Chapter 3 and focus on the terms 'ethnocentrism' and 'cultural

2 Discussion questions

1.Please read Chapter 3 and focus on the terms 'ethnocentrism' and 'cultural relativism'. For this discussion board forum, I would like you to apply these terms to a real-life scenario.??Two Iraqi brothers, aged 34 and 28, were charged under Nebraska law with the statutory rape of their wives, aged 13 and 14, whom they married in Iraq in accordance with Muslim law and the customs of their native southern Iraq. Were these charges ethnocentric or were they inappropriate? In other words, try to apply both ethnocentrism ("my way is the normal and best way to act") and cultural relativism ("I should try to understand their actions according to their beliefs, not mine") and tell me whether they should have been charged or not. The final answer you come to is not nearly as important as whether you can understand and make arguments for both side of this issue.

2.Please read and review the Chapter 1 material on the "Functionalist Theory" and "Conflict Theory". We generally think of the functionalist and conflict perspectives as being applied to “serious” subjects such as the family, health care, and criminal behavior. Yet even popular music can be analyzed using these sociological approaches.

1) How do you think a functionalist and a conflict theorist would analyze popular music?

2) In your opinion, which perspective offers us the best way to study and understand social phenomena?