Cultures and Co-Cultures: A College StudentYour new coworker, Sarah, is a twenty-something college student who was born in England but has lived in Texas since she was a teenager. Both her parents are from England, and they immigrated to the United States when Sarah was twelve years old. Every summer Sarah visits London to see her grandparents and other family members. She works part-time at a local restaurant that caters to the college crowd. Currently, she's attending college full-time and enjoys the music scene around campus. Sarah plays several instruments and is a member of an all-girl band. Which of the following co-cultures did Sarah choose? A. restaurant workersB. college studentsC. band membersD. All of these are choices.

The answer is D. All of these are choices.

Explanation:

A co-culture can be defined as a group that presents values, beliefs, or behaviors which distinguish it from the broader culture. A co-culture is a part of the larger culture and presents many aspects in common with it. Imagine it as if a culture is a large circle and inside it there are several mini circles. They overlap with their neighboring circles, and they are all part of the bigger circle.

Some co-cultures can be chosen by us, others can't. In Sarah's case, being born in English was not something she could choose. Living in Texas was probably not something she could have a say in either, since she was too young. She could, however, choose to work at a restaurant, to go to college, to be a member of a band. These are groups, co-cultures, that she was most likely not forced to accept, but became a part of her life because she wanted it to be so. She could also, at any time, choose not to be a part of them anymore.