Elise Schmidt

Elise Schmidt Learning Plan 3 Case Study Online Sociology 1 Fumiko Kimura Case Study Questions

Instructions: Answer the questions on this worksheet. You should respond directly on this worksheet. The space will expand as you type. You are to apply textbook information to support your responses. You are required to use APA in-text or reference citations at least five times in this assessment. Your responses to the questions will likely be one to five sentences in length. Be concise, yet specific when developing your responses.

Before you begin to answer the questions, first answer the following two questions:

 How sympathetic are you personally to Kimura's situation? That is, how understanding are you of her taking her children's lives?

Your response: I personally am more not sympathetic towards Kimura’s situation than sympathetic. Respecting her traditions and beliefs I understand why her children’s lives were taken. I understand she did what she thought were best and that she seen her children as a part of her. With that being said, I am not from her culture, but I am a mother and I could never take my children down with me. My sympathy goes for the children not for her as a mother in this culture.

 If you could personally decide this moment what sentence Kimura should receive, what would you deem appropriate? What values, principles, and/or beliefs would guide your views of justice in this case? Explain your reasoning.

Your response: If I personally had to decide what sentence Kimura should receive I would deem appropriate that she should go to prison for murder charges and serve a life sentence. She lived or committed the act in America which means that it is an American sentence based on this country’s laws and beliefs. My personal value of religion affects my thoughts on murder and suicide that neither are acceptable and my value of helping others guides me to think that there are various ways in America to seek help instead of turning to suicide. Unlike in Japan, suicide is not an honorable retreat.

Questions

1. Why did Fumiko Kimura kill her children? (Objectively summarize the case in no more than two sentences.)

Your response: Fumiko Kimura killed her children in attempt to commit suicide with them because she believed it was the admirable thing to do and they were one. Elise Schmidt Learning Plan 3 Case Study Online Sociology 2 2. What might an “American” mother, one born and raised in the U.S., do if she found herself in a situation similar to Kimura’s (i.e. failed second marriage, two young children)? Why would an “American” mother make different choices from those Kimura made?

Your response: An American mother who was in a similar situation as Kimura’s would continue to find romantic love. Romantic love is highly valued in America and is highly sought after (Henslin, 2011). An American mother would make that choice in terms of the second failed marriage because in the American culture divorce is no longer uncommon or looked down at unlike in the Japanese culture. An American mother would also not take her children with if she were to commit suicide because in the American culture children and mother are separate.

3. Review the discussion of US Core Values in Henslin (chapter 2). Identify two core values that are essential to understanding the mother/child relationship in Japan, and two that are essential in the U.S. Describe parental behaviors that reinforce each core value.

Your response: A core value that is essential to understanding the mother/child relationship in Japan achievement and success because in Japan mothers achievements are their children and are completely devoted to them. If the mothers are unsuccessful in life than the children are to pay the same consequence. Another core value that mother/child relationship in Japan can be associated with is hard work. In Japan the mother spends the entire time with the child up to school age, ensuring they never cry or are hungry which hard work is.

A core value that is essential for understanding American mother/child relationship is education. From birth American mothers try with videos, toys, and books to ensure that their child is educated. They help with homework and are responsible for their children to attend school. Another core value is individualism for American mother/child relationship. Mothers have separate lives from their children and it is not unusual for the child to go to their grandparents at any age or have a babysitter.

4. Apply the concept of ideal culture: Describe an “ideal relationship between mother and child in the U.S? (Be specific: Do not say that “American” mothers “love” their children. “Love” is ambiguous. Mothers who beat their children can argue that they were only doing what they did out of “love.”)

Your response: An ideal relationship between mother and child in the U.S. is where the mother provides the child with support; financially, emotionally, mentally. In the ideal relationship the mother has authority over the child in whom the child acknowledges and obeys because of respect and separation of selves. In the ideal relationship the mother provides rides to extracurricular activities, meals, and assistance with academic achievement. Elise Schmidt Learning Plan 3 Case Study Online Sociology 3

5. Apply the concept of real culture: Provide three specific examples of mother/child relationship in the US. that do not meet the ideal culture you described in the previous item. (E.g. Ideal culture: Mothers protect the lives of their children by putting seat belts on their children when in an automobile. Real culture: Some mothers smoke while their children are in the same room or in the car with them, thereby endangering their children’s health through second hand smoke.)

Your response: In real culture in the U.S. mothers cannot always support their children financially because they may be a single parent struggling to pay bills, unemployed, or in need of government assistance for other reasons. In real culture some mothers work fulltime and are unable to attend their children’s extra activities and these children find rides from their fathers or other families. In real culture many children have had a less authoritarian upbringing and do not respect their parents as much as previous generations had.

6. Why do “American” mothers “fail” to live up to the “ideal?” Can we expect immigrants to the U.S. to live up to “ideal culture” when people born and raised in the U.S. find it difficult to do so? Why or why not?

Your response: American mothers fail to live up to the ideal because the ideal in America are values, norms, and goes that are very high standards even though they try to aim for it (Henslin, 2011). Immigrants to the U.S. have as much chance to live up to the ideal as an American born mother. Immigrants typically value family highly but gaining possessions for their children and having a separate life while still keeping family and children still a high value would be difficult.

7. Provide two opinions an ethnocentric person would express about the death of Kimura’s children.

Your response: An opinion an ethnocentric person would express about the death of Kimura’s children would be that Kimura did not love her children and was a bad mother. Another opinion they could have in this case would be that Kimura must have had a mental illness or psychopathic tendencies.

8. Provide two responses a person who practices cultural relativism would offer about the death of Kimura’s children.

Your response: One response that a person who practices cultural relativism would offer about Kimura’s children deaths would be that Kimura was doing what she thought best for her children and did not want a burden on their father. Another response one could use would be that Kimura did not see her children as children but Elise Schmidt Learning Plan 3 Case Study Online Sociology 4 as a part of her and it would have been unthinkable not to take them with her during this act.

9. What is the difference between “laws” and “cultural norms?” Which is more likely to be internalized? How do these concepts apply to Kimura’s case?

Your response: The difference between law and cultural norms is that law has to be followed otherwise there are negative consequences and cultural norms are actions based of the cultures values that are the right way to act but if broken is usually just consequences of people’s reactions (Henslin, 2011). Cultural norms are more likely to be internalized. These concepts apply to Kimura’s case because in the Japanese culture even though it is against the law her act would not be followed with punishment if she survived and her children perished due to Japanese tradition and their cultural norms. Her internal cultural norms also affected her choice to bring her children with and have them be a part of her negative ending because she saw them as one.

10. Describe two cultural values that support reasons why adopting a cultural relative perspective would be appropriate in Kimura’s case.

Your response: A cultural value that supports why adopting a cultural relative perspective would be appropriate in Kimura’s case would be Freedom because Americans pride themselves on personal freedom (Henslin, 2011) based on our cultural values and norms and in Kimura’s case was making a personal choice and making a personal action due to her cultures values. Another value would be Individualism because we as Americans value it so highly we do not at first understand Kimura’s actions and choices. When we compare our values and way of life, we see that there are cultural differences that should be accounted for.

11. Compare Kimura's adaptation to life in the US to that of European Immigrants who migrated to Milwaukee in the 1800s (as explained in “European Settlement of Milwaukee”). Specifically, in what three ways was her settlement in the US similar to the European pattern? Elise Schmidt Learning Plan 3 Case Study Online Sociology 5 Your response: When comparing Kimura’s adaptation and the European Immigrants the first common denominator is that when Kimura first moved to the U.S. she still clung to Japanese traditions like the immigrants, especially the Germans, clung to their traditions. Another common between Kimura and the European settlement is that Kimura married another Japanese man after coming to America and the German and New England settlers only married within their culture. The last similar way Kimura and the immigrants settlement was they lacked skills for urban life and the culture around them.

12. Socialization is meant “to turn us into conforming members of society”. Select one of the following theories about “the social mind” from Chapter 3 on Socialization: Cooley and the Looking Glass Self, Mead and role-taking theory, or Freud’s theory of personality development. Apply the theory you selected to Fumiko Kimura.

Your response: The theory that I selected is Cooley and the Looking Glass Self theory. The first element of the theory states that we imagine how we appear to those around us (Henslin, 2011). Fumiko Kimura imagined that she appeared to those around her as a failure. She felt humiliated after her first divorce and after remarrying her life revolved around her children and husband. After finding that her husband had a mistress she thought of herself of losing tremendous “face”. The second element is we interpret others’ actions and try to imagine how others perceive us (Henslin, 2011). With this element Kimura felt that her husband having a mistress meant she was a failure. Her duties as a traditional Japanese wife were not good enough for him. The third element is we develop self-concept which is how we see ourselves because of how others see us (Henslin, 2011). Kimura saw a negative image in this mirror and because of this was lead to a negative self-concept. She thought she was a failure and thought her husband and culture perceived her that way as well.

Reference

Henslin, J. M. (2009). Essentials of sociology: A down-to-earth approach (8th ed.).

Boston, MA: Pearson. Elise Schmidt Learning Plan 3 Case Study Online Sociology 6

LP 3 Culture and Socialization Application Scoring Guide

Scoring Standard 5points - Criterion is met in an outstanding way. Outstanding work is informative, clear, thoughtful, thorough, specific, accurate, relevant, consistent, detailed, precise, logical, fluent, purposeful, and valid. Complex course content is accurately applied, analyzed, synthesized and/or evaluated in a coherent, yet concise manner. Overall impression is "Wow!"

4 points - Criterion is met in an acceptable way. Acceptable work is characterized by minor errors, flaws, or omissions. Overall impression is "Good job."

3 points - Criterion is met in an adequate way. Adequate work shows understanding, comprehension and/or application but at a superficial level. Work is characterized by minimal or generalized supporting details, errors, flaws, omissions of information, inconsistency, lack of fluency, disjointed information, and/or information that is irrelevant, invalid, or inaccurate. Response may lack clarity or purpose. Overall impression is "Adequate job."

2 points - Criterion is substandard and needs improvement. Substandard work is characterized by inconsistency, rambling, weak or no development of ideas, errors, missing and/or inaccurate information, failure to adequately apply course content or to show understanding/comprehension of course content. Response is unclear, or not relevant, valid or logical. Overall impression is "Off the mark!"

0 points - Criterion is not addressed.

Scoring Guide Criteria Ratings 1. You apply concepts and theories about culture. 5 4 3 2 0 2. You analyze behaviors which emanate from differing cultural 5 4 3 2 0 systems. 3. You differentiate between ideal and real culture. 5 4 3 2 0 4. You differentiate between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. 5 4 3 2 0 5. You differentiate between laws and cultural norms. 5 4 3 2 0 6. You analyze the consequences resulting from internalized 5 4 3 2 0 values and norms. 7. You illustrate the relationship between culture and socialization. 5 4 3 2 0 8. You acknowledge challenges faced by immigrants living in a 5 4 3 2 0 culture different from their internalized culture. 9. You evaluate challenges and opportunities in adapting to a 5 4 3 2 0 culture different from one's own. 10. You evaluate challenges and opportunities in living in a 5 4 3 2 0 culturally diverse environment. CORE ABILITIES - COMMUNICATE CLEARLY CORE ABILITIES - COMMUNICATE CLEARLY 11. You demonstrate mastery of grammar, spelling, punctuation, 5 4 3 2 0 Elise Schmidt Learning Plan 3 Case Study Online Sociology 7 capitalization, word usage and sentence structure. 12. Your writing is organized (paragraphs, headings and 5 4 3 2 0 subheadings, or other organizational devices), clear (it's easy to read and understand), concise (you use action verbs; you do not ramble or include irrelevant information), and cohesive (words and ideas flow logically from one idea, sentence and/or paragraph to another). 13. CORE ABILITIES - THINK CRITICALLY AND CREATIVELY CORE ABILITIES - THINK CRITICALLY AND CREATIVELY 14. You use language that is free from bias (including loaded 5 4 3 2 0 language), obscenities, and absolutes (all, always, everyone, no one, totally, all of the time, etc.). 15. You use valid, credible, and reliable sources of information 5 4 3 2 0 while avoiding confirmation bias in your selection of sources. 16. You provide sufficient, specific, valid, relevant support (i.e., 5 4 3 2 0 facts. reasons, examples, details, statistics, anecdotes and quotes) to aid in understanding your ideas and information, and to support your conclusions and/or opinions. 17. Your work exemplifies critical thinking standards: clarity, 5 4 3 2 0 accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, logic, significance, and validity. 18. CORE ABILITIES - ACT RESPONSIBLY CORE ABILITIES - ACT RESPONSIBLY 19. You provide APA formatted in-text citations and references to 5 4 3 2 0 document your sources of information. (NOTE: Using ideas or information that are not your own without documentation is plagiarism). 20. You follow directions (followed Formatting Requirements, APA 5 4 3 2 0 Requirements, included name on assignment, saved document per directions). 21. Total Points Possible 90 22. Total Points Earned 23. Percent grade = Total Points Earned divided by Total Points Possible 24. You meet deadlines. (Points subtracted from Points Earned - 5 percentage points if score) submitted after the due date 25. Submitted without scoring guide (Points subtracted from Points - 5 percentage points if Earned score) submitted without the scoring guide 26. Final Grade/Percent 27 You follow directions.