Question 1
All Americans who have a Latin American origin or descent have been described with various terms depending on some aspects such as region of origin as well as time of immigration in the United States. Such terms include Chicano or Chicanos, Latino or Latinas and Hispanics. The word Chicano is used to refer to Mexican American, especially women and women who have Mexican origin and live in the United States of America irrespective of their immigration status. Chicano is also a term used in the field of politics to imply to individuals whose origin to North America and Mexico can be traced in centuries back. On the other hand, the word Latinas or Latinos refer to individuals who have a Latin American roots in countries such as Puerto Rica, Salvador, as well as Guatemala and live in the United States of America irrespective of their immigration status. Lastly, Hispanic refers to Latin Americans who have their origin from a Spanish speaking country or have a Spanish surname (Camacha 2008).
However, it is worth noting that some Latinos or Latinas identify themselves as Chicanos or Chicanos. This occurs as they identify their shared struggles the as marginalized United States sets. Moreover, socioeconomic diversity as a result of different united states immigration rules as well as rationalization procedures within the Latinos implies that the central Americans and Puerto Ricans may get the educational system in a similar manner to Chicanos compared to Latinos like Cubans or south Americans (Oboler 2006).
Chicanos or Chicanos are linked with liberation movements across American due to the common experiences of discrimination by European as well as United States imperialism. Also, Chicanos, Latinos, and Mexicans are connected by their shared culture and language which keep on being renewed by the cross boarder passage of Chicanos, Mexicans, as well as Latinos. Although these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they are different. Hispanic is a word that denotes people of native Spain lining in the US while on the other hand, Chicano and Latino denotes exclusively to individuals or communalities of Latin American origin. For instance, Brazilians are a good example of Latinos who are not Hispanic and not Chicanos because they speak Portuguese.
Question 2
Race is a classification of human beings who share combination of several physical features like skin color, hair, facial complexion, as well as eye shape. A race group may be as a result of partial isolation reproduction from other population leading to sharing of a high degree of similarities among its members as opposed to those of other races. A race may also be categorized in terms of genetic similarities although interracial reproductions tend to cause issues in this definition. The main races of the world are; the Caucasian (white race), the Mongolian (yellow race), the Ethiopian (black race), the American (red race), the Malayan (brown race).
Culture is an amalgamation of cumulative experience, beliefs, values, knowledge, religion etc by a population of a given society. Culture may change over time depending on the society’s perception of the law or their traditional beliefs (Camacha 2008).
An ethnic group is a population of individuals who observe a common culture such as language, customs, food religion and beliefs as well as sharing the same ancestry. For instance, Bantu, Serbs, Ojibway, and Italian-Americans. An ethnic set is a smaller group than a race and may comprise a number of racial groups and in different locations. For example, Puerto Ricans as an ethnic group are composed of black, white, and brown.
Nationality is the status of being associated to a particular nation. It is the legal connection between an individual and his country. However, the political perception of a national or ethnic or racial group into an administrative unit is defined as a “state.” Therefore, a nation may comprise of people from different races, ethnicity, and culture (Stavans 2001).
Racialism refers to the perception that all individuals of a given race have features, characteristics, and abilities specific to that particular race so as to make it inferior or superior than another race. In the past, American institutions were marred with high levels of racism whereby laws favored the white Americans and discriminated against other races like African Americans, Latin Americans (Latinos and Chicanos), as well as the Native Americans.
Question 6
White privilege refers to societal advantages that benefit white race above the normal benefits experienced by other races in the same social, political, or economic conditions.
Benefits of white privilege
White privilege favors white people in a number of ways. First, their skin color does not go against them in terms of the way individuals perceive their financial responsibilities, public speaking skills and even their job performance. Secondly, these individuals are not harassed or disturbed by security personnel just because of their race. Third, the law enforcement put up policies that are in favor of the white and unfavorable to the colored individual. For instance, the way a colored individual can dress and called a gangster is not the same way a white individual can be called even when dressed in a gangster like manner. Lastly, white privilege is said to design the way we see the world and also the way the world itself sees us. For instance, when a white person is told about the national heritage or civilization, it is expressed in such a way to imply that it was achieved because of the white race. Also, the national currency, monuments located in the national mall in Washington DC are all represented by white people and indicates their contribution to the world. White people therefore see themselves represented in every other place yet colored people are excluded in spite of their contribution in various civilization endeavors, putting Martin Luther King into consideration among others (Oboler 2006).
From these benefits and examples, it is clear how white privilege is an existing phenomenon yet barely openly recognizable. It is an affair that is hard to address because it exist in a transparent state that only the keen observers may realize its existence in the current world that is being described as anti-racist.
Part 2
Question 1
Anglo American refers to dwellers of United States of America who are of English origin or descent. One of the most notable Anglo American culture is; to save and prepare for the future. They try to put forward their personal aims over group or community objectives. They are also notable through their attempt to attain material comfort as the first priority. Anglo American can be identified through communication. Another common trait in their culture is the manner in which they raise their children; strict and disciplined to an extent they advocate for physical punishment to enhance discipline. Their communication tends to be short, quick and of efficient manner whereby a direct question is responded with a direct answer.
On the other hand, the Hispanic colonial culture is quite different, almost the exact opposite if the Anglo American. The Hispanic is raised with a culture of co operation unlike the case with Anglo society which encourages competition and individualism. For Hispanics, the present matters a lot than the future and is therefore given more value. The communication style of Spanish colonial was more formal unlike that of Anglos. They show high respect by fixing appropriate titles wherever necessary. The Spanish practiced a conservative nature of raising their children. They don’t reprimand their children in public and they bring them up in a way to be dependent on the family, community and the society in general. However, this has a negative effect on their future lives because it is not easy to make decisions on their own (Camacha 2008).
The native or indigenous American is one group that ha s rich culture among all other groups. There are so many aspects of current life that were adapted from the Native Americans. Totally different from other cultures, the natives had other beliefs that are, today considered criminative. For instance, every person was believed to have been assigned spirits of a particular animal and that those spirits were absorbed to those animals.
Question2
Cultural deficit thinking implies that students of color and low income society do not perform well in school, have higher rate of school dropout and lower college dropout because of their perceived cultural deprivation or lack of exposure to cultural models more obviously congruent with school performance. There is also an assumption in this theory that color students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds do not value education in the same way are those from middle income nod white counterparts hence the resultant performance. The Chicanos and or Ladinos have been great ridicule of this theory due to the low rate of enrolment into college education, high rate of school dropout and low numbers of those graduating.
Cultural capital is a sociological perception that asserts that non financial social assets that enhance social mobility above economic means. According to this theory, students from middle and upper economic condition are more likely to perform better in school because they have more cultural capital. Similarly, according to this theory students of color and poor students join school without cultural capital. The theory also suggests that lack of motivation by members of families from the color individuals partly contribute to the poor performance (Stavans 2001).
Community cultural wealth asserts that schools should recognize the social and cultural capital available in communities of color and poor communities. For instance, features such as resiliency brought about by students of color and poor students should be acknowledged and developed. According to Wenfan Yan (1999), academically successful African American students contribute unique forms of social capital in high school and college schools that are different from white and middle class and that African American parents were inquisitive on their children performance and future career aspirations that most white parents. This is a contradiction to the theory of deficit thinking discussed above.
Question 6
The master plan for education in California was a significant mile in ensuring the quality, diversified and equal education for all people in the state of California by ensuring that there a was proportional transition between high school and colleges s well as universities. It provided a comprehensive analysis and planning for attaining the educational requirements of California dwellers, offered policies and fiscal recommendations from data analysis which represented the public will in California education system, acted to serve as California’s education repository, coordinated statewide articulation of curriculum as well as the evaluation between the Perk 12 and postsecondary learning sector and finally, sponsored and controlled inter sectional programs that advantaged students making the shift from secondary to college and university. College and universities in California now prides themselves in offering entry to students across the states ever increasing diversified population (Oboler 2006). For instance, the CSU offers more than hail of its annual undergraduate degrees to the state’s African-American, Latinos as well s Native American scholars.
For admission in California universities, it depends on ones major but the standard qualifications can be narrowed down to; graduation from high school, specific high school courses and grades in a to g courses and test scores. Most high school and community college are guaranteed of admission into these universities irrespective of race and ethnicity but as long as you are a resident in California. For students from other states, the only qualification admission requirement is a higher eligibility index than residents of California. For students from other countries, the eligibility is different and incase of limited chances, the residents of California are usually provided with the first priority (Camacha 2008).
The main college degrees are doctor of philosophy, masters, bachelors, and associate degrees. All these degrees ply different roles depending on the individual undertaking it. For instance, most bachelors and associate degrees are undertaken to attain job qualification and requirements while as doctor of philosophy and, asters degree may be undertaken for job or personal satisfaction reasons.
The main college majors are; art related, science, math, business, engineering, and technological as well as literature, language, and social sciences majors. Each one of them defines an individual’s future career.
Work cited
Camacha, Alicia Schmidt. Migrant Imaginaries: Latino Cultural Politics in the US-Mexico Borderlands.
New York: NYU, 2008.
Oboler, Suzanne. Latinos and Citizenship: The Dilemma of Belonging. New York: Palgrave Macmillan,
2006.
Stavans, Ilan. Wachale! Poetry and Prose about Growing Up Latino in America. Chicago: Cricket
Books, 2001.
