Final Individual Cultural Diversity Course Reflection #4

Student: Abdulla AL-Afifi

Collage ID: H00131526

Instructor: Gregory Vrhovnik

Course: Cultural Diversity, LSS 2053

Section: CPE

Date: 12/12/2013

Culture diversity is the cultural variety and cultural differences that exist in the world, a society, or an institution. Many people find it difficult to accept it will other are very happy and willing to embrace it to their lives, those people who see the positive things this phenomena will add to their lives are the most successful as they learn the differences between both cultures and how to tackle obstacles in their daily life dealing will different people coming from different backgrounds and cultures, on the other hand people how are close minded and fighting to accept the emerge between cultures are not only fighting what is only inevitable.

This semester was not only educative to me but also interesting in varies ways as I learned many exiting and interesting materials. Introduction to mass communication is one of my favorite subjects in which I encountered new information and learned to think outside of the box, too look at things from different perspective as it might be different. Drawing seamed very easy at the beginning but as we went deeper and started working with charcoal and shadings it was harder than it sounded but I learned that with practice comes perfection and you need to be patient in order to achieve what you want. I love traveling and hop that one day I can go around the world seeing not only the luxurious places but also the primitive and poor countries  which means that my favorite subject was learning about different cutlers and different people, how the same word might mean so different due to the culture difference, I learned so many things that an easy of 300 words cannot possible do it justice, not only that but I also learned to work as a team and how to do a decant short movie and how to do a good professional presentation, this experience will benefit me not only now but in my future as well, as it is necessary for me to know how a professional presentation must look like and how to look and act in a presentation not only that bat in making our cultural movie we all worked as a team in making it and editing it so it taught us that dividing the roles and sharing responsibilities is the best way to lead your life.

This course should be taught not only for college students but for children as well in the elementary as this should be considered fundamental, not the movie making and presentation part but they should learn to respect other cultures and to avoid racism. The basic rights to which all people are entitled as human beings is considered human rights, not only to avoid each other but to live in harmony, those things are the most important values and morals our children must learn.

I strongly suggest to have a Harmony day in which is held and arranged properly by the government, in this day everyone will talk and show his culture and can be very creative in showing it, for example wearing their traditional clothes instead of being formal not only chat but exchanging different types of food among each other can also be educating at some point.

In conclusion, learning about the variety of cultures opened my eyes and taught me to look from different perspectives, to be respective to other cultures not matter how strange or funny their beliefs might look like to me I am sure it might have different meanings to them.

610 words

Exercise 12

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Exercise 10B

Exercise 10B

The UAE has done many things as to protect the workers right as there is a ministry so that any worker if he has been mistreated or abused can go there and claim his wright, either financial or moral.

It strictly specifies the working hours were the normal human being power capacity may handle not only that but also it provides brake hours and days of depending on work conditions, for example working in the afternoon on summer.

The UAE was pushing hard to globalize the anti-trafficking law but unfortunately all the efforts were useless as many countries refuse it.

Exercise 10A

Exercise 10A

Human trafficking may still be one way of earning a living in many of the poor third war countries which unfortunately is considered as taking their human right but this is what lack of education and poverty leads in to, slaves don’t have to be owned or bought, even people how work for a very low salary just to survive may be considered as slaves as well.

Workers how travel across the world just to receive a very small salary so that they can provide food and shelter for their family may be considered as slaves because those people are forced to work even if they don’t want because if they refuse to work and go back to their family they would be living in debt because they had to arrange the money and borrow to arrange for this work travel and they sow it not only as an opportunity but the only way to protect their family from prostitution and hunger.

In our religion we are not permitted to have slaves and mistreating our workers is considered prohibited, unfortunately we do require tow house maids and a driver to make the house chores more easier as it is distributed among them but we still as an educated family living in a Muslim Emirati culture try our best not to abuse their poverty and need of money.

Exercise 8

Exercise #8C:

 

1. As soon as Todd arrives, he experiences the discomfort of being disoriented in a

strange new place. What happens at the airport?

 Being a high context person he was expecting to see his name but didn’t realize that the community he was being in was almost fully low context and miss spelled his name.

 

2. When a friendly traveler helps him get on the train, what does he tell him to do?

 The traveler was an original Indian and it is culturally indicated to be a collectivism person in the Indian culture where everyone offers to help and he asked him to jump as the people on the train of curse will catch him and pull him in as they also are collectivism people.

 

 

3. When he gets on the train, he cannot find an empty seat. How is this problem

Solved for him? How might this be a cultural solution?

 In the Indian culture the children must respect the older person so they helped him and respected him more as he looked like a tourist.  

 

4. As any exchange student, he has a lot of experiences trying new food. His first

Encounter is with an iced drink. What happens?

- He had some pain and possibly diarrhea because he is not used to this particular type of sweet.

 

5. First encounters with a culture can be shocking – Todd sees crowded streets with cows, noise, and a man urinating in the street. But how does his host describe the city?

-          Clean and nice city comparing to the other cities.

 

 6. Even though the host Puro speaks English, Todd uses American slang a lot without thinking. So as not to insult Puro, what does he say the meaning of Schmuck is?

-A nice guy.

 

7. Todd wants to check in to a hotel. But Puro insists he comes to a boarding house.

 What is the reason he gives Todd?

-          That the hospitality of the house will make him fell like home.

 

8. As soon as they meet, Aunti Ji starts asking very intimate questions that Americans who have just met would never ask. What kind of things does she ask?

 

-          If he is married or single and justification why isn’t he married and if he needed help finding a wife and she hinted if he is a homosexual.

9. During his first conversation with Aunti Ji he makes two big mistakes. What are they?

 

-eating with the wrong hand.

 

10. The Golden Rule says do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That means his Indian hosts and friends are trying to make him comfortable the way they would be comfortable. How does this apply when the servant is preparing tea for Todd?

 

-          She likes the sugar too sweet so she added to much sugar for him.

 

11. How does Todd figure out why one does not eat food with the left hand?

- He understood it after the sleeping man woke up and acted how and for what it is used for.

 

12. What is ethnocentric about his statement "You need to learn about America"?

- Because they need to learn the American way of talking so that they can sell the products to the callers.

 

13. Why do they disagree on how a "native" speaks English?

- Because the Indians have better English pronunciation than the American.

 

14. What doesn't Todd understand about the Indians' response to the "cattle brand"?

 Coming from a country which loves beef he didn’t know that the Indians worship the cow and that it is considered as a holy creature.

 

15. What is Todd's reaction to "You need to learn about India"? What stage of culture shock might it represent?

 

-he was shocked to see how complicated the Indian culture is as he thought it is very easy for him because he is an American and didn’t think that he would need to learn about the Indian culture.

 

16. He calls home several times. Why? What stage of culture shock might provoke calls home?

-   He doesn’t miss his family but e misses his old life and couldn’t adapt with the new circumstances which he was in.

 

17. What mistakes in language usage are represented in the recording of the call about "a rubber"?

- The same word may mean differently in different countries, the Indians call it rubber while the Americans prefer the word eraser and rubber means condoms which is totally different.

 

18. Why is he so eager to go to McDonnells?

-he was tempted by the picture in the newspaper advertisement and thought that because it is an international restaurant they will have similar food like in the U.S but it was not McDonald it was McDonnell.

 

19. Todd doesn't understand bargaining. How does the Indian respond to this?

-He keeps on lowering the price for him.

 

20. What does I.N.D.I.A. stand for?

-I’ll Never Do It Again.

 

21. What advice does his fellow American have for him?

-  To try to adapt with the new culture and to give in to change not to resist it .

 

22. When Todd develops the incentive system, he has begun to adapt to India. How has he adapted?

-By celebrating the holy day with Puro in the color festival.

 

23. When he looks at the cow in the office the second time, why is his reaction so different?

-Because now he knows what does the cow stand for and how important it is and he is starting to adapt and respect the place he is in.

 

 

24. Explain the difference between American and Indian cultures when Todd and

 Puro discuss how often he visits his family and why he doesn't live with them.

-          The Americans like to be independent and live alone and start their new life where the Indians like to continue living with their family, there for Todd only visits his family on occasions and only few times a year on the other hand Pure can’t see his life without them and plan to stay with them forever.

 

25. What cultural values are involved in the exchange between Aunti Ji and Todd about ironing his underwear?

-          Aunti Ji showed initiative by ironing his clothes so that he feels being taken care of as she plays the role of his mother but he never had this much attention before.

 

26. How well does Todd handle himself when he is invited over the wall to an Indian home for a meal?

- He went along and had the meal with them so not to insult them, he looked happy because he was very welcome to shear their simple meal and he was hungry which made him think that when in need it is the people you help who will help you back.

 

27. In what ways does he show he has adapted?

- By eating with his right hand instead of his left and sharing his food with the hungry children.

 

28. When the call center floods and they are shut down, Todd finds an "Indian" solution. What is it?

- He moved everything to the roof in a short time and proved a point that when every one contribute as a team the work will be done much faster.

 

29. When Todd comes home, there are several signs that his Indian experience has influenced him. Name three ways he has become more "Indian".

-          He stayed in India with Aisha and didn’t go back home

 

Exercise 8

Exercise #8b:

 

As you watch the film, answer the questions and write down any examples of different cultural dimensions. This will help you with your reflection.

 

 

Cultural Dimension	Character Todd, Puro, Aisha or other	Outsourced Scene or Circumstance
Low-context culture	Todd	In head office
High-context culture	Puro	At work
Individualism	Todd	Likes to be alone and be independent
Collectivism	The workers in India washing the clothes and people at the train helping each other	Eating together
Low power distance	Todd	Talking to his boss in the office
High power distance	Puro	Asking for permeation to talk every time
Uncertainty tolerance	Todd	Cursing his boss
Uncertainty avoidance	Aisha	She asked to many questions which showed uncertainty
Task orientation	Puro and Aisha	Director
Social orientation	Todd and Puro	Working together

 

 

 

Reflection #8b:

 

In our culture in the UAE it is obvious that we are among the collective society as we like to stay together and move among groups and tribes, we are low context which is adapted to our cultures to depend on each other to survive as it was initial in the past.

Now days some people are depending on themselves and taking on other cultures of our teachers and colleges at work in being high context and living individually.

Relationships in most families between father and son or daughter are high power distance while minorities are low power distance as most families prefer to keep the respect and fighting the cultural change.

 

Exercise 8

 

Exercise #8a:

 

Below is a brief explanation of the cultural dimensions:-

 

· Low-context and high-context culture

Our teacher is a low context person while the rest of the class are High context.

· Individualism and collectivism

Our teacher is an individualism person thus for he can live alone and stay away from his family for long time, on the other hand me and the rest of the class are collectivism because we like to stick together and don’t feel comfortable in being alone which is a cultural habit.

· Low power distance and high power distance

Low power distance: is when you have an open relationship with your boss or father for example Todd and his boss has a low power distance relationship because of the way they talk together.

High power distance: is when you can only talk formally with your boss or father and do as you are told and don’t have the option to discus nor negotiate anything.

· Uncertainty tolerance and uncertainty avoidance

In the video it was when Anti J kept asking Todd for justifications why he isn’t married yet and when Todd kept asking his boss about his future and moving to India.

 

 

·        task orientation and stoical orientation

Students in exams experience task orientation why team members while deciding on something experience stoical orientation.