3.2 Discussion: My Cultural Identity

Overview

Chapter 8 defines culture as the ongoing negotiation of learned and patterned beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors.  From the definition we can see that culture is a process and changes over time.  We learn our culture through our communication with others.  Through this communication, our identity is formed.  This is known as Social Constructionism.  The chapter states that personal, social, and cultural identities work to shape the overall self.  Race, gender, sexual orientation, and ability make our cultural identities along with religion, age, nationality, and class.

Your Task (2 Parts)

Part 1

1. Review Chapter 8 on Culture and Communication.
2. Respond to the following questions:
   • Based on the components of cultural identity in the chapter, describe a situation in which someone ascribed an identity to you that didn’t match with your avowed identities.
   • Why do you think the person ascribed the identity to you?
   • Were there any stereotypes involved?

Part 2

1. Respond to TWO classmates’ discussion board posts.
2. Focus on the components of cultural identity leading to accuracy or inaccuracy of the perception of identity.

These are the questions we will discuss this week and reflect on throughout our journeys; and by the end of the journey you should have a better sense of who you are, what you want out of life–both personally, socially, and professionally, and how to communicate more effectively to get it. The quality of our life depends significantly on our communication skills; so the time we invest in improving our communication skills is time well spent.

Discussion Board Posting Instructions

In order to successfully post to the Discussion Board and interact with your peers, refer to the following pages which contain step-by-step tutorials and discussion board guidelines.

• How to Post to the Discussion Board
• How to Respond to Your Peers on the Discussion Board