Team Name: Ordinary People

Compelling Question: How do American & Chinese students view and accept each other across cultures?
Students Researching Claim #1: Jesus Cruz & Meio
Claim 1: Americans have different perspectives on what beauty is compared to what Chinese think beauty is.
Evidence: Beauty can be asserted to be an external and internal form of character. When a person hears the word beautiful, someone may think of a person who is
funny, good-looking, strong, independent with life-stopping eyes and a perfect meaningful smile. In the U.S., there is no specific look that should cause a person to
qualify as beautiful. However, the U.S. media glorifies beauty as being skinny, light-skinned, blonde and resembling a Barbie. In China, beauty is looked upon
through similar aspects as the U.S. In China, there is a similar kind of pressure to be beautiful, for example, for a woman it is preferred to be very skinny (size 0-2),
with large eyes, and pale skin. In American and Chinese culture the idea of beauty is influenced by the surrounding environment and ideals of different media and
pop culture. In order to evaluate the ideal of beauty across cultures, it is valuable to discuss each others' perspectives. Regardless of what society tells us is
beautiful; it is up to us as a society and individuals to determine what beauty is to us.Throughout our study, we found that our opinions were slightly different on what
is beautiful from the outside--but could agree that the inner parts of someone's beauty were very similar. Comparatively, we considered each others ideas on beauty
and compared them to our own. However, we discovered most people think of beauty superficially versus inward beauty. Throughout this process we have
determined outward beauty is under great scrutiny by the media across cultures; yet, what is accepted as intrinsic beauty translates across cultures.
Students Researching Claim #2: Asiyah Ahmad & Uriel
Claim 2: In Chinese culture it is less common to have an interracial relationship. In American culture, interracial relationships are more accepted.
Evidence: In Chinese culture it is less common to have an interracial relationship than in American culture. The main reasons are the difference in living conditions
and diverse culture. In America, we have an influx of immigrants from across the globe bringing forth many different races and ethnicities. Interracial relationships are
more common due to a blending of cultures and ideas. However, in China, because the base number of Chinese population is very high; interracial relationships are
rare. Many elder and rural Chinese people are not interested in interracial relationships whatsoever. Earlier in time, under Lu Chans rule, there was a law banning
interracial marriage. Americans have more freedom than Chinese people when selecting their mate. For example, in China, it is common for several generations to
live together under one roof. After marriage, a woman traditionally leaves her parents' home and becomes part of her husband's family. But Americans are much
different, they advocate liberty and pay attention to their privacies, including dating practices as well. Some Chinese tend to have a problem with how liberal the
American culture is. Similarly, the ban on interracial marriage in earlier China, weve had restrictions and experienced prejudice during earlier eras of history which
has caused interracial relationships in America to not always be readily accepted. Despite past prejudice in America, interracial relationships are more present and
can often be seen in modern tv shows and advertisements (such as, a recent advertisement for Cheerios). Although interracial relationships are more widely
accepted in America, this does not mean that racial prejudice and backlash does not exist from some Americans toward interracial couples. However, through our
research it seems as though due to a large amount of diverse populations in America, interracial relationships remain more common and acceptable in America than
in China.
Students Researching Claim #3: Juan Duran & Richard
Claim 3: There are more stereotypes toward minorities in China than there are in America because of the diversity in America.
Evidence: In the United States there is a wide variety of diversity; such as: Caucasians, African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and many more races. With there
being so much diversity in America, there are a lot of different stereotypes that have arisen amongst Americans, as well as, about people of other countries also.
According to an article entitled, Social Psychology written by Carrie Foster, A stereotype is a fixed, over-generalized belief about a particular group or class of
people and they can be either positive or negative. A stereotype can simplify the process of what to expect when meeting a new person; such as, being aware of
social norms of being polite. While some stereotypes can be positive; the majority are negative. Similar to how people in China see many Americans in the media
(for example: movies portray races negatively and offensively like African-Americans/Hispanics being portrayed as bad, thug-like characters or the vision of high
schools being filled with bullies and drugs). These stereotypes are as common as they are not true but its understandable since the media has a big influence in
daily life and views of people in America and around the world. The media also affects how we see Chinese in the same ways with Chinese people being
extraordinarily good at school in subjects like math, physics, and chemistry. Even though these stereotypes exist now; in time, the amount of diversity and
acceptance around the people will reduce bad stereotypes and either bring positive ones or get rid of stereotypes all together.

References (APA Citation)

China. (n.d.). Retrieved from Every Culture website: http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/China.html
Dawson, K. C. (2013, June 29). Changing Times: Interracial Marriages. China Daily. Retrieved from
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/us/2013-06/29/content_16685433.htm
Demographics of the United States. (n.d.). In . Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States
Foster, C. (2013, November 4). Social Psychology: Stereotyping and Prejudice [Social Psychology Journal]. Retrieved from Organisation Development:
http://organisationdevelopment.org/social-psychology-stereotyping-and-prejudice/
Kangkai. (2003, November 4). Chinese Stereotypes of Americans [Online forum post]. Retrieved from Chinese-Forums:
http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/370-chinese-sterotypes-of-americans/
Schiavenza, M. (2014, December 5). What are some common stereotypes about Chinese people that are largely untrue? [Online forum post]. Retrieved from Quora:
http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-common-stereotypes-about-Chinese-people-that-are-largely-untrue

The Definition of Beauty in China [Web log post]. (2010, March 31). Retrieved from Life Behind the Wall:
https://lifebehindthewall.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/the-definition-of-a-beauty-in-china/

The Pressure to be Beautiful in Asia-China. (n.d.). Retrieved from The Circular website: http://thecircular.org/the-pressures-to-be-beautiful-in-asia-china/