Activity Twelve

I would have to say the most important thing I've learned is that all cultures are just different from each other and that we need to be respectful of others traditions and manners. Also we shouldn't judge other cultures or ethnicities based on one experience we had or by watching their television shows. It was really eye opening to see how just one bad experience can create a very bad misconception about someone. I also reevaluated our own culture and how many things we do seem very odd to other people.

I would say that I haven't been exposed to different cultures or ethnicities very much, mostly because I grew up in a small town without much diversity. I have traveled to Mexico multiple times and I absolutely loved being submerged in their culture. I know that I am by no means an expert but I'm willing to listen to others and alter my behaviors so I don't offend anyone. I know I could make a better effort to talk to people from other backgrounds just to learn about other societies or traditions. I do feel I'm more open minded than many people and am willing to get to know people and maybe correct some misconceptions that I have. I feel this class has made me more knowledgeable in the subject and that I can look at conflicts from both perspectives now rather than just the one perspective I normally view everything from.

This course has been eye-opening, but it didn't involve going out and actually meeting new people and learning about them and who they are and why they are this person. I guess I want to be able to learn about intercultural communication in a more direct manner and go visit other countries and learn their traditions and mannerisms. I plan to study abroad while I'm still in school. I want to go to Spain and Scotland and live out daily life there rather than just being a tourist.

Besides traveling I could simply just talk to people around here more often and ask more questions and be more curious. I have a friend who was adopted from Korea and was totally brought up in regular American culture, but he has such a desire to learn about where he came from. My family came from somewhere else too but I'm so disconnected from my heritage that I have never really even thought about what German culture would be like. I think I just need to ask people more questions about who they are and what made them become that person.

I'm going to school for broadcast journalism, and I feel like this course is extremely relevant to the job I could have in the future. As a journalist I'll be expected to go places I normally wouldn't go and to talk to people I normally wouldn't talk to. I want to be able to report based on what I learned directly from a certain group or culture rather than on what I think I know.

Question: Do you think the concepts we've talked about in this class will be relevant to your job in the future? Why or why not?