Top Artifact 5
The most important thing I learned in this class is that one’s culture plays a significant role on a person’s self-identity and self confidence. I didn’t notice how much of an influence my African American culture played an influence on how I viewed myself. I even modeled my romantic relationships after examples of key relationships in the culture Barack and Michelle Obama, Martin Luther King and Corretta Scott King, Courtney and Angela Bassett, etc. I always believed the man should be respectful, educated, dominating, and a leader in the community; however, that does not happen often, which is why I had to examine why my relationships didn’t quite work out. I chose the image above because it shows that we are open books comprised of childhood experiences, work, religion or lack thereof, and other components.
Top Artifact 4
Culture, language and communication is another area I have enjoyed in this class. The culture of an individual has a significant influence on the way they choose to communicate and what is seen as appropriate during the communication process. For example, in most Asian cultures, it is disrespectful to look a superior in the eyes while talking to them. In contrast, European cultures maintain eye contact throughout conversations. To break eye contact, in European cultures indicates someone is not telling the truth or he/she is nervous. I chose the image because it has a variety of faces with different colors talking into each others’ ears. Regardless of one’s culture, he/she will be forced to communicate with someone of a different culture. It is our responsibility to figure out the best method for making communication most effective between the two parties.
Top Artifact 3
The assignment/blog we had to write about a study abroad student was quite eye opening. I reviewed a blog written by a black, gay male traveling to Rome from the United States. He indicated date he felt even more out of place in Rome because his nationality was different , his texture of hair was course, and the language barrier. He stated that being a homosexual male outside of the United States show him that even though the US isn’t perfect, but it is far more liberal in its views and practices regarding homosexuality. I chose the picture image because the young man is clearly lonely even though he is surrounded by a crowd. I image that is what that study abroad experience may have felt like for him.
Top Artifact 2
Culture and psychological disorders is a section we studied in the course. I found this section to be extremely interesting because it corresponded with some of the material I learned in a prior course, The Psychology of Women. Women in North America and/or highly developed countries have a higher occurrence of anxiety disorders. To be more specific, the demographic more frequently diagnosed with anxiety disorders is the white female demographic. Research has shown that social media has caused this number to sky rocket. I chose the image above because even though someone looks okay on the outside, their thoughts could be a mixture of incoherent, dark thoughts.
Top Artifact 1
Within the course, we studied gender and culture. In most cultures, I realized that women were taken for granted. The opinion and importance of males in each culture holds far more importance that females. There are some cultures where women have become the “head” of the community because there is a disproportionate amount of men who have been incarcerated and/or killed prematurely. I chose this image because I feel it aligns with the material that was presented. The importance of men in respective societies is far greater than the importance of women.