lab 1 geog 103 veronica mildeberger

docx

School

Binghamton University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

103

Subject

Anthropology

Date

Apr 3, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by ProfPelicanPerson401

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US Video Worksheet Thoroughly read all questions prior to viewing this video, which is approximately 37 minutes in length. Answer the following questions with complete sentences. ● Many Americans have considered race a biologically-based distinction among human groups. This has greatly influenced how people see and treat one another. ● Historically, how did scientists search for racial differences among the population, i. e. what indicators did they use? Historically, scientists used visual indicators like skin color, eye shape, hair form, and body shape. ● Compare the use of infant mortality statistics (rates) to justify racial differences to subsequent social claims that blacks are often physically superior to whites. Though there were claims that blacks were physically superior to whites, infant mortality rates were higher among whites. This emphasizes a glaring difference between the races. ● Skin color was often used to “measure” race. Broad geographical distinctions (generalizations) in skin color were used for such generalizations, such as the case of Norway and the tropics mentioned in this video. What do these generalizations miss or ignore regarding skin color (“race”) between these two areas? This generalization disregards or ignores the fact that UV reception is what majorly influences/determines skin tone. Generalizing and associating certain skin tones with geographical regions ignores the fact that there is a gradual change in skin tone as you move to and from the equator. ● For many years, humans have suggested a correlation between physical characteristics such as skin and hair color, with complex human traits, such as intelligence. This video refers to this as “concordance” and argues that if “race is more than skin deep, then such visual traits must correspond to other human genetics.” This idea of concordance resulted in expectations by student subjects in the study shown. ● What were their expectations and what did the study results show? They expected to see that they were most similar to people with the most similar ancestry, but they in fact found the opposite to be true.

● Why do you think this was so? How does this relate to the American perception that “race is biological”? This was because they anticipated having genetic similarities to those they had physical similarities to. This refutes the American perception that race is biological, as the results showed that people of two different races had more genetic similarities than people of the same race. ● What did these students learn about genetic variation within the “so-called races” compared to the genetic variations between the “so-called races”? Using gel electrophoresis, students learned that there is as much variation between the so- called races as there are within the so-called race. ● The video argues that geography is a better way to explain that there can be accumulations (found in greater frequencies) of genes (like skin color, disease, etc.) in certain locations (geographic regions). Why is the position that “sickle cell disease (alters the shape of red blood cells) is a racial trait” a misconception? Explain. Sickle cell is the result of having ancestors that lived in malarial regions. The alteration of the shape of red blood cells were used as a defense against malaria which was common in Africa, thus making sickle cell more common in that geographical region. it Is not a racial trait. ● What are the “superficial traits” and what is their concordance with the more complicated traits? The superficial traits are body shape or head size and skin color and hair texture. They have no concordance with more complicated traits. ● This video compares student genetic traits with those from a global gene pool to demonstrate the existence of genetic variation (Gorgeous, Jackie and Noah). It argues that while visual differences may be striking, they are superficial. Despite this fact, race has become a significant social construct, a very “salient historical and social idea,” that has left many Americans in a racial “smog.” ● “Race” is a concept long used “to categorize the perceived differences among societal groups and to justify the greatest social agony” of America – inequalities. ● A number of economic, social and health consequences exist on a geographic basis because white society determines most geographic patterns of importance. According to the video, these include the geographic and social consequences include:

Where people live, b. Where people attend school c. Where people work and d. If they have health insurance . These spatial and “racial” inequalities influence millions of Americans due to the existence of race as a strong social construct embedded in the psyche of many Americans. Write a paragraph explaining your previous ideas about race and if they have changed after watching this video: Previously, my ideas of race were very general but I was not aware that there is no science to support the idea of races. I live on Long Island in a predominantly white neighborhood and was hardly ever exposed to different races until I left the country. This video changed virtually all of my preconceived notions as I now understand the lack of biology behind races and the true fact that races are a social construct.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

lab 1 geog 103 veronica mildeberger

Related Documents