Through the whole of this course, I have learned various different core concepts and recurring themes. Some vital ones include; social justice/injustice, global sociological imagination, human rights, ethnocentrism, race and racism, and so on. One that I found the most captivating of them all; was the concept of debunking. Debunking is defined as looking at both obvious and surface-level and the less and deeper explanations for social behavior. This concept has been a persistent theme throughout this course. It has helped to unravel meanings below surface level, and to see the familiar in the unfamiliar, and the unfamiliar in the familiar when discussing certain topics.
We have covered varieties of different issues in this course, and the idea of debunking has only improved my understanding of them. Prior to this course, I was unaware of the fact that race does not actually exist, it is a biological myth. I believed race was based on genetics; that people who visually looked similar also were genetically similar. However, I realized that; this was most certainly not the case, as the video “Race: The Power of an Illusion” indicated that our genetics proves that we all are very similar. The only differences there are, are physical ones due to geographic and climate conditions. These geographic and climate conditions for example, can make an Ibo man darker than an English man, just because he is closer to the equator. The only reason these two people become part of either the “Black” or “White” race is due to somebody defining them as that, just by looking at the shade of their skin (this is how racism came into existence). Debunking has allowed me to unlearn my preconceived notions about race.
It has also encouraged me to consider all the possibilities, to look deeper into different situations, and keep an open mind. For example, when looking at a culture that you are not familiar with, debunking enables you to avoid judging before looking beyond the surface-level. It pushes forward the saying “do not judge a book by its cover.” It capacitates looking deeper into the cultures rules, norms, and beliefs. As well as question “why that culture is the way it is,” and “why they do the things they do?”
Debunking is a very crucial concept, which allows one to avoid discriminating. It promotes challenging conventional truths. For example, when I first read Horace Miner’s “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema,” my first reaction was judgmental; I thought these so-called Nacirema people were quite odd and disturbing. However, as I continued to analyze and look deeper into this article I realized these so-called Naciremas were much like us, and that’s when I discovered they were Americans. My reaction clearly depicts that one can be very quick to judge before taking other perspectives in to consideration. In conclusion, I’m glad I enrolled in this course, it was very intriguing, and it taught me important information that I will forever value.
tinarandhawa 