Cultural Reflection

It doesn’t matter what kind of ethnicity you are, or how you were brought up. Everyone is deeply rooted in their own culture. “Culture” has a different meaning to everyone. Comparing American culture to Chinese culture we will find many different meanings to the word “culture”. For example, we Americans are always looking for something bigger and better for our future, and the Chinese are content with a small reserved lifestyle with no intentions of changing it for something bigger. A culture is a way of life of a group of people-the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and are passed along by communication and imitation from

Take a moment to think about the following question: what is culture? Culture is everything a person does, believes in, creates, came from, and has done. It is also so much more than this simple list, but this is a good idea of what it generally is. Culture affects a lot of things as well. It can affect what you do, how you do certain things, and how you see things comparison to others. Culture is a major factor in how people perceive the world and those around them. Everybody sees the world differently through their cultural glasses. Some people see things as foreign and confusing, while others see the same things as daily life. The idea of different cultural viewpoints is shown in many articles throughout the years. Each of these stories

Culture is very important to many individuals in this world. It plays key parts in a vast amount of people’s lives. While some may follow everything to do with their culture, your culture doesn’t have to affect your life. You can still choose to have your own personal views, or to follow your accustomed culture. People will all view everything differently depending on who they are, what cultural background they have, and what scenario they’re in.

Culture is defined as customary beliefs and behaviors of a specific social group and traditions and rituals become a part of everyday living (Miller, 2007). In today’s modern world there are still customs that are passed down from one generation to the next generation. In American culture as well as Japanese culture the role of women has evolved to present day.

The cultural assignment allowed me to gain a new perspective on the differences of others. I have grown up in a household of dissimilar belief systems. My mom is a dedicated Christian while my dad is unassociated with any religious beliefs. Though, he grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness. There differing belief systems have been the cause of various conflicts within their relationship. I often wondered if people with contradicting beliefs could effectively and peacefully discuss their belief systems. This cultural experience showed me that a peaceful discussion is possible between individuals of dissimilar beliefs.

I was born as a bicultural child to a German mother and an Arabic father. When I was a child, I had spent the first three years of my life in Iraq. When I came back to Germany, I faced the challenges of isolation. I remember that my overall language development as a young child was delayed since I spoke Arabic as my primary language at home. I did not look like the rest of the German children, nor could I talk like them. These differences made me insecure and shy, with very little self-confidence; as a result, I felt isolated. When I was about four years old, my life changed for the better, because my mother enrolled me in a Kindergarten in my community. I believed that I was in a secure, safe, and nurturing environment, because there were other children of different cultural backgrounds whom I could relate to. I was finally able to play and to engage with them. My Kindergarten teacher made sure that I felt welcomed and included. Today I know that being able to play was an important vehicle for my social, emotional, and cognitive development.

One of the best definitions I found of culture is “Socially transmitted patterns of action and expression.” It wasn't written by a professor, nor an artist, just your average joe. That's the kind of definition I aimed for. Because your culture isn't something you memorize, its what you build out of your life. Although some things are learned and memorized, 99% of your personal culture is what you experience every day in life. Personally, I identify as a bisexual half Asian, half White 5’½” tall (yes, my doctor really did tell me I'm 5 feet and a half an inch tall) girl. I chose to identify this way because that's simply who I am. I’m different, I like girls, my dad is an English Chinese man and my mom is a pale white woman who created a daughter with a little bit of both. I'm proud of how I identify and if anyone has a problem with it, well it's a good thing they aren't me. I'm someone who has been deeply impacted by my family, my friends and my sports. I am going to warn you now, this will be a lot different than my actual presentation because I felt unprepared during that and did not put emphasis on the correct cultural impacts and honestly regret not doing so.

1. Culture is perceived as a way of thinking that influences the behaviors of a group of people.

I have seen this video a few times and my initial reaction was not this documentary again. After watching this video again, I remembered the importance of it. For me, it is an eye opener because every time I watch it I am in awe of this conversation being more than 20 years old and still relatable to today. I also think it would be valuable to film another documentary like this again today to see what changes have been made in our society. I felt that this documentary lines up with the section we are reading for class currently. I would love to be a part of a documentary like this and think it would be beneficial to also have women in the group.

Culture is something that shapes someone’s mindset and beliefs, which in turn affects the way someone views others and the world. Culture is present in society and in our lives day in and day out. Culture affects how we act, the things we say, the way we dress, and how we live our lives. Everyone’s cultural identity is unique to them, and it is usually based off of what they are surrounded by growing up, and how the people that they surround themselves with choose to act.

There comes a point in everyone’s lives when they shift out of their comfort zone and must familiarize themselves to new cultures and socializations. For my example, it includes sharing my experience of moving from Peru, Indiana to Indianapolis for college this past year. The different ideas of socialization include social structural and social conflict and ideas of culture like idea stuff and actual stuff. I have gone through the socialization process and been culturized to a new community moving to college and learning how to adapt to the experience by; living next to the LBGTQ+ community, take care of myself, and exposed to a more politically diverse environment than where I grew up.

I started this lesson off by activating their prior knowledge by bringing up the activity I had them do on Wednesday. This activity was for the students to write about a place they would love to travel to and to provide three reasons why they wanted to travel there. I allowed three people to share their responses. After listening to their responses, I used this opportunity to help them identify/explain what an opinion was. I prompted the students by asking them “why didn’t we all choose the same place to travel too?” this question allowed students to really think about why each person’s answer was different. Next, I asked the class what is an opinion? I asked them this question to see if my students understood what an opinion was and if they had any prior knowledge of this term. After the students explained what an opinion was I then provided them with the definition of an opinion and an example. Next, I asked them “why didn’t we just simply say I want to go to California?”. I used this question to help the class understand why opinions needed to be supported by reasons. After the students shared their response I then asked the class “why do opinions have to be supported by reasons?” The class then explained that without reasons we would all wonder why this person would want to travel to California over another state. After, I explained to them why opinions needed to be supported by reasons. After, my explanation introduced my lesson about immigrants in America at the turn

When I started this semester I came into the classroom with a few preconceived assumptions. I assumed that I would be learn little more as I thought that I was already well versed in what diversity meant. This idea was not because I had taken formal classes on it as I am a Biology major and as a result only took a couple of classes concerning sociology or any other classes that would approach the material taught in a class titled ‘The Role of Cultural Diversity in Schooling’. Rather this assumption was based on my own identity as part of a minority. My family is Mexican. I am Mexican, having been born in Mexico. I’d seen and experienced first hand what it meant to be part of the minority. I knew, before I stepped into the classroom, I’d likely be the only Latino in the classroom, something that I predicted based on the demographics I had seen in EDUC 350 and EDUC 422. However my assumption was incorrect.

Each and every one of our multicultural journeys toward cultural competence is overwhelmingly diverse. The personal identities that every human being represents are a unique way of displaying how understanding cultural diversity is essential. The multicultural aspect expresses how society contains distinct cultural and ethnic groups that live alongside one another. These groups may also display distinct behaviors, morals, values, language and more. With that in mind, becoming aware of our personal worldviews and false assumptions about human behavior can lead to the elimination of biases and the opportunity to become culturally competent. Understanding and being open-minded to culture differences is essential to me. Not only as a professional health practitioner, but more so as an individual who was raised in an African culture. I learned how to function within my culture norm as it pertained to spirituality, striving for social justice and learning how to be open-minded toward other cultures as I continue to advocate for my own.

Friends, family, and location have all shaped my culture. I am a Southern, white, Christian female from Simpsonville, South Carolina. My parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents are all from the South. Therefore, race and diversity have always been prevalent in my household. I have heard the good, bad, and ugly. Regardless, I have drawn the conclusion that no matter race or culture everyone is different and should be accepted for their differences.