ATA 4:

This assignment was eye-opening. I chose to compare the US to Saudi Arabia, which I figured to be much different from America, and I saw that it was. In America we call it the “Land of the Free”, and while this isn’t entirely true, it’s apparent that we are afforded a lot more privileges than other countries. Being a woman in America gives you more freedom than being a woman in Saudi Arabia. While some American ads are stereotypical, more recent ones show women being independent and strong, while in Saudi Arabia most of the ads reflect the oppressive nature of their culture. When researching about Saudi Arabia, I actually learned that they had arranged marriages, where a younger girl would be married off to an older man. The female literally has no say; she’s forced to do what she’s told simply because it’s tradition. If she does otherwise, she’ll face severe consequences. This reminded me of a close friend I have who is Indian. Her and I have discussed her culture many times, and because her family is Americanized, she is fortunate in that she has the freedom to date who she wants and choose who she wants to marry. I just think it’s interesting how even today, some cultures support oppressing their women. They follow tradition so closely that it almost seems odd to outsiders looking in. It just makes me thankful for my own culture and living in America.

ATA 3:

For this assignment, we had to discuss a theme from a student’s travel blog on their study abroad experience. I selected a blog about a study abroad in Italy, because I’ve always wanted to travel there, not necessarily for a study abroad, but I was interested in learning more about the culture. This blog did give me a little taste as to what Italian culture is like. This assignment reminded me of my English writing class I took freshman year, for the simple fact that we were able to select something of interest to us and make it relevant to the project. I liked having freedom to study something of personal interest in both this assignment and my English project. Reading the blogs gave me a better idea as to how things are in Italy. Although they speak a different language, I feel like traveling there would be an overall comforting experience, based off the student’s documentation of the trip. American and Italian culture do seem to be very similar. This makes me even more excited for my future trip to this country.

ATA 2:

This assignment required some self-reflection, which definitely made the material more personal to me. I thought it was interesting to write a portion of the assignment from the outside looking in. When we discuss culture, we don’t usually speak from a different culture’s perspective. So trying to imagine how another culture views America was ironic for the simple fact that I’m American, so I don’t really know what other cultures honestly think of us. I’m just going off my own personal beliefs. Kohls mentioned values he felt like were central to American culture, which for the most part I would agree with. The individualism one stood out the most to me, because when I think about our culture, this would be one of the first things I would mention and when I think of myself, I would say it’s definitely relatable. I am a very independent and focused person. I do tend to put myself first and do what’s best for me, when it comes to both my personal and professional life. I do care a lot about my own happiness and what’s beneficial for my future; not disregarding anybody else, but I would say I do have this individualized kind of mindset, typical to Americans as a whole. I think a lot of times society does fail to look at things from different perspectives, which is why there are so many misunderstood situations. People don’t take the time to think about where someone else might be coming from, especially in America; people are so stuck on themselves. It’s unfortunate that a lot of people are so closed-minded; this is something I feel like is changing but still isn’t where it should be. A good example for why perspective is important (coming from a psychology major, criminal justice minor) would be the way mental health/drug addicts are treated in the system. Mental health and drug addiction are two serious problems that aren’t taken as serious as they should be. Once society has sympathy for those suffering and recognizes this issue then we can work towards making reforms aimed at helping these individuals. In my drugs and behavior class we just discussed how drug addiction really is a disease. The drug affects the chemical makeup of the brain, literally making the person feel like they need the drug. A lot of people look at drug users in disgust and then make comments about them. From the outside looking in, it may seem like these people are choosing drugs over basic needs like food and water, but looking from a psychology perspective you realize that drug addiction is real. This drug completely takes over someone, and it’s very difficult to regain control. Often times, drug addiction is something that individual suffers from the remainder of their life; it’s a battle they might have got themselves into, but regardless of whether they want to quit or not, it’s not as simple as that. The included image serves to represent the individualistic mindset I have, because I have grown to appreciate and love who I am, and I learned to put myself first. Self-love is something I consider to be highly important. It wasn’t an easy journey, but I have come to accept and love myself, and not only that, but learn to do what’s best for me. I’ve spent a lot of my life taking care of others and doing so much for other people that I neglected my own care. I did so much for people at the expense of my own happiness, so I am very proud to say that now my life is focused on me. I can do what makes me happy and look for ways to constantly improve on myself, for me, without worrying about having to please anybody else.

ATA 1:

This assignment served as an introduction to the course and required me to think about why the course is relevant to me personally and professionally. I never realized there was the term intercultural sensitivity, let alone actually labeled stages. America is so diverse that being fluent with other cultures is essential to being successful in the world. You can’t remain ignorant to the fact that America is really a melting pot of cultures. It’s a great aspect of living in the country, but also requires for us to be aware and respectful of the cultural differences that may exist. Language is a very obvious difference that exists, but there are still other important cultural differences. I already am fairly fluid when it comes to communicating with people of different cultures, being that I am multiracial and have been closely connected with people of other cultures. My ability to adapt to fit the situation isn’t something I think about everyday, so when I actually did the assignment I was quite content with my current ability. I do look forward to improving in the future though, which I expect this class to help me with. The only reference I could think about relevant to this assignments relates to the idea of being able to adapt in different situations. I work as an ABA therapist with children with Autism, so we’re intensively trained on how to work with them and manage behaviors. How you would correct a child with Autism is different than a kid who is just acting up in class. Understanding how to respond to these children is crucial for them and us as therapists. When I clock into work, it’s a completely different environment, but it’s really an unconscious switch that I make. I know where I am and what is expected of me. The selected image represents the cultural diversity that exists within America, and how the country is a mix of different cultures.