Artifact 3: 

The artifact I found most interesting amongst the ones in Modules 11 to 14 was the one in Module 14. I found it interesting because I’ve always been told that I’m a generally very happy person and have been described often as bubbly, joyful, positive, and cheerful. While many people in my life, especially those closest to me, would agree with those sentiments, I often times just think about whether my happiness is average to any other person or if I’m happier than the average person. Completing the survey in this artifact, I scored a 6.5 out of 7, which is exponentially higher than what is reported to be the average for college students my age, which is 4.5 to 5.5. But I don’t believe this survey can be the end-all be-all for measuring how truly happy someone is. I think the statements are vague enough to allow the person to reflect on their happiness overall throughout their life, but I feel that in order for someone to most accurately gauge their happiness, they would need to complete a more in-depth, thorough survey that contains detailed statements or questions to rank their answers on. What I learned from this activity is that, according to this survey, I am in fact happier than most people, which explains why so many people note my cheerfulness upon meeting and knowing me.

The image I chose below is one of the character, Joy, from the Disney/Pixar movie, Inside Out. The reason I chose this image is because seeing that I scored a 6.5 out of 7, this is how I feel other people see me. This is also what I thought of when I saw my score and reflected on the fact that many people have commented on my joyfulness.

https://www.charactour.com/hub/characters/view/Joy.Inside-Out

Artifact 2: 

The artifact I found most intriguing was the Module 8 archive. This artifact was interesting to me because as you’re completing the activity, it makes you reflect on how harmful these stereotypes are to each ethnic/racial group. To my surprise, many of the adjectives I selected did not match the ones from the Katz and Braly or Gilbert surveys. It’s important to note this because these survey’s were completed in 1933 and 1951, respectively. Since then until now, 2022, society’s attitude towards the ethnic and racial groups mentioned have changed drastically due to increased tolerance and a decrease in racial bias throughout the years. The artifact provides a great opportunity to reflect on negative biases we have when we think of a specific racial or ethnic group and why we may have those biases. It further convinces me that we are not done working towards racial equality because we continue to maintain some negative judgements about each other that we don’t realize until we’re forced to say them out loud.

For example, the two adjectives I used to describe Black people were artistic and family-oriented, which is a stark difference from the Katz and Braly survey, which described them as superstitious and lazy. And while we are doing better at seeing the good in people as opposed to the bad, within the artifact, the reader is suggested to reflect on how stereotypes of Black people are still primarily negative. The artifact then mentions a study conducted in 1995 that stated how “although the black stereotype has changed over the years (from superstitious, lazy, happy-go-lucky, ignorant, and musical to athletic, rhythmic, low in intelligence, lazy, poor, loud, and criminal), the black stereotype is still largely negative. However, when students were asked to indicate their personal beliefs, the black stereotype has become more positive.” The last sentence shows that the younger generations are doing better than their predecessors, but the work if far from being finished.

https://www.pngitem.com/middle/xiimmi_puerto-rico-word-art-hd-png-download/

Above is a word cloud about Puerto Rico. The artifact suggested finding or creating a word cloud that represents where the reader is from.

Artifact 1: 

The artifact that engaged me most was the Module 6 artifact, The Self Across Situations. I liked this artifact the most because it allows for a moment of self-reflection, something I do somewhat often but in different ways. In this activity, I wrote down five characteristics that I personally possess and monitored myself through the span of one week. In this week, I recorded five different situations I experienced in which I strongly exemplified each characteristic I stated to possess.

The purpose of the activity was to record how consistently or inconsistently I behaved in a variety of situations in conjunction to the characteristics recorded. What I found throughout the activity is how consistently I behave in similar situations, on multiple occasions. What I learned is how predictable humans can be, given that we are creatures of habit. But I also learned how doing an activity like this can make you aware of how you might perceive yourself versus how you actually are. Below, I included a photo of the characters from the Disney movie, Inside Out. The reason why I chose this image is because the artifact required one to be conscious of their emotions in different scenarios, which can result in moods wildly different from each other. Often times, personal characteristics go hand-in-hand with the emotions we feel as well.

Image Source: https://screenrant.com/inside-out-disney-pixar-smartest-characters/