Module – What does it mean to be multicultural? An exploration

How to Navigate Tutorial Click on hyperlinks within each slide first. Click on to move to the next slide. Click on to move to the previous slide. Click on the icon to return to the index.

Multicultural Index Lesson 1 – Speaking the same language. References Defining race, culture, and ethnicity References

Race as a Biological Construct Physical Differences Skin color Hair texture Nose width Lip width [click] Genetic Differences Intelligence, personality Athletic ability Disease [click]

Which race is this? Skull length (long - short) Orbital openings (narrow - wide) Nasal openings (angular – rounded - rectangular) Face breadth (narrow - wide)

(Jones, 2002) “Race is like an avocado which can be classified as a vegetable or a fruit depending on who is doing the classifying.”

Debunking Race as Biology Physical Differences Genetic Differences Geographical Melatonin Vitamin D 99.9% similar DNA [click] [click] Therefore there is no biological basis for racial classification. [click]

Race as Social Construct Implications for race (Smedley and Smedley, 2005) Physical characteristics make groups distinct Skin color, nose width, hair texture, lip thickness All races are unequal, creates a hierarchy Each race has distinctive cultural bx, etc. Physical and bx are innate and inherited Physical and bx are unalterable, justifying segregation Laws reflect these beliefs White Black [click] [click] [click] [click] [click] [click]

Dominant Majority Minority Subordinate Why a racial hierarchy? Dominant [click] Majority [click] [click] Power Privilege Wealth Minority [click] [click] Subordinate

Defining culture

Characteristics of Culture Most common responses [click] Nationality Race Ethnicity

Social Cultural Groups Sexual Orientation Gender Abilities Class Age

Kroeber and Kluckhorn (1952) Descriptive (bx) Historical (traditions) Normative (rules of group) Psychological (e.g., learning) Structural (organizational) Genetic (origins)

Simultaneous Group Membership Defining Culture Narrow Definition Broad Definition Excludes other marginalized groups from recognition Ability Sexual orientation Gender Age waters down meaning or relevance Obscures sub-categories Asians – very diverse Simultaneous Group Membership [click]

What is ethnicity? Race + Culture

Questions

References Hockenbury, D. & Hockenbury, S. (2006). Psychology (4th ed.). New York, NY: Worth. Jones, M. (2002). The Psychology of Prejudice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Miller, J. B. (2007). Domination and Subordination. In Paula Rothenberg (Ed.), Race, Class, and Gender in the U.S. (7th ed., pp. 108-115). New York, NY: Worth. Mio, J.S., Barker, L., & Tumambing, J. (2009). Multicultural Psychology: Understanding Our Diverse Communities (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Smedley, A. & Smedley, B. (2005, January). Race as Biology is Fiction, Racism as a Social Problem is Real. Retrieved on August 28, 2009 from http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/amp60116.pdf.