Authoritative voices conflict

1. How is Nathan’s book, My Freshman Year, an ethnography? Why or why not? Do you think it is unethical for an anthropologist to pose as a freshman? Why or why not?

2. What is an authoritative voice? How does it relate to the eight kinds of logic we have discussed.

3. Can authoritative voices conflict? Discuss virginity in terms of the authoritative voices that influence our historical and cultural perception of virginity. Give an example of conflicting voices.

4. What problems do recent developments in fertility technology present for individuals? For our culture?

5. According to Hatfield and Rapson, one category of people that fall in love is the “skittish.” Name the five other categories. What lifecourse experiences influence an individual’s reaction to intimacy?

6. What special problems related to the birth process have resulted from the physical evolutionary process? How do they influence the cultural experience of birth?

7. In Writing an Ethnography of Childbirth, Kay says there are some questions that must be asked about pregnancy when writing an ethnography? One is “By whom may a woman get pregnant?” How might this vary from one culture to another?

8. What does Mengue give as the fundamental cause of the sexual exploitation of children in Cameroon? Do you think her conclusion is specific to Cameroon or does it have wider implications?

9. Who was the authoritative voice in the birth of Adhiambo? How did this affect the birth process?
10. What was the main message of the movie Giving Birth: Challenges and Choices? How does the concept of an authoritative voice relate to this movie?
11. How does the concept of “normalcy” relate to inter-racial education and the education of people with disabilities? What is the relationship between the law as it relates to education and the concept of “normalcy”?
12. How does the concept of an authoritative voice relate to the high rate of Caesarian deliveries in the United States today? Why do you think the rate of Caesarian births is lower in other countries?

13. How does the social class and educational level of an American woman affect the choices she has about giving birth?

14. There are significant contrasts between the way babies are ideally cared for in mainstream American culture and the way in which they are nurtured in some other cultures. Give some examples and discuss how they might affect adult personality.

15. Do parents play with their children in most world cultures? Why has the idea of parent-child play time become important to educated people in the developed world?

16. How does the cultural concept of “childhood” relate to the perception of child soldiers in international conflicts?

 FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC CLICK HERE