The Exploration of Culture and Family in the Classroom Karen Stewart-Cain Young American college students have a tendency to see the world monolithically; that is, they have a rigid and uniform view of how things are -- a “one world order,” so to speak. As a sociologist, my quest in the classroom is to use culture and the components of cultures to explore other parts of the world and to help students develop a broader perspective and worldview. Since most of my students are interested in family issues,; I typically start there as a “jumping off point” to more complex issues. When I ask students to define family, they immediately become aware that there are many definitions of family. Each student views the family from his or her own perspective. Some see the family as an institution revered and even considered sacred. As the discussion progresses, the students’ definitions of the family broaden even further. Some define family as a place where much pain, injury, and violence is experienced. The idea that there are many differences between families emerges, and the students begin to understand the functions that the family serves: even though families come in a wide variety, they all provide joys, disappointments and more, and these individual families create the differences that make up our society and culture. After this introduction, in which we establish the family’s influence on our diversity, we move on to explore the connection between family and culture. We do this by engaging in a pedagogical exercise called the “Lemon Study.” Each student receives a lemon, and then they are asked to give characteristics of their lemon. Next, the students place their lemons in an assigned bag with other additional lemons. All of the lemons are mixed in one plastic bag, and finally the students are asked to claim their particular lemon. Most of the students are able to locate their own assigned lemon. They (students) list subtle differences as well as the similarities of their lemons, demonstrating that, while lemons look alike on the outside, you begin to see it more clearly and more uniquely when you study one specific lemon. This exercise allows them to consider the possible variations of families and marriages as well. As my young scholars struggle to discover what a family should be, some begin to recognize family as “strange characters occupying communal space,” sharing resources, colds, and, at some point inflicting pain on one another (Bombeck, 1987). Others see the definition of family in the same light as former Vice-President Quayle: “the only real family is one that is anchored in legal heterosexual marriage” (Strong and Devault, 1995). Students often do not believe that people of different sexual orientations are entitled to the same rights as heterosexuals; they are also uncomfortable with people selecting non-traditional families (non-Eskimo family structure, meaning mom, dad, and offspring), as well. From these insights (discussions including the lemon study), we then move to the idea that families are intimately connected to culture. The next exercise is the exploration of the connection between family and culture. In both classes, Marriage and Family and Social Gerontology, students are asked to share their understanding of culture. These students see North Americans as having a superior culture; however, they are unable to verbalize either what culture is, or what makes their culture more advanced than others. The students are presented with material objects from Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. In a group discussion, each student assesses the item and states its value to the particular community. The final piece of the activity is for students to write a “guided paper” that assists them in seeing that cultures are like families: they are similar in some respects yet different in others. Nevertheless, they all provide a function for humanity. The topic of most interest to students in the family structure of Guineans, Sierra Leoneans, and Nigerians is polygamous marriages. The Temne of Sierra Leone, similar to other sub Saharan-Africans, see marriage as an important rite of passage into adulthood, for men as well as women. However, times are changing; many couples still see the value of plural marriages, although at times they prove to be more than a challenge. The functions of polygamous unions are expanding the labor force and reducing the introduction of syphilis to the family by giving the husband available sexual outlets, since sex activity is prohibited with pregnant or nursing wives. Sometimes the husband will seek counsel from his wife before taking another wife. Men may divorce their wives, but women cannot divorce their husbands. If a husband is cruel to his wife, then the wife may seek the assistance of the elder of the group. One permitted option is that this woman may return to her family’s home; however, she must return her wedding gifts. Younger women and men, urban dwellers, and educated folks are less likely to support polygamy. One important twist in polygamous unions was caused by the Civil War in Sierra Leone, which forced women to move into Guinean refugee camps. These women, for safety reasons, entered into bulgur marriages. These unions are consensual and obtained their name from “sharing of bulgur wheat distributed by the Nations World Food Program” (Gale, 2007, p.356). These bulgur women are also known as big women in the refugee camps and enjoy a considerable amount of prestige within the camp community; this prestige comes at a high cost, however, when dealing with the outside world. The bulgur wife is very similar to America’s notion of a common law wife. In Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, women occupy a special place in society. Women are kin-keepers of the elderly and the children; they work outside of the homes, labor in co-ops and markets, operate shops, and toil the fields. Women are said to have mystical powers (S. M. N’Daou, personal communication, July 25, 2009). Women in the urban centers have more access to freedom and education than their rural counterparts in all three Western African countries; however, women’s educational accomplishments are lower than males. In Guinea, 15 to 30 percent of the population is functional in French. Both Nigeria and Sierra Leone are English-speaking countries. In Nigeria, 78 percent of the males are literate, but only 68 percent of the females are literate, whereas in Sierra Leone, the literacy rate for females is 24.4 percent, and males 46.9 percent. (The World Factbook, 2008). Guided Paper Requirements for Social Gerontology The students are instructed to select developing or developed nations of interests and required to write a guided paper on culture by answering the topics listed below: General information about their selected country including geographical location Family General structure characteristics Men/women head of household Courtship Marriage Birth customs Labor Childbirth practices Death customs Culture Socialization of children Socialization of middle-age adults Socialization of elderly Medical care/housing Status system (caste or class/ethnic group/kinship) Status of women, men, children, the elderly Inheritance Magic Religion Politics (the manner in which goods and services are submitted to citizens) Economic Organization Economic Structure In the culmination of our class, students report their findings from the paper over an international meal, during which the students also converse with international scholars. They then view a brief documentary of three West African countries made by faculty and staff members. The outcome of these exercises proves to be beneficial because the students become engaged in their own learning process, and this engagement leads them to ask provocative questions. These questions are used to challenge their peers and educators alike. These questions tend to strengthen their analytical thinking and encourage the students to take more responsibility for their own learning with a commitment to assist others. It is acknowledged in this paper that Bombecks’s Family: The Ties that Bind and Gag is not a scholarly source; however, at times, one must use unconventional means to grab the student’s attention, and this text was the vehicle that started the students to think outside of their comfort level. References Bombeck, E. (1987) Family: The Ties That Bind and Gag. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Central Intelligence Agency, The World Fact Book. Sierra Leone literacy, 2008. Sierra Leone literacy rate. Retrieved      http://www.indexmundi.com/sierra_leone/literacy.html Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, Nigeria Demographics Profile, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2009.      http://www.indexmundi.com/nigeria/demographics_profile.html Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, 2008. Guinea Literacy Rate. Retrieved March 19, 2009. http://www.indexmundi.com/guinea/literacy.html Gale, L. A. (207) Buglar marriages and big women: Navigating relatedness in Guinean refugee camp. Anthropological Quarterly, 80, 355-378.