Assignment

Finish watching the movie Arranged (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. on your own.

Pick a group of questions (blue or green) and post a reply. Try to analyze the situation with some degree of nuance and sophistication. If you take on Question #1, for instance, don't just declare, for instance, that Rochel's mother is very upset with Rochel for inviting Nasira to the house, showing that she is a bigoted and intolerant person. Try to understand all the dynamics that might enter into the inter-group dynamics in Brooklyn (based on the clues you find in the movie). Aim for at least 400 words.

1. What examples of out-group bias do you find in the movie. Identity at least 5 characters that seem to exhibit some out-group bias. (Try to use an appropriate term from the list of terms introduced on Tuesday (10/24) to describe the out-group bias.) Describe how the bias is expressed, e.g., body language, explicit communication, etc. Also, how does well does each character deal with his or her feelings? Who seems to be the least biased of the characters?

Speculate on the source of the bias. What specific factors might be operating to cause specific characters to exhibit the bias that they do? (Be aware that in any social interaction there may be several norms or values in conflict with one another. For instance, Nasira's father is a bit shocked when Rochel shows up with Nasira, but how does he respond? And why, does he respond this way?

2. When Principal Jacoby claims that marriage should be about individual choice, Rochel retorts "I have a choice...The community has a choice. It's different yes, but I have a say." How much choice are Rochel and Nasira given in terms of whom they can marry? Describe the boundaries or the limits of the choices that they have? (I have already read some comments suggesting that Rochel and Nasira do not agree with the idea of having their marriages arranged, but is that true? Again, answer it a thoughtful and nuanced way.)

How are the match making practices of the Orthodox Jewish community and the Muslim community in New York similar, and how are they different? Explain the procedures and the apparent rules governing the process. In what ways does the process differ from the process that the mothers in Joy Luck Club experienced in (1930s?) China?

3. What conflict is illustrated by the clash between Mrs. Jacoby and the two young women? What is the source of Mrs. Jacoby's puzzlement amount Rochel and Nasira? What do you know about Mrs. Jacoby's ethnic background? What experiences have shaped her worldview? What is her understanding of the life of women living in conservative religious communities?

Try to use some of the forms to describe the ideas.

Forms of Out-Group Bias

Match the terms on the left with their definitions on the right.

_c_ 1. Racism
_a_ 2. Prejudice
_e_ 3. Stereotype
_b_ 4. Bigotry
_f_ 5. Discrimination
_d_ 6. Sexism

a. forming an opinion about a group based on minimal experience
b. general low opinion of any group different from one's own group
c. an ideology or way of thinking that assigns particular characteristics (invariably negative) to members of other groups
d. an ideology or way of thinking that assigns particular characteristics to members of other groups based on their sex
e. over- generalized image of individuals of other groups
f. treating others differently based on their group membership.