Cultural relativisms the idea that the beliefs and practices of a culture should be understood within the context of that particular culture’s background, history, and current events surrounding it. We should not ethnocentrically impose our own beliefs and opinions, which are products of our own enculturation
Cultural relativism is not the same as moral relativism, however. As Crapo (2013) notes:
“We need not, for instance, come to value infanticide in order to understand the roles it may play in peoples’ lives in a society where it is customary. What cultural relativism requires of us is simply that we do not confuse our own feelings about such a custom with understanding it. To do the latter, we must investigate the meanings the custom has for those who practice it and the functions it may fulfill in their society.”(section 1.4, “Cultural Differences: Cultural Relativism,” para. 3)
Final Paper Requirements
(Click links below)
Part I
This section should be two to two and a half pages long.
Demonstrate a culturally relativistic perspective throughout this section. Do not use opinionated or judgmental language.
Use the article by Miner to guide your own description. How would an anthropologist describe the topic you’ve chosen?
Use reliable sources to support your analysis. Review the Evaluating Scholarly Sources tutorial from the Ashford Library.
Include an in-text citation every time you include information you learned from one of your sources.
Part II
Conclusion
Writing the Final Research Paper
The Final Research Paper
Must be five to six double-spaced pages in length (excluding title page and references page, meaning it will be seven to eight pages total), and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (see the APA Essay
Checklist for Students).
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
Must have well-structured body paragraphs with clear transitions from one topic to the next. Incorporate in-text citations from your scholarly sources to support your analysis throughout the paper.
Must describe an aspect of your own culture from an etic perspective for Part I.
Must describe an aspect of another culture from an emic perspective for Part II.
Must demonstrate a perspective of cultural relativism throughout, avoiding judgmental and opinionated language.
Must end with a conclusion that that reinforces the thesis and provides a self-reflexive analysis.
Must use at least one scholarly resource in addition to the textbook, the Miner article, and the article chosen from the list in Part II of the Week Three assignment.
Must document all sources in APA style in the body of the paper and on the references page as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style