Culture Awareness Class

January 28, 2009 

Research Outline

Title: Culture Awareness Class

1. Introduction

Today, the advances in technology and transportation made it easier to mix people from different cultures and backgrounds together. Not many students are aware of the different cultures out there. Most students do not even know a lot about their own culture. It is important for students to understand the cultures of the people they meet, because that was they will become more open-minded

2. Mexico
   1. Location and people
      1. Mexico is located in North America, under the US borders, south of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Mexico is located between two the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.
      2. Many people enjoy visiting Mexico because of the hospitality and kindness of its people. Most Mexican people are descendants of the Aztecs and Mayas and are proud of their culture which they represent through great artistic skills.
         1. In Mexico there are 60% mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish), 30% Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian, 9% white, 1% other
         2. The religions in Mexico are 89% Roman Catholic, 6% Protestant, 5% other
         3. The main language in Mexico is Spanish, but many people still speak the indigenous languages as well as Nahuatl language.
   2. General Facts
      1. Immediate and extended families a very important part of Mexican culture.
         1. The father is the head of the family, he is the decision maker.
         2. Even though the mothers’ role is secondary the husband, it is still greatly valued.
         3. Most Mexican people are very traditional and value their culture and religion greatly.
      2. Mexicans treat people above them in rank with more respect. Men shake hands, if they are a friend, then they hug. Women pat each other on the right forearm or shoulder. If meeting a new person in Mexico, they have to be invited because they can use another person’s first name. When men make remarks to women it not harassment.
      3. When visiting someone in Mexico, it is a good idea to take white flowers, but not marigolds or red flowers. It is also a good idea to arrive to dinner or parties 30 minutes late. During dinner hands should always be visible when eating. The hostess eats first, and it is polite to leave food left after a meal.
   3. Celebrations and Festivals
      1. Mexican people have a lot of celebrations and festivals.
      2. “The Day of the Dead” is a Mexican celebration similar to Halloween.
      3. Christmas is celebrated on the 24^th of December. On Christmas the family spends time eating, talking and having a good time, and wrapping gifts at midnight.
      4. Mexicans celebrate their independence day on September 16.
      5. Cinco de Mayo is also another big Mexican celebration, in which the Mexicans celebrate the day peasants defeated the French Army. This celebration is actually celebrated more frequently in the United States, rather than in Mexico.
3. China
   1. Location and People
      1. China is located in Asia under Russia and on top of India.
      2. Many people enjoy visiting China because of its history and its diversity. Many people consider china the cutting edge of change. China is full of calm and wisdom.
         1. In china there are 93% Han, 7% Other(including Zhuang, Hui, Uygur, Yi, Miao, Manchu, Tibetan, Mongol, Tujia, Bouyei, Korean, Dong, Yao, Bai, Hani, Kazakh, Dai, and Li minorities)
         2. China has a wide range of different religions and faiths, some of those are : Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, China’s indigenous Taoism, along with Shamanism, Eastern Orthodox Christianity and the Naxi people’s Dongba religion

1. Facts about China
   1. The most widely spoken language in the world is Mandarin Chinese. There are 885,000,000 people in China that speak it.
   2. The Chinese language does not require punctuation.
   3. China has close to 25% of the world's population.
   4. China was the first country to use paper money.
   5. China has only about 200 different family names.

4. Conclusion

Our world today has overcome many racial differences and people today seem to understand the different cultures and worlds that we live in. Schools today are more diverse than they were in the past and students are able to communicate effectively with one another. Yet, there is still racism in our world today. Students still do not understand most of the different cultures around them. Many students probably did not know that it is okay for men to make remarks to women without meaning it as harassment or that Cinco de Mayo is actually celebrated in America more than it is celebrated in Mexico. Also, many students do not know that the most spoken language in the world is Mandarin, which is spoken by people in China.