The first six weeks of the semester revealed many new perspectives and several different topics. Notable topics covered include: ethnicity, nation, and religion. I have found that these topics generate the most interest and have the greatest synergy between the topics presented. Ethnicity was the first big idea discussed in class. It was a particularly fortunate topic for me, as I had just completed an anthropology course that helped me shape my thoughts on the topic. Ethnicity is often used to organize and label other people. Other people. These labels help categorize others. Emphasize the differences between people. It has been used for many sordid actions such as race-based social classes, also known as “ethnic classes”. These “ethnic classes” cause unsightly discrimination between those based not on merit, but rather on appearance. Using ethnicity to label others creates an “us versus them” mentality. This mentality can lead to many cruel and discriminatory actions being justified. That's not to say that ethnicity doesn't ...