Blog 10
Early in the course, I thought that differences in cultures were most important to learn when it came to this class. As I have grown throughout this course, it has occurred to me that the similarities that bring us together are just as interesting as the things that culturally set us apart from each other. I’ve learned to appreciate all aspects of culture in new ways that allow me to see deeper into cultural norms. I am so thankful for everything this course has taught me at such a perfect time in my life.
Blog 8
I believe that fairy tales have typically followed the cultural values in the time in which they are written or filmed. In the case of current Disney films like the 2017 remake of Beauty and the Beast, it seems that Disney is trying to move very slowly and carefully into inclusion of the diversity of race, gender roles, and sexuality. It is great to see new Disney princesses of different ethnic backgrounds such as the new Moana film. Also, to finally see princesses that aren’t damsels in distress but rather strong, independent women is refreshing. For LeFou, it was a subtle few seconds of the film that showed briefly and sensitively that Disney is a company that is accepting, tolerant, and receiving of people of different backgrounds and orientations.
Blog 6
| N | E | O | A | C | |
| Score | High | Low | High | High | Low |
| Accurate | I do tend to be a sensitive and emotional person. | I am usually very reserved and can occasionally be a bit of an introvert, or loner. | I am open to new experiences. I always want to go to new places and try new things. | I agree completely with this rating. I avoid conflict to an extreme, even if I am upset. I prefer to be warm and compassionate. | I never like to make plans but I believe this stems from my tendency to be a loner. |
| Inaccurate | I believe I would fit more accurately in the average category Because I do not get upset as often as my high shore implies. | Again, I feel the average rating would be more fitting. While I can be a loner, I can also be outgoing when I am in the mood to be social. | I do not consider myself to be imaginative at all. I’m open hear everyone’s thoughts and ideas and love to learn from them. However, I am not one to develop my own ideas without careful consideration of all sides. | Though I avoid conflict, I can relate to the average rating in the way that I can be stubborn in interactions with my closest friends and family. | I used to be very well organized but recently life has been a little hard to keep up with. I would consider myself moderately well-organized rather than not well-organized. |
Blog 3
So far, I have enjoyed all of the discussion forums in this class. One that was particularly interesting to write about was the forum about cross-cultural research because it was something I had never really thought about before. I read the discussion theme a week before and pondered the idea for a while before posting. I decided that a culture’s effect on one’s choice of importance between family and career was what was most interesting to me during this time. Personally, in my short experience outside of the US so far it has been shocking to see how America’s need for success and growth isn’t a world view. I have never been so far away from home before and it is interesting to see how the important things in one’s life can differ to greatly from culture to culture.
Blog 2
I believe that my most important life value in my pursuit of a career as a speech pathologist is the importance of children and their development. It has been a struggle for me to decide between speech pathology and special education. For this reason, I am graduating with my special education degree in May and then moving on to get my Master’s degree in speech pathology. This way I will be able to better serve the special education community with my speech pathology services in the future.
Another important life value is a strong work ethic. My parents taught me early in life that it is essential to work hard for what you want in life. I started working towards independence when I started my first job at the age of 13. I wanted to be able to provide for myself and be able to give myself the things that I wanted or needed. Now that I am in college, that work ethic transfers to my school work. To be honest, I have been struggling since switching to a 100% online student since moving abroad but I am getting closer to being adjusted and getting back to my old self as a student every day.
I don’t remember every deciding to pursue higher education. My parents never went to college but there was no question that their 2 daughters would go on to pursue college degrees after high school. I never questioned this belief. It was instilled in me that getting a college degree was the essential next step in my life that would result in a better life for myself in the future. Honestly, I have questioned this during some hard, stressful points in my education but I know deep down that it is the right path for me.
Blog 1
The course objectives are exactly what I hoped to gain from this course when I chose to take it. I want to understand differences in cultures. I want to know the reasons behind the differences and how those differences effect people as they grow up and develop within their culture. It seems that most people prefer to joke about cultural differences they do not understand. Like the photo I have attached below. I hope that by the end of this semester, I will be able to better understand what drives the differences among cultures and know how to better relate to people who have different beliefs and traditions from the ones I was raised to celebrate.
World Football Tournament USA Vs. England