Culture & Beliefs
A set of revision cards useful for Paper 1 AQA Humanities
- Created by: Emma
- Created on: 12-05-10 13:57
What is culture?
- Shared way of life in a community or group
- Norms, values, customs, traditions, beliefs, attitudes & practices
Case study - Plains Indians of North America
- Few laws within the tribe
- Safety of whole tribe more important than individuals
- Very old sometimes left to starve
- Men in warrior clubs
- Sun dance linked to religious beliefs
- Ritual dances to bring buffalo back
How is order maintained?
Social Norms
- acceptable
- norms can change within a culture
- social deviants do not conform with society
Laws
- Enforcers of law include: governement, judicary, penal system, police and army
- Common law may enforce norms
Morals
- guidance on what is right and wrong
- religion
Values
- what individuals believe to be important
Beliefs - Religion
Religious groups functions
- shared beliefs
- learn discipline
- all learn to appreciate same things
- learn about one another
Case Study - Yanomami of South America
- live in rainforests and mountains of north Brazil
- 95% of the tribe will live in the rainforest
- 5% of the tribe will live by the river, to encourage trade and be able to fish
- extended family units of between 150 - 400 people
- large huts known as SHABONOS
- men go on long distance hunting trips
- men are allowed to marry a numberous amount of wives
problems faced:
- gold miners pollute rivers
- cattle ranchers destroy vegetation
- number of cases of malaria is rising
Nature or nuture
Nature - characteristics that you inherit
Nurture - what is learnt through experience and environment
- Genes = nature, inherited from parents and cannot be changes
- Socicalisation = you are taught what to do
- Masculine and feminine = you are shown whether you should have masculine or feminine qualities
- Gender roles = men and women are viewed differently in different societies
- Intelligence = nature and nurture, as you are born with some intelligence but it can be nutured through education
Primary socialisation - Up to age 5, being taught how to speak/behave
Secondary socialisation - things that influence us:
- Family
- Education
- Media
- Peer groups
- Religious groups
- Workplace
- Role models
- Laws
Case studies - Chicken Girl & Wolf Children
Chicken Girl
- Isabel Quaresma
- lived in Portugal
- born to a mentally disturbed mother
- spent eight years living in a chicken coop
- repeated the chicken like qualities
- ate the same food as the chickens
- was SOCIALISED in the same way as the chickens
Wolf Children
- mimicked wolf behaviour
- walked on all fours
- could communicate with wolves
- were SOCIALISED in the same way as the wolves
Why are beliefs impotant? (Case study - Amish)
- Christians
- Moved to USA in 17th century to escape persecution
- Do not wear butons as they are humble
- Won't join US Army, they are pacifists
- They do not have church buildings as they believe that the people are the church
- Amish men grow beards to show that they are married
Interaction of cultures
- Britain is a multicultural society
- Minority cultures find it hard to maintain culture in Britain as they are put under pressure by community
Problems migrants face:
- unemployment
- nowhere to live
- racial discrimination
- can cause riots
- 3rd Race relations act of 1976 outlawed discrimination and established the Commision for Racial Equality
Your rights
- Children's rights = survival, protection, education and development. UNICEF & UNCRC help to enforce these
- Social = survival, security and shelter. CPAG, Age Concern and Oxfam will help you to ensure you are entitled to these
- Economic = work and equal pay. Unions will help you to fight for this
- Women = equal oppurtunities. UDHR, WI and Women's refuge will help women to achieve these.
- Life = choice and abortion. LIFE and SPUC will help you to fight for your rights in your own life
- Homosexual = marriage, equality and acceptance. UDHR will help to fight their cause
- Immigration = work, shelter and asylum. UNHCR will support people.
Violation of Human Rights (Case studies)
Bosnia 1995:
- ethnic cleansing of muslims
- unlawful killing
- hatred of muslims by serba-croats
Carl Bridgewater, 1978:
- 4 men wrongly arrested
- falsified evidence lead to their arrest
- police were desperate to get conviction
Chris Morris:
- change in UK Law so consent for gays is 16 rather than 18
- fairness to all wanted
Moral Issues
A belief whether an action is wrong or right
- Euthanasia
- Abortion
- Sunday trading
- Fox hunting
- Homosexual rights
- Immigrants
- Capital Punishment
- The Royal Family
- Smacking children
- Animal cruelty
- Testing on animals
- Arranged marriage
- Human cloning
Euthanasia
4 ways = suicide, assisted suicide, voluntary euthanasia and non-voluntary euthanasia
Euthanasia = 'Beautiful death'
For Euthanasia, Voluntary Euthanasia Society:
- dying with dignity
- a person should be able to terminate their life
- knowing what is best for you
Against Euthanasia, Pro-Life Alliance:
- believe it is murder
- change the role of a doctor
- people would be pushed into it
Abortion
Premature expulsion of the foetus in the womb, performed before it is 24 weeks old
For abortion:
- Pro-choice
- should be allowed at any stage in pregnancy
- it is up to the individual
Against abortion:
- Pro-life, Christians, Muslim & Hindu
- believed to be a sin
- form of murder
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