Name of Assignment: Module 7 Forum, Culture
Subject: Sociology
Facilitator/Teacher: Professor Perry
Description of Work/Assignment:
Research a current culture and analyze its symbols, language, beliefs and norms. Answer questions about the importance of understanding other cultures then respond to others comments and questions.
Which 21st Century Skill do you feel this assignment addresses, and why?
I believe this assignment demonstrates global awareness. I had to study the culture of Iceland through finding sources that properly represent the Icelandic people rather than from a tourism point of view.
What are you most proud of from this assignment, and why?
I am most proud of my thoughtful responses about the importance of understanding others cultures. It is difficult to not become ethnocentric when experiencing a culture different from your own, and I was proud that I could overcome that point of view.
How did you develop and/or improve upon your 21st Century Skill with this assignment?
I improved upon my global awareness skills through researching countries' cultures that were unbeknownst to me. By researching these customs and ways of life, I was able to better understand life outside of America and the importance of accepting other cultures.
What was most difficult about completing this task?
The most difficult part of this task was finding sources that were approved by the Icelandic people. Many sources I found were from outside sources promoting tourism, and I wanted to find sources that represented what everyday life is like in Iceland. It was difficult to find these specific sources, but I managed to find sources that came directly from Iceland that demonstrated their ways of life.
How could you improve this work? If you could start over, what would you do different?
If I could improve this task, I would have provided more information about the material objects of Iceland. While this task focused on researching more immaterial culture, I did get a complaint from another student that I hadn’t referenced the music and entertainment industry in Iceland. I did have the chance to answer this students' response and tell them about this part of Iceland, but it was difficult to find sources that were directly from Iceland.
How does this relate to what you have learned in the past?
This relates to our lecture on the importance of not becoming ethnocentric when studying other cultures. When researching our cultures from our forums, we had to be careful not to compare customs to ones popular in America. Professor Perry showed the importance of this skill and by performing this task, I was able to better understand this concept.
How can you apply this to future learning?
In the future, I think I can be more mindful when researching and learning about other cultures. It is often hard to think of other cultures' social norms as natural, but just because we don’t understand the reasoning of these events, doesn’t mean they aren’t valid. This assignment made me realize that some of my reasonings behind my thoughts were ethnocentric, and I was able to reevaluate my bias in regards to learning about the world.
Subject: Sociology
Facilitator/Teacher: Professor Perry
Description of Work/Assignment:
Research a current culture and analyze its symbols, language, beliefs and norms. Answer questions about the importance of understanding other cultures then respond to others comments and questions.
Which 21st Century Skill do you feel this assignment addresses, and why?
I believe this assignment demonstrates global awareness. I had to study the culture of Iceland through finding sources that properly represent the Icelandic people rather than from a tourism point of view.
What are you most proud of from this assignment, and why?
I am most proud of my thoughtful responses about the importance of understanding others cultures. It is difficult to not become ethnocentric when experiencing a culture different from your own, and I was proud that I could overcome that point of view.
How did you develop and/or improve upon your 21st Century Skill with this assignment?
I improved upon my global awareness skills through researching countries' cultures that were unbeknownst to me. By researching these customs and ways of life, I was able to better understand life outside of America and the importance of accepting other cultures.
What was most difficult about completing this task?
The most difficult part of this task was finding sources that were approved by the Icelandic people. Many sources I found were from outside sources promoting tourism, and I wanted to find sources that represented what everyday life is like in Iceland. It was difficult to find these specific sources, but I managed to find sources that came directly from Iceland that demonstrated their ways of life.
How could you improve this work? If you could start over, what would you do different?
If I could improve this task, I would have provided more information about the material objects of Iceland. While this task focused on researching more immaterial culture, I did get a complaint from another student that I hadn’t referenced the music and entertainment industry in Iceland. I did have the chance to answer this students' response and tell them about this part of Iceland, but it was difficult to find sources that were directly from Iceland.
How does this relate to what you have learned in the past?
This relates to our lecture on the importance of not becoming ethnocentric when studying other cultures. When researching our cultures from our forums, we had to be careful not to compare customs to ones popular in America. Professor Perry showed the importance of this skill and by performing this task, I was able to better understand this concept.
How can you apply this to future learning?
In the future, I think I can be more mindful when researching and learning about other cultures. It is often hard to think of other cultures' social norms as natural, but just because we don’t understand the reasoning of these events, doesn’t mean they aren’t valid. This assignment made me realize that some of my reasonings behind my thoughts were ethnocentric, and I was able to reevaluate my bias in regards to learning about the world.