Artifact 5:
Culture and gender was definitely one of the most interesting areas we discussed this semester, and the assignment was engaging. I completed the assignment and then had my friend who was Indian do the same. Because we are both fairly similar and she is very Americanized, our results were as well. But, I could imagine what the results would be coming from someone who had a strict, traditional culture just from what I’ve seen in person and learned from the coursework. The results of the assignment have been included.
Occupation Me/Friend
Doctor M/M
Lawyer F/M
School Teacher F/F
Taxi Driver M/M
Dancer F/F
Babysitter F/F
Chef M/M
Pilot M/M
Mechanic M/M
Architect M/M
Designer F/M
Makeup Artist F/F
System Engineer M/M
Artifact 4:
I think what makes me happiest is honestly just being at peace and stress-free, whatever that may entail at a given point in my life. Right now, I’m happy when I complete all my school assignments, when my class and work performance are both stellar, and when my businesses are successful. When I’m free of stress, I’m happy. I definitely think that being stress free is essential to health. I’m able to sleep better, my mood is improved, and overall my body just feels better. But I think the relationship could go either direction, because being healthy contributes to my happiness as well. When I’m consistent with my workout plan, my body feels great and my mood is elevated. Working out is probably one of the best ways I can relieve stress and turn my mood around if I’m having a rough day.
Artifact 3:
This assignment made me think about how much can really be attributed to our parents. Personally, I would say that my parents did great raising me and I’m very thankful, but I am also very proud to be different from them. They tend to be traditional and very close-minded, while I am the complete opposite. I think I’ve developed my own values more so than being taught them by my parents. I liked this assignment, because this topic isn’t something I would normally think about on my own. I included the image of the Bible, because my parents did “start” this religious path, but they didn’t strongly force it upon me. I’ve grown in my faith on my own.
Artifact 2:
The video on body language stuck in my mind, because I’ve always found it interesting how things we do subconsciously have so much meaning. The chapter mentioned non-verbal cues and how they are different in various cultures. For example, in the mentioned study, people from Asian countries tended to focus on the eyes to determine one’s emotional state, while in America we focus on mouth expressions. I had no idea that body language might be related to hormones, as mentioned from the video. My biggest takeaway is that understanding these non-verbal cues will allow me to become better at understanding and interacting with people and that power poses may really be effective at improving one’s confidence. My most common pose is actually a low power pose, crossing the legs (seen in the picture). Regardless of where I am, this is how I always sit, but this does give off a sense of low self-confidence, according to Amy Cuddy. For me, I just feel like it’s how I’m most comfortable. I do feel like engaging in power poses enhances confidence, so this is something I plan to implement in the near future.
Artifact 1:
This assignment required us to think about happy moments and whether they were socially engaging or socially disengaging. This assignment was my favorite just because it made me realize how positive my life has been lately. Despite my hardships I’ve had to overcome, I’ve managed to succeed. My happiest moments have all been around those I love, blood and not blood-related, (almost all were socially engaging). It’s true that surrounding yourself with positivity allows you to flourish. The included image represents how my being friendly has formed great bonds in my school and work environment. The people I associate with in these different parts of my life have been integral to some of my best moments.
