Cultural Reflection

In pages one through twenty-one in the novel Cultural Intelligence: A Guide to Working With People from Other Cultures, by Brooks Peterson, the author introduces us to the basis and idea of culture, and what it truly is. He describes how we as individuals see others and how we tend to acknowledge their distinct cultivations. Part of living in America means coming across individuals who live a different lifestyle than we may live. We are a society filled with people from all over the world. Therefore, it is crucial that we as Americans and as people understand the significance and idea of what culture really is and how it affects different individuals.

One last preliminary question: What is a culture? What do we mean when we talk about a given people's culture? James Axtell has provided a definition of culture that, in many ways, illustrates the problems of grappling with this slippery concept:

Many people have different views on culture and what it includes. I think culture is a mix of many things that become a norm for a group of people over a long period of time. I think that culture is a mix of music, food, traditions, and relationships. Cultures also bring together a group of people who hold the same values and beliefs, an example of this would be any religion. Culture affects all areas of a person’s life as it affects the way they view people, make relationships, make decisions and in general how they live their life. While most cultures have existed for many years, they are not static. Many traditions are held to but there are still changes as more generations are joining and the older ones are passing away.

After this, the students talked to each other and they decided that they enjoy it when the teacher reads to them. The teacher read the book and the students followed along with the reading. When the teacher finished reading, she asked various questions that the students had to answer. The students, had to discuss the question and the answer with their group members. The teacher, asked each group to give their answer and, all the students participated in the activity. They had a good teacher and student relationship. The students respected the teacher and she did an awesome job with the lesson. The teacher, talked to us and, explained that when she creates her lessons she tries her best to incorporate group work and class discussions. Her goal is, that her students are engage in the lesson that she created.

In this week’s lecture notes and text, the topic of discussion is culture, namely the significance of culture and its implications to students today. Culture acts as a pair of goggles and it defines, not only what we see, but the way that we interpret what we see. When working with students, it is important to practice tolerance, appreciation, and acceptance for individual cultural differences. Furthermore, it is important to recognize that some students may have only experienced exposure to their own family’s culture and may be a little close-minded to the way others think and live.

What is the definition of “culture” from lecture ? First, define; then elaborate using other course concepts.

Culture is the many patterns of human behavior such as language, thoughts, communication, actions, customs, beliefs, values, race, ethic, religion, and social groups. After pondering on my definition of culture I came to a conclusion that I fall into three main cultures: Hispanic culture, American culture, and the college student culture. All three are very different but come together so well for me. Although it may not seem that college could have its own culture I will express how my college life fits under its own kind of culture.

This class made me to recognize that culture is an important part of life. When working with people and building a relationship, it helps us to have a better point of view and understanding of their cultures. Having to discover another culture that is not yours is pretty interest because some of the customs can be kind of similar and it's also important to remember how much we have in common. Each culture has an interested culture roots by exploring the values, customs, norms and traditions in and it has is own role of play when it comes to culture. During my career I will start to use culture competence to the people that I’m surrounded in my everyday life. In a professional career this is an important tool to use with other people, I think

So what is culture? As a class we discovered that culture is your behaviors and beliefs of a particular age, social, or ethnic group. This relates to me because I have my own personal beliefs and my behavior reflects on my beliefs. My customs consist of what I personally like to do and what is personally significant to me like how I play basketball and use clothing to show who I am. My ethnicity plays the most huge part of my culture which is the

It is difficult to overstate the importance of culture. Culture is one of the building blocks of life. It provides us with vital parts of of everyday life, like clothing and cuisine. It also serves as a pointer for larger-scale items, such as our heritage, customs, and traditions. Unfortunately as time has passed, certain cultures have faded away. They have been superseded by other cultures, and while the spreading of cultures can be beneficial, it is important to not neglect one’s own culture. This process has seen an increased frequency in recent years, due in part to the expanding globalization in our current world. Personally, culture is one of the main cornerstones of my life. This is partly due to its importance back home. My experiences would be different from the rest of the class, due to the fact I am in the minority of being a foreigner in the United States. Living in Boston showed me the cultural differences in the world, and I was able to use that experience to be able to distinguish between different cultures

During this class, Ministry, Culture, and Contextual Analysis we were instructed to observe a faith tradition unlike our own, to expose ourselves to a cross culture awareness and experience, and interpret what we observe.

Since my Summer semester is coming to an end and I am moving forward with my field, I feel the class has helped me evaluate situations with a deeper meaning and not what meets the eye. With the degree I am majoring in, I will come across a lot of people and since more cultures are coming to the United States I now know what to do if I ever get the chance to assist someone with a different background than me. There were many things I had to learn when I started taking the class one of them was, Religious Diversity, and that was difficult because I do talk about my beliefs and having to take these classes I realized there is nothing wrong with anyone’s belief system (Martin & Nakayama, (2013), p 15). I have learned that we all have a different upbringing and living in today’s society is already hard enough and I need to be open minded because I am their advocate and being able to learn this concept through the semester I feel I am capable of putting my upbringing to the side and learn about their way of life and making sure they have a sense of comfort whenever they need me.

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.

Upon completion of this course, in additional to all of the life experiences I have been involved in over the semester, I have gained valuable insights in regard to my cultural background. While gathering information for the ancestor writing assignment, correspondingly choosing Ikebana as the topic for an occupation evidence paper, I discovered how and why Japanese culture has influenced over my family’s cultural identity. By reason of my mother's side of the family whom resided in Taiwan during and likely before the period between 1895 and 1945, while Taiwan was under Japanese rule and was a dependency of the Empire of Japan. This was a new discovery which, given a fresh perception on my own cultural background as a whole.

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