2012

Cross-Cultural Understanding
Social Institutions and Religious Beliefs in America
(This task is made in order to complete the CCUs midterms)

created by : 5th Group

English Department and Student Association

7/15/2012

Cross-Cultural Understanding
Social Institutions and Religious Beliefs in America

Created by Group :

Yesicha Ryona (A1B011041) Septa Rizka Emilda (A1B011011) Devi Yusfita (A1B011014) Elsa Ismiyanti (A1B011019) Yuyun Wirahadi Sasmita (A1B011051)

English Department and Student Association

University of Bengkulu 2012

4 CONTENTS
COVER ABOUT OUR GROUP CONTENTS CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

1 2 3

CHAPTER II
DATA ANALYSIS 6

CHAPTER III
CONCLUSION 14

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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6 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Robert Khols about Survival Kit for Overseas Living, we take two topics in such as Social Institutions and Religion Beliefs in American Culture. In the English language, the Americas refers to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, whereas America, in current usage, usually refers to the United States of America. America is divides by two parts of place, North and South of America. America as the biggest power of the world, course has many cultures in it. As well as we know, almost all of the world cultures were born from America. Thats why America has many heritages for this world. In addition, many works have been published in the United States concerning cross-cultural behavior. How people of other cultures view the Americans, and what they notice as different, disturbing, and inappropriate has seldom been addressed. Now is a particularly sensitive moment in time. Following the September 11th terrorist attacks, the question has been raised: Why do they hate American? The answer is not about hatred, but it is especially about the American ways of doing things and their interpretations of other countries.

ccording to American Heritage Dictionary, culture is defined as the arts, beliefs, customs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought created by a people or group at particular time. Based on writing of

In this paper, we are going to discuss about Social Institutions and Religion Beliefs of American. We know this paper is not perfect. Therefore, we ask critics and suggestions from readers for our paper. Happy reading.

Bengkulu, 16th on July 2012 5th Group

8 CHAPTER II
DATA ANALYSIS
2008 est.), with 42,549,000 km2 from North to South America. It makes the Great America should have many social institutions and religious beliefs there. Now, our discussion will be divided into two parts: Social Institutions of American, and Religious Beliefs in American.

ocial institutions and Religious Beliefs cant be separated from American Culture. Why? Because America is the mother of all institutions and religious in this world, beside of Europe. America has many populations in it, about 910,720,588 (July

a. SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS OF AMERICAN

Based on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the term social institution is somewhat unclear both in ordinary language and in the philosophical literature (see below). However, contemporary sociology is somewhat more consistent in its use of the term. Typically, contemporary sociologists use the term to refer to complex social forms that reproduce themselves such as governments, the family, human languages, universities, hospitals, business

corporations, and legal systems. A typical definition is that proffered by Jonathan Turner (Turner 1997: 6): a c omplex of positions, roles, norms and values lodged in particular types of social structures and organising relatively stable patterns of human activity with respect to fundamental problems in producing life-sustaining resources, in reproducing individuals, and in sustaining viable societal structures within a given environment. Again, Anthony Giddens says (Giddens 1984: 24): Institutions by definition are the more enduring features of social life.

1.

Accounts of Social

Institutions
Any account of social institutions must begin by informally marking off social institutions from other social forms. Unfortunately, as noted above, in ordinary language the terms institutions and social institutions are used to refer to a miscellany of social forms, including conventions, rules, rituals, organizations, and systems of organizations.

2. The Collective Acceptance Theory of Institutions

Both collective acceptance and teleological accounts of social action in general, and of social institutions in particular, fall within the rationalist, individualist, philosophy of action tradition that has its roots in Aristotle, Hume and Kant and is associated with contemporary analytic philosophers of social action such as Michael Bratman (Bratman 1987), John Searle (Searle 1995) and Raimo Tuomela (Tuomela 2002).

3. A Teleological Account of Institutions

On the teleological account, joint actions consist of the intentional individual actions of a number of agents directed to the realisation of a collective end. Importantly, on the teleological account, a collective endnotwithstanding its nameis a species of individual end; it is an end possessed by each of the individuals involved in the joint action.

4. Agency and Structure

It is convenient to conceive of social institutions as possessed of three dimensions, namely, structure, function and culture. While the structure, function and culture of an institution provide a framework within which individuals act, they do not fully determine the actions of individuals. Moreover, changing circumstances and unforeseeable problems make it desirable to vest individuals with discretionary powers to rethink and adjust old rules, norms, and ends, and sometimes elaborate new ones.

5. Social Institutions and Distributive Justice

Justice is an important aspect of many, if not all, social institutions. Market

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economies, salary and wage structures, tax systems, judicial systems, prisons, and so on are all in part to be evaluated in terms of their compliance with principles of justice. Here it is important to distinguish the concept of justice from, on the one hand, the related concept of a rightespecially a human rightand from goods, such as wellbeing and utility, on the other hand. Self-evidently, well-being is not the same thing as justice. However, there is a tendency to conflate justice and rights. And now, well see about social institutions in American. What are three major social institutions in America? How do they impact communities, families and individuals?
From a source of American Life Study, there is explained that some major social institutions in America are Schools

(Education), Workplace, Family, Political, Religion, and Economy. They think that communities, families, and individuals are more so effected by these social institutions rather than them effecting the community. Each social institution is connected. The Economy is a major player. Communities, Families and individuals all depend on a stable economy to afford daily living. Now that the economy has reached an all time low people are drastically effected. Families cannot afford mortgages, bills, food etc. If the economy is bad communities cannot support a higher living standard. That's where education comes into play. If communities cannot afford good school systems then families and individuals are effected. Impoverished communities have lower standards because no one will support the growth and production of these areas. The elite are the only class benefiting in America. As for religion, this is a way for communities, families and individuals to share a bond. Religion keeps people going, it provides a faith and belief that there is something better out there. It also helps communities, families and individuals stay out of trouble.

How Do They Influence and Affect Individuals???

(Macionis, 1998, p. 439) Some examples of the major social institutions that exist in the United States are organized religious meeting places such as churches, mosques, chapels, temples, etc and also schools, as well as the media. Of course, there are more than what is mentioned above such as the

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workplace, prison, government, as well as family and the list goes on. Basically, any place or group that comes together with a common goal or need, that involves interacting and socializing within some sort of structure, as well as also providing a support system for individuals as they struggle to become members of a larger social network. (Silverblatt, 2004) Today in the United States as well as other countries, house many various social institutions. A social institution is an organized sphere of social life, or societal subsystem designed to meet human needs. Religious gatherings and meeting places for example followers, share the same faith and meet in at a prescribe location to profess or display their structure of belief. After or even during ceremonies people interact and socialize with one another, knowing that their faith has pretty much brought them together to exercise their common beliefs and so forth. Schools on the other hand is an example of a social institution where students share the common goal of learning more, and in the end gain a diploma, certification or degree, depending on the classes and level of education the students are enrolled in. As far as the Media goes, it is a much broader spectrum, in which it involves many modes of message delivery such as television, internet, physical periodicals, radio, and so forth. So how is media a social institution? The Media is a social institution in the respect that it contributes numerous amounts of ways for people to interact according to their interest. For example, the choice of which television programs you watch.

The next day or that night, you may discuss the episode with someone else you know who watches it as well, or even choose to post on a discussion board that is dedicated to

the program. Where you shop or what you buy are also other media-advertised activities that bring people together who share common interest. People whom are categorized by their interest, and needs form markets.

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b. RELIGIOUS BELIEFS OF AMERICAN

America as a great united and nation, has many religious beliefs. Of course, from some sources that we have got, they explain it differently each other. it's because of Americans have a lot of people and populations that are not settled even nomadic.

The most prevalent faiths in the Americas are as follows:

Christianity (North America: 85 percent;

South America: 93 percent)

o

Roman Catholicism (practiced

by 88 percent of the Mexican population; approximately 74 percent of the population of Brazil, whose Roman Catholic population of 182 million is the greatest of any nation's; approximately 24 percent of the United States' population; and more than 40 percent of all of Canadians)
o

Protestantism (practiced mostly in the United States, where half of the population are Protestant, and Canada, with slightly more than a quarter of the population; there is a growing contingent of Evangelical and Pentecostal movements in predominantly Catholic Latin America)

Eastern Orthodoxy (found mostly in the United States and Canada1 percent of the U.S. citizenry; this Christian group is growing faster than many other Christian groups in Canada and now represents roughly 3 percent of the Canadian population)

Non-denominational Christians and other Christians (some 1,000 different Christian denominations and sects practiced in the Americas)

Irreligion (includes atheists and agnostics, as well as those who profess some form of spirituality but do not identify themselves as members of any organized religion)

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Islam (practiced by 2 percent of Canadians [580,000

persons] and 0.6 percent of the U.S. population persons).

[1,820,000

Together, Muslims constitute about 1 percent of the North American population and 0.3 percent of all Latin

Americans. Argentina has the largest Muslim population in Latin America with up to 600,000 persons, or 1.9 percent of the population)

Judaism (practiced by 2 percent of North Americansapproximately 2.5 percent of the U.S. population and 1.2 percent of Canadiansand 0.23 percent of Latin AmericansArgentina has the largest Jewish population in Latin America with 200,000 members)

Other faiths include Sikhism; Buddhism; Hinduism; Bah'; a wide variety of indigenous religions, many of which can be categorized as animistic; new age religions and many African and African-derived religions. Syncretic faiths can also be found throughout the continent.

The overwhelming majority of the people are Christian. Catholicism is the largest single of denomination, all but

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the

Protestants (Baptist,

denominations Lutheran,

Methodist,

Presbyterian, and others) outnumber Catholics. Judaism is the largest nonChristian faith, followed by Islam, which has a significant African-

American

following.

Baptism,

largest Protestant sect, originated in Europe but grew exponentially in the United States, especially in the South, among both whites and blacks. Aside from the many Christian movements from England and Europe that

reestablished themselves early in the nation's history, a few religious sects arose independently in the United States, including Mormons and Shakers. Although religion and the state are formally separated, religious expression is an important aspect of public and political life. Nearly every President has professed some variety of Christian faith. One of the most significant religious trends in recent years has been the rise of evangelical and fundamentalist sects of Christianity. As an organized political-religious force, fundamentalist Christians significantly influence political agendas. Another trend is the growth in New Age religions, which blend elements of Eastern religions and practices, such as Buddhism, with meditation, yoga, astrology, and Native American spirituality. Religious Practitioners. In addition to the practitioners of world religions such as priests, ministers, and rabbis, the United States has a tradition of nonordained and nontraditional religious practitioners. These people include evangelical lay preachers, religious leaders associated with New Age religions, and leaders of religious movements

designated as cults. Women are increasingly entering traditionally male religious positions. There are now women ministers in many Protestant denominations and women rabbis.

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Rituals and Holy Places. The country does not have religious rituals or designated holy places that have meaning to the population as a whole. However, Salt Lake City is a holy city for Mormons, and the Black Hills of South Dakota and other places are sacred native American sites. There are many shared secular rituals and places that have an almost religious

importance. Secular rituals include baseball and football games. Championship games in these sports, the World Series and the Super Bowl, respectively, constitute major annual events and celebrations. Important places include Disneyland, Hollywood, and Graceland (Elvis Presley's estate). Death and the Afterlife. Americans have an uncomfortable relationship with their own mortality. Although most residents are Christian, the value placed on youth, vigor, and worldly goods is so great that death is one of the most difficult subjects to talk about. Death is considered a sad and solemn occasion. At funerals, it is customary to wear black and to speak in hushed tones. Graveyards are solemn and quiet places. Some people believe in an afterlife or in reincarnation or other form of continuity of energy or spirit.

16 CHAPTER III
CONCLUSION

rom the discussions, we can take a conclusion about Social Institutions and Religion Beliefs in American Culture that some major Social Institutions
in America are Schools (Education), Workplace, Family, Political, Religion, and

Economy. They think that communities, families, and individuals are more so effected by these social institutions rather than them effecting the community. Each social institution is connected. The Economy is a major player.

Today in the United States as well as other countries, house many various social institutions. A social institution is an organized sphere of social life, or societal subsystem designed to meet human needs. And for Religious Beliefs, Americans have many religions such as : Christianity: (59.9% to 78.4%) Unaffiliated, including atheist or agnostic (15.0% to 37.3%) Judaism (1.2% to 2.2%) Islam (0.6%) Buddhism (0.5% to 0.9%) Hinduism (0.4%) Other (1.2% to 1.4%)

17 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Rector, Monica. 2008. Cross-Cultural Understanding: The American Ghost. University of North Carolina: Chapel Hill Baylor University. 2011. The Values and Beliefs of The American Public. Wave III Baylor Religion Survey

Internet Resources :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/social-institutions/ http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/United-States-of-America.html http://atheism.about.com/od/religioninamerica/American_Religion_Religious_Groups_ History_Beliefs_in_America.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091130075921AA2gh4a http://socyberty.com/sociology/social-institutions-how-do-they-influence-and-affectindividuals/