comm2021 – 3
Total 2 parts. Writing each part respectively.
Part 1: 500 words.
Number each section
- Identify the concept: Here you will identify which concept you chose as particularly important from this unit’s material. Please identify the concept and where it is in the material (such as book page number) Choose the concept from the Chapter 5 or Chapter 6)(do not write same concept as part 2)
- Explain the concept(using your own words): This is very important. While your classmates have (hopefully) gone through the material, I want you to explain the concept using your own words. You can paraphrase the book (please give proper citation if you do), but I also want you to offer your own explanation. You can use examples if it helps explain the concept. Please treat this as an essay and give the same attention to providing a complete explanation you would on an essay.
- Relate the topic to your life: Please be specific here. Explain how this concept relates to your life. Avoid things like “It relates to my life because we all need to be good listeners and so learning how to listen will be good for me.” Instead, please specifically link it to how it is useful/applicable to your life. If you don’t know how the concept would be applicable to your life, then please select a different concept for this discussion.
Part 2: 200 words
Reply below post. 200 words.
A concept that I felt was particularly important in this unit’s material was the topic of stereotyping. This can be found on pages 167-175 in the Intercultural Communication textbook by James W. Neuliep.
In chapter 5, Neuliep covers the idea of stereotyping. Essentially, stereotyping is the idea that groups of people will create ideas of what other groups of people are like. Neuliep mentions that this likely happens because our minds process information better when it categorizes things (167). As humans, our brains categorize people based on different groups that they are part of- whether it be race, sex, age or social class. This can be dangerous, because sometimes we create negative representations of groups in our heads and it ultimately impacts our feelings to certain people. Because the human mind naturally puts things into categories, it is the sad truth that every single person engages in stereotyping- whether it is intentional or not. Donald Taylor and Lana Porter argue that stereotyping is necessary and useful in society, but Neuliep mentions that problems arise when these stereotypes generalize negative feelings towards a specific group (167). A study done by David Katz and Kenneth Braly revealed that a lot of college students had similar stereotypes for Black people and similar stereotypes for Jews. For example, Black people were seen as lazy, ignorant, stupid, dirty and musical. Jews were seen as aggressive, intelligent, selfish and shrewd (169). An interesting thing as well is that Taylor and Porter found that most of the negative connotation with stereotyping was found in the United States, particularly because of the negative stereotypes that Whites have on Black Americans (169). This feels very relevant today as we are battling Black stereotypes found in justice systems in America. Ultimately, Taylor and Porter argue that stereotypes should not be seen as bad and can actually be really helpful. This somewhat seems like a foreign idea to me, but after the reading it does make more sense. In America, there are a lot of people from different cultures. It isn’t necessarily right to just forget about these cultural differences and pretend that they don’t exist. Instead, we should embrace the cultural differences of people. However, these differences are often used in a negative context, and that should not be the case. People should be proud of their cultures, and we shouldn’t have a negative view of them. There was a study done to see what Spanish students thought of US citizens. Some of these stereotypes included the idea that we eat hamburgers, hot dogs and popcorn also exclusively. They also thought that most of us are very tall with blue eyes and blonde hair (170). These are interesting to look at, because we know that they aren’t correct. This is how we should think of our stereotypes of other cultures and ethnicities.
This concept is relevant to my life since every single one of us make stereotypes in our heads subconsciously. I want to learn to be more aware of the stereotypes that I hold and try to notice if I am creating negative feelings to any particular group because of them. I want to learn to be open minded in any situation where I meet a person that might be different than me, because not every person fits the stereotype molds that could have been created in my head. On the other hand, I am going to strive to not completely wash away all stereotypes. There are some really neat things in different cultures, and I want to be someone that can help people embrace the different cultural values that they might hold. Learning that not all stereotyping is bad was a big eye opener for me.
