GC Wk3 OVERVIEW TO BEGIN MODULE 3

Purpose

This week we meet the happiest people in the world . . . in Finland and Denmark—two SCANDINAVIAN EGALITARIAN CULTURES we’ll see more of next week. And, in a way, we continue the focus on emigration and immigration . . .

As mentioned last week, worldwide questions of emigration and immigration are among key interests for governments and individuals. Opposition to particular immigrant groups, and immigration in general, has become a major issue in both local and world politics today, perhaps second only to the climate change crisis, COVID-19 and "globalization," as a driver of both informed and uninformed discourse, and cognizant and unappraised government policy and debate. And the on-going war in the Ukraine has severely amplified the problem.

Whether you are party to them or not, debates and diatribes over emigration and immigration, worldwide, have changed the political landscapes that many of us—maybe even most of us—were born into.

And both the disciplined debates and vitriolic protests over emigration and immigration will likely continue in all parts of the world in the foreseeable future.

So as last week we focus on one of the major global concerns, by having a look at real people in real places, viz. Spain, to try to understand some of the human dimensions of modern-day emigration and immigration.

What are emigrants and immigrants like? What do they do? What kind of lives do they live? What makes them laugh? Cry? Angry? Sad? Worried? And what do neighbors and governments do about them?

Also as mentioned last week, the free movement of people in the European Union (EU) is one of the four basic rights guaranteed by the EU charter. “There were over 310.7 million foreigners in EU and EFTA [European Free Trade Association] countries in 2015—8% of the total population. More than 45% of these foreigners were from an EU or EFTA state” (“Which European countries attract the most immigrants?” Links to an external site. swissinfo.ch, 5 December 2017).

Next week in the Discussion we'll ask the question "What does it take to be happy?"
In the textbook readings we'll then look at an "Authority Ranking Culture" . . .
- And we'll investigate what the main concept of anthropologists . . . "Culture" . . . is all about. And we'll even play a little "Jeopardy".
Our Trivia question this week takes us to the world's "Friendliest" city, and (hint) it is not in the happiest country.

Outcomes

To learn a little bit about the world's "Friendliest" city.
To get some understanding of what it's like to live in an "Authority Ranking Culture" . . .and how that differs from countries and cultures with which we might be familiar.
To get an idea of the main concept in anthropology, "Culture", and what that means to anthropologists, as opposed to, for example, how the term is used in general parlance.

Begin Week 3

Now that you have a sense of the purpose and outcomes contained within this module, begin working through the activities:

by using the “Next” button below to advance through the activities in sequential order
or by going directly to the Week 3 Module for a listing of the activities.