Assignment

Women have a long history of being considered inferior to men. However, during the middle to the late 20th century, the women's rights movement began to improve the plight of women in Western society by granting them access to societal positions previously held only by men.

Some people claim that women have finally achieved equality with men in the 21st century; others are not convinced.

How will you describe the status of equality between men and women in contemporary Western culture?

Do you see any major areas where women are still discriminated against on a large scale? If so, give at least two examples. If not, rationalize your views.

Assignment 2:

Views on Diversity

Pablo believes that diversity is the most important issue in our culture, and that it is greatly underemphasized. On the other hand, Ralph rarely thinks of diversity, except when it is mentioned in the workplace. Monica is sensitized to multicultural issues because her parents are immigrants who still struggle with discrimination after being here for 20 years.

To obtain a cross-section of what people think about diversity, conduct five-minute interviews with three individuals you don't know well, and assess their views on diversity.

Ask the respondents the following questions and record their answers:

When you hear the word diversity mentioned in the workplace, in the media, or in casual conversation, what meaning do you assign this term?

Does a particular race, ethnic group, or other minority group come to mind when you think of diversity? Does one of these groups pertain to you?

Do you think the majority of people in our culture:

Respect cultural differences among groups of people.

Show indifference to cultural differences.

Lack respect for cultural differences. Explain each choice.

If you were to make a suggestion about how our culture should handle diversity over the next decade, what would it be?

Compile your responses and write a brief reflection paper on your findings. Specifically address the following issues:

What did you discover was the general attitude toward diversity in our culture?

Is diversity more associated with one race, ethnic, or other minority group than with others? If so, explain why this might be the case.

Compare and contrast the respondent's views with your own. How would you answer the same questions?

Your response should be at least two pages long. All written assignments and responses should follow APA rules for attributing sources.