AT A5

For this assignment I was able to take a closer look at how the social behaviors of people in North America differ from those of people living in Germany. Over my 24 years of life, I have been able to experience the different cultures and customs of individuals while living in foreign countries. Germany is a country that I was always heavily interested in, so for this assignment I chose to take a look at Germans and how they choose to utilize certain benefits in their country. After reading the journal written by Kayser and Frick, it was clear to me that people in Germany are not as different than people living in North America. In Germany, individuals who live in rural areas and those who maintain single households are less likely to go out and apply for benefits. Often times these are the very people who need assistance the most, but because the accessibility isn’t easy to come by they will often times opt out which only raises the non-take-up rate of benefits in Germany. I relate this assignment the most with intercultural sensitivity because of how I was able to link so many similarities between the German and North American cultures. It was interesting to recognize that some social behaviors that may seem to consistent with specific cultures can actually cross over boarders and even seas. Being able to relate cultures and customs was the most gratifying part of this assignment because I’m not sure if finding similarities between German and North American cultures is something I would’ve thought to look into prior to having this assignment. I chose the picture defining culture because of how it includes the idea of social behavior being imperative when discussing ” culture.”

AT A1

This assignment helped me to take a closer look at myself and get a better understanding of the type of individual I am when it comes to intercultural sensitivity. I was able to see a couple different viewpoints, some that aligned more with my values and others that I wasn’t able to relate to at all. Being able to take a step back and actually understand that there is a fine line between how different individuals perceive intercultural sensitivity is important. After reading this piece I am definitely more confident in my own stance and can appreciate the way I was raised, because I believe it contributed to a more open minded state of mind. I am a sociology minor and was able to relate this reading with a lot of our teachings on the individual in society and how they interact with others in society.