Number 5: Module 13 Archive

I chose this module’s archive as one of my favorites because I found it insightful to examine how happiness and physical health correlate in my culture.  It was also a nice reminder as to what makes me happy and how grateful I am to have these things in my life.  This assignment made me realize how important my physical health is to my happiness.  I realized that I count on the health of my body in order to participate in many of the activities which contribute to the health and happiness of my mind.  I included a picture of myself participating in an activity which brings me an abundance of happiness: hiking.  I chose this image because it highlights the importance of my physical health in completing this activity.  Hiking is generally dependent on my body being in good physical health, and I would not be able to participate in this activity if I did not have my health.

Number 4: Module 12 Archive 

This module’s archive was one of my favorites because it encouraged critical thought into my how my own body language may be affecting my behavior.  Amy Cuddy’s Tedtalk was really intriguing, and I enjoyed learning about her theory as to why our body language may make us feel and act in certain ways.  When listening to her TedTalk, it made me analyze my body language in a way I never had before.  It made me think about how I generally try to close myself off with my body language through holding my shoulders slumped in and crossing my arms or legs when sitting.  Cuddy’s theory would suggest that my body language may be enforcing my anxieties and nervousness.  I included an image which depicts how I normally hold my posture.  After learning more about the expression of body language and non-verbals throughout different cultures, it inspired me to be more perceptive to these cues and understand their possible implications.

Number 3: Module 4 Archive

I found this archive to be extremely interesting.  This archive was early in the semester, and kickstarted my interest in analyzing the difference in different cultural values between Scandinavia and the USA.  I have always been interested in Scandinavian culture because I have relatives all over Scandinavia, and this activity gave me my first opportunity to examine Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and how they differ across cultures.  I included a picture of the bar graph which showcases the scores of USA and Sweden according to Hofstede’s dimensions.  One of the takeaways I found most interesting from this activity was how low Sweden scores on masculinity.  I continued to learn more about how this is expressed in Sweden through their cultural norms for expression.

Number 2: Module 8 Archive

This archive was one of my favorites because it centered around the topic of personality which has always been of special interest to me.  I completed the NEO Inventory for this assignment and had the opportunity to score myself on the five factors of personality included in the assessment.  My results surprised me a bit and it was extremely interesting to analyze why I scored the way I did.  Additionally, this activity gave possible reasons as to why my scores may have been higher or lower than anticipated.  It helped me to reason as to why I scored low on extraversion yet exhibit high levels of warmth and socialization in my professional life.  I included a picture of the textbook which explains which subtraits one may exhibit even when they score low on a certain personality factor.  I highlighted the subtraits I believe I exhibit.

Number 1: Module 9 Archive

I chose this archive as my favorite archive from the semester as this topic is one which came up several times throughout the semester and it was of great interest to me.  This archive focuses on identifying differences in gender norms within different cultures.  For this activity, I had my Swedish friend fill out the form pictured above and compared her answers to mine.  It reinforced my previous knowledge of how gender is expressed in the Swedish culture.  It taught me how Sweden tends to generally view women in a more equal light and prompted further research into this topic.  For Assignment 4 of this class, I was able to examine these two cultures and their expression of gender norms again through the medium of advertisements.  I have really enjoyed learning about the way Sweden views gender norms and I hope to be able to visit one day to experience the culture firsthand.  I included a picture of my and my Swedish friends results as it shows the activity which led to the insight and further research into gender expression differences in cultures.