Assignment Takeaway – Cultural

ATA4:

Through this assignment, I learned that even though there has been a lot of progress in the equality of men and women and how they are portrayed publicly, there are many ways in which advertisements today are still representative of patriarchal values in our culture. When I was in high-school, I went to a private Christian school that often did mention gender roles and if they did, they were celebrated, and I wrote a research paper about advertising in the media and we rarely ever talked about the effects of gender messaging. It is particularly relevant to me because as a man who does not always adhere to common gender roles, it is comforting to know that problems are being seen systemically.

ATA3:

I learned through this assignment that is grounded culturally to say that other cultures in other countries are behind American modernity. Once again, this is similar to what I learned through the book group at my workplace on the book Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. It taught that as the United States is mostly comprised of individualistic cultures, there is a tendency to push for individual progress, innovation, and a future orientation. The person I wrote about in this assignment seemed to assume that Italy was “behind” on gender and sexual orientation norms that have otherwise been challenged within the United States. The assignment was personally relevant to me because I am an American with a few friends who are gender non-conforming and the further research I do into the topic, the better I am able to understand them as a human being.

ATA2:

This assignment really cleared up a lot of things for me both professionally and personally. Learning about Cross-Cultural Psychology, especially from the article that was assigned for this task, has been therapeutic for me because in some ways, cultures can sometimes begin to feel like overly involved parents, mainly because we are most heavily enculturated by our parents/family members. Once we realize that the pressure we feel that comes from culture is external and not personal, there is a freedom that can come with it. This assignment reminds of the sense of relief that I felt when I took an intro level course to philosophy last semester and I learned about feminist theories of justice. It was as if someone had reached into my mind and emotions, processed what I have always cared about and believed, and put it into a formal philosophical field of thought. This assignment was personally relevant to me because I have yet to be able to put to words what it means to possess or display “American culture”, and yet it is something that I can very clearly recognize in myself and others.

ATA1:

In all honesty, this assignment, addressing intercultural sensitivity, was a tricky one for me. After the article listed off the 5 or 6 options of intercultural sensitivity that I am limited to be placed in, I learned that culture and how we approach it with our attitudes and behaviors becomes much more complex than a simple placement on a grading scale. And, if it were necessary to be placed onto the scale, I would hope, especially through the information I’ll be receiving in this course, that I will never grow stagnant in my view of myself and my interaction with cultures outside of my own. I believe that questioning leads to understanding that ultimately leads to empathy.

The intercultural sensitivity model, in its practical sense, reminded me of the book, “Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain,” in that there is an emphasis not only on the consideration of cultural differences as a reality, but that there ought to be a practical implication. I believe both will further aid me in the process of learning to address culture and its effects and adjust my educational counseling methods according to what my students need.