Example Of Other Details: Essay

One often hears the phrase “it runs in the blood” with reference to certain behavioral or physical characteristics. In the story “A pair of Tickets”, the author Any Tan tells the story of the author’s real life visit to her home land China. She claims that although she was not raised in China, the moment she set foot on Chinese soil she became Chinese. She says, "Once you are born Chinese, you cannot help but feel and think Chinese". These claims suggest that ethnicity is hereditary.
Inspired by the story “A Pair of Tickets”, this research proposes to examine the concept of ethnicity as it relates to genetics. Tan says in her story, "I saw myself transforming like a werewolf, a mutant tag of DNA suddenly triggered" (Tan, 267). The feelings conveyed by the author allude to the fact that although an individual may be born and raised away from his homeland, he still belongs to and identifies with the culture of the homeland. This poses the question of whether ethnicity and culture are genetic. Are they inherited by a child from his parents or are they a result of being brought up by the family?
Through this research we propose to understand whether the concept of “being Chinese” is a result of genetics or upbringing. For this purpose, we have identified some sources which are listed in the Reference section. Through this research, we hope to prove that ethnic identity is a result of upbringing rather than genetics. In our paper, we first propose to define ethnicity followed by a description of genetic inheritance. We will then find past research on both genetics and ethnic identity. We propose to present a review of literature and based on the data, conclude whether ethnic identity is a result of upbringing or genetics and what part each factor plays in shaping the identity. It is likely that in the process of our research we may identify some other factors that shape ethnic identity. We will acknowledge these factors and give due credit to them.
Research Question: Is ethnic identity a result of upbringing rather than genetics?

References

MacDonald (2001), An Integrative Evolutionary Perspective on Ethnicity by Kevin MacDonald Politics and the Life Sciences March 2001 67 Retrieved From www.csulb.edu/~kmacd/PLS2001-3-067.pdf
Weber et.al. (2011), Genetics, Personality, and Group Identity Christopher Weber, Louisiana State University Martin Johnson, University of California, Riverside Kevin Arceneaux, Temple University SOCIAL SCIENCE QUARTERLY, Volume 92, Number 5, December 2011 C 2011 by the Southwestern Social Science Association DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2011.00820.x Retrieved From www.aging.wisc.edu/midus/findings/pdfs/1189.pdf