Comparing and Contrasting Culture and Education in Saudi Arabia and The USA - Essay Example

? Comparison and Contrast of the Culture and Education in Saudi Arabia and America Full The thesis of this paper basically discusses the similarities and differences of two countries, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America concerning their culture and education. Some topics to be discussed would be the languages, political systems, ways of life, industry and education, looking more deeply to these qualities and figuring out what makes the two nations different or the same in the aspects mentioned. The discussion on the educational system will be emphasized because this is one of the major factors that really differentiate the two countries and through my observations, it plays a great role not only in the educational system per se but in all aspects of the citizens’ lives. The culture and education in America are greatly different from that of Saudi Arabia as their geographical conditions and people are different. One may instantly identify a Saudi Arabian by his physical features like the color of his skin and hair and so with the American who is distinctly different from the former. Language is also one among the distinctions between the two countries where the Saudis speak Arabic while the Americans speak English with different accents depending on the state they live in. In Saudi, although the schools teach English as one of the major subjects, it is not extensively learned and strictly imposed to the higher levels of learning but is taught only until high school. In contrast, the United States teaches English grammar and uses the language comprehensively in other subjects like Mathematics, Sciences and geography, being the major language of the country. In connection to this, research shows that Saudi has a literacy rate of 78.9 percent while America claims 99 percent, showing how America strongly advocates education. As a Saudi studying in America, I observed how addressing teachers in school show a great difference in the cultures of the two countries where, in Saudi, students are allowed to go out of the classroom only when the teacher permits them to. In this country though, one can freely go out of the classroom without offending the teacher, showing how liberal they are with each other’s attitudes. Attaching the title ‘teacher’ to a teacher’s name is a must to students in Saudi while Americans use Miss, Mrs. or Mr. as titles. University students however can just call their professors by their first names and mostly, they are encouraged by their professors to do so, which in Saudi would be unpleasant to the ears and may be deemed a sign of disrespect so that adaptation has been difficult for me in this area. In addition, I also observed the form of instruction in the schools. American schools are interactive, with the teachers encouraging the students to participate in discussions, arguing about the subject matter and voicing out their minds with the teacher ready to aid them in channeling their thought to the right decisions, which is greatly different in my country where most of the talking comes from the teacher. The students are expected to sit down and listen in return, never challenging, negotiating or discussing the topic whether an individual agrees or disagrees, a student’s duty is to keep his mouth shut. Christianity is the widely embraced religion in America and the government founded its constitution in Christian beliefs. Saudi on the other hand established her laws from Islamic ideologies. Although both religions claim an identical story of creation and trace their ancestry to the same patriarchs, the differentiation would be as the names suggest, between the prophets Muhammad and Christ as well as their teachings. Speaking of government, the form used in Saudi is monarchy with council of ministers and consultative council helping the king in his government affairs. The king’s authority is limited because of the context of his role indicated in the Shari’a and other traditions (U.S. Department of State). America on the other hand, according to Mulligan (2007), has a constitutional federal republican structure of government where the law stands as the basis of political authority and though hierarchical in nature, the many members of the administration function as one. While Saudi has no political parties to vie for the political offices, America has a number of them with the two major parties usually fighting for the coveted presidency, the Democratic and Republican. Saudis are strictly classical until this modern period and even couples are not allowed to attend public events together or work in one place but are separated in consistent observation of the Islamic religious laws. A significant factor affecting this discipline is the religious belief instilled in the Saudis that women are supposed to be submitted to men and can not equally express themselves to be considered of high virtue. Contrary to this, America gives men and women the freedom to attend meetings they want to go to whether private or public and also, are not prohibited to work in the same office. Such liberalization is an evidence of the social priorities of the country and its democratic governance that identifies the American culture from the Saudis. For decades, Saudi has been a dormant mine of oil until the discovery of the treasure in the 1930s which eventually created jobs for the people. Currently, the financial stability of both countries is strong but they rely on different sources. For Saudi, its oil resources are valued highly for its contribution to the country’s economy while America depends more on human resources and innovations. Saudi exports its oil products and in the process imports transportation equipment, clothing and textiles and processed food products to name a few with the United States as one of its major trading partners (U.S. Department of State). Both countries welcome the contributions of foreigners who migrate to these two great countries for greener pasture. Income in the two countries for most foreigners attract them for immigration despite labor difficulties however, America has a greater number of immigrants from a wider scale of immigrants than that of Saudi. Nevertheless, such method indicates a visible global change in most countries not only to the aforementioned nations. Probably, similarities for both countries could be pointed out to their ambitious aspirations of making a great nation out of their respective countries. Empirically, they are creating good foundations for the coming generations through the dynamic and comprehensive efforts of the citizens, though as mentioned earlier, the governments of the two countries are of different forms. This is so because they both cannot deny the fact that the most important among a nation’s resources is its people. Moreover, both acknowledge and enjoy the services they exchange as a part of their trading principles whether in a written contract or not. In addition, media could be found to be a common phenomenon, affecting the countries’ success and legislation through the distribution of highly competent publications not only in the native tongues of both countries but in other languages as well. Legal issues and individual concepts are placed into the assessment of different sectors as the media make available the information released through broadcast or paper. And this is not just for people to express their interpretations of events but in response to the shared belief of a better environment we all could make. Nations could be entirely different but the fact cannot be denied that somehow, we are somewhat related to each other in unique ways. Looking at the data discussed in this paper, one could easily come up with an analysis of the approach a nation could employ in the making of its policies to meet the specific needs of different nations as each are different. A characteristic may be stronger in one nation than the other but this does not mean that the virtue is solely for that particular nation. In conclusion, as each have varied resources, nations should get involved in the exchange of benefits to build a global relationship that allows every nation to survive in this chaotic world. References U.S. Department of State. (2010). Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Background Note: Saudi Arabia. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3584.htm. Mulligan, Hercules. (2007). The Foundation Forum. America’s Form of Government. Retrieved from http://thefoundationforum.com/2007/05/americas-form-of-government.html. Read More