German lady who set up a blind school and she speaks English and her religion is Christian.
2-what are some of the challenges people in the movie encounter?
-the challenge was to get the blind kids to the top of the mountain
-the challenge of communicating between the Tibetan kids and the rest of the crew
3-what are some examples of stereotyping, prejudice, bias and discrimination in the video?
-Discrimination: Tashi, the street kid
-got his body burned with cigarette by unknown people
4-what challenge do people face as a result of personality rather than culture?
-one of the challenges is that Tashi was sent away from his family to live with a Chinese couple and he was beaten by them if he didn’t came back home with money; they forced him to beg, and because he is blind the money he collected got stolen from him.
5-what benefits are there for the people in the movie as a result of their differing cultures?
-the result is the German lady and the others of the team got to know the lifestyle of the blind Tibetan kids and on the other hand the blind Tibetan kids know for sure there are many kind people in the world and being blind does not mean losing hope of living.
Cultural diversity
It’s different kinds of societies or cultures in different parts in the world; it’s also mixed up with traditions , language and dress and religion. There are also different kinds of signs that the cultures define themselves with like body marks (tattoos) . It means also that people from different parts of the world meet each other mix up cultures and might end up with a new kind of lifestyle .
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