Reflection Summary

December 3, 2015

My experience throughout the class and blog process has been liberating. I remember the first day of class when we were asked to list what culture is. I instantly thought of ethnicity and religion but I struggled to think of any further words. I was surprised as the class continued to shout out different words such as politics, traditions, SES, gender, etc. I soon realized how ignorant I was to the meaning of culture. Unfortunately, I also realized how ignorant I was to my own culture. I remember the class being asked, “What is your culture?” I responded to myself as thinking that there is not much to my culture, or me I am merely a white, upper middle class white American female. Through the case study assignment, I was required to look further into my Self from the eyes of a stranger. In the beginning, I found the interview process to be slightly uncomfortable, however throughout the process I was intrigued at the many things a stranger could define in me just by the information given and interviews with my close family members. I learned that there is more to me than what meets the eye.
My experience constructing my blog throughout the semester was an enlightening experience. I was unaware of the many topics and issues that are currently going on in the world. I realized that culture is an ongoing development that will never just simply disappear. In particular, culture is an ever-growing aspect for everyone; we are constantly evolving and are becoming more loquacious in our expectations for equality. 
During the course of the semester, I have noticed on issues that would cause confliction and deliberation were not as vocalized throughout the class; it appeared to me that we as a class looked at the harmonious aspects of issues rather than bringing up conversations for debate. With that aside, I have learned a great deal from the first day of class. I have learned there is more to me than I had originally thought. Furthermore, I have learned there is more to other people than what is first perceived. I have grown a deeper appreciation for people and their culture. Furthermore, this class has pushed me to reach outside of my comfort zone and expand my perspectives towards diverse common issues that are becoming more apparent in our world today.

 

Mormen Leaders Stand Behind Rules For Gays, Their Children

November 18, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Mormon church is standing behind its new rules targeting gay members and their children that generated widespread blowback from members, while providing more explanation about the policy changes and clarifying exactly what they mean.
The rules issued last week are designed to protect kids, following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ's "tender love of children," officials with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in a news release Friday.
"Church leader...


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Education Gap Between Rich and Poor Is Growing Wider

November 11, 2015

The wounds of segregation were still raw in the 1970s. With only rare exceptions, African-American children had nowhere near the same educational opportunities as whites.

The civil rights movement, school desegregation and the War on Poverty helped bring a measure of equity to the playing field. Today, despite some setbacks along the way, racial disparities in education have narrowed significantly. By 2012, the test-score deficit of black 9-, 13- and 17-year-olds in reading and math had been...


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Aziz Ansari on Acting, Race and Hollywood

November 11, 2015

Fisher Stevens was cooking dinner when I got him on the phone. I had wanted to talk to him for years because, as I recount in my new Netflix series, “Master of None,” this actor played a strange role in my relationship to television and film.

The first time I saw an Indian character in an American movie was “Short Circuit 2,” a 1988 film in which a humanized robot named Johnny 5 goes to New York and bonds with an Indian scientist named Benjamin Jarhvi.

Seeing an Indian character in ...


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Racial Anxiety May Alter Time Perception For Some White Americans

November 8, 2015

WASHINGTON — Time may appear to slow down for white Americans who feel threatened by an approaching black person, raising questions about the pervasive effects of racial bias or anxiety in the United States, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

In a series of experiments, white adults viewed faces of white and black people who appeared to be moving toward them on a computer screen. Participants rated the apparent speed or approximate time that each face ...


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Ireland to 'decriminalise' small amounts of drugs, including heroin, cocaine and cannabis, for personal use

November 4, 2015

Ireland will move towards decriminalising substances including heroin, cocaine and cannabis as part of a “radical cultural shift”, the country's drugs minister has said.
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, the chief of Ireland’s National Drugs Strategy, told a lecture at the London School of Economics on Monday that drug users will be able to inject in specially designated rooms in Dublin from next year.
The minister said attitudes to drugs needed to move away from shaming addicts to helping them and ...


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Culture Shock

October 19, 2015

Recently I had the opportunity to visit Mexico and to my surprise, it was all that I had expected and more! Like any vacation, your experience is of that similar to the honeymoon stage of acculturation, whereas you (if everything goes as planned) experience excitement and euphoria. Being that I was only a tourist I did not mind the language barrier that occurred, actually I embraced it. I enjoyed trying out my few Spanish words that I knew as well as the different foods that I savored. Ultima...


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Study: Utah has 4th Largest Gender Wage Gap in the US

September 13, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY — As an employee, student and mother, St. George resident Emily Havens, 21, is facing the same challenges as many other Utah women.

While working full time as an Internet sales associate, Havens has been attending Dixie State University full time since 2012. However, she became pregnant last year with her now 3 ½-month-old daughter, Roslyn. With Roslyn’s birth, Havens and her husband, Rodney, had to make some changes.

While her husband continued to work full time selling car...


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Upper Class More Likely to Behave Unethically, Study Says

September 2, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY -- Apparently, bad behavior is a lot like a college senior - upper-class.

University of California, Berkeley doctoral student Paul Piff and co-authors conducted seven studies to find out not only which socioeconomic class behaves with the most disregard for ethics, but why that behavior might have come about. What they found was "upper-class individuals behave more unethically than lower-class individuals."

Those on the highest rung of the social ladder tended to break ...


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Boyz N the Hood

September 1, 2015

Stating, “One in twenty-one African-American males will die of murder”, and that “most will be killed by another African-American” is how the film Boyz N the Hood begins. Boyz N the Hood is a disturbing account of the lived experiences of black people, particularly black males, in a poverty-stricken South Central Los Angeles neighborhood. The story follows the relationship and connections between three young Black males: Tre Styles, Darrin “Doughboy” Baker, and Ricky Baker. During...


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