English 101

Diversity Discussion Board

**********This forum consists of two paragraphs. In the first paragraph, please reflect on your experience with one of the activities this week (e.g., Nacirema article, the diversity quiz, multicultural self worksheet, etc.). Describe your assumptions and thoughts prior to this activity, your experience during this activity, and your thoughts and reactions upon completion of the activity. Discuss what was affirming, challenging, surprising, enlightening, etc. Think about the relation and impact of this activity and the information you learned on your career development process.

1- HERE IS THE LINK FOR multicultural self worksheet
( : http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/activities/circlesofself_handout.html )

2- Nacirema article, the diversity quiz ARE DOWN BELOW IN
( additional materials )

************In the second paragraph, choose one of the videos from this week’s materials. Think about what you knew about this topic beforehand and what you were thinking and feeling during the video. Discuss what was affirming, challenging, surprising, enlightening, etc. Think about the impact and relation of this video’s content on your own career development and future vocational choices.

HERE ARE THE VIDEOS LINK
1- A Class Divided – Video-2
( http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/etc/view.html )

2- Gender and Leadership Video-2
( http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders.html )

THNK YOU

ANSWER

Diversity

Before beginning the activities, I thought of myself as a diversity-conscious person until I realized that I have several blind spots in diversity and multiculturalism. I realized and understood that different people go through different challenges because of their diverse nature. Through the activity, I got to understand discrimination and prejudice. Modern America looks progressive and like one that does not have racism, but racism exists in every corner of our country. It was enlightening to learn that diversity does not mean understanding or agreeing with the different cultures of different people. It means accepting them even if one does not understand their perspective (Ferdman, 2017). From the studies, I also learned that it is easy not to see beyond one’s privilege. An example of such a situation is whereby African Americans cannot walk around freely without the fear of being profiled or the way a gay person cannot freely have a picture of their spouse and family without receiving some type of reaction from their colleagues.

Through this activity, I understood that I will get to interact with people from different places throughout my career. Women, men, LGBTQIA, people of different communities and ethnicities, and it is upon me to understand that people are different. Through the differences, it is essential to learn cross-cultural communication and be culturally intelligent (Mead & Jones, 2017).  I also learned that stereotypes are mostly untrue and lead to false expectations. For example, it is inaccurate to assume that every African American man is an athlete or has participated in some sports at a point in their life. It isn’t very kind to assume, and therefore, the best thing to do is ensure that there is clear communication and that I am not making any assumptions (Verkuyten & Yogeeswaran, 2020).

Sheryl Sandberg, in the ted talk, addresses one common topic, which is women in leadership. Over the centuries, women have struggled to have a seat at the table. Over time the world has slowly and gradually been accepting of women in leadership positions, but this process has been so slow because women have to keep making sacrifices. Women are torn in between the role as a mother and a wife and their role as a leader. Many women struggle with the decision of going for the senior position at the place of work because they are not sure they can do bot. This does not apply to man, and this is what makes it unfair. Most men in leadership positions have families, but most women in leadership positions have sacrificed that part of their lives. Sandberg, in the video, advises women not to give up on their dreams because they feel like they cannot do it all. It is unfair that women have to quit their jobs to take care of their families.

As a future leader, I will think more about women’s role in society and ensure they are getting equal opportunities as men. It is wrong that a woman cannot get a promotion because she has children. The fact that she has children should be reason enough for society to give women equal chances as men because that woman is setting an example for future generations. From the video, I learned that women need to step up more and fight for the top positions. I also learned that fighting for leadership positions does not necessarily mean giving up on her family life.

References

Ferdman, B. M. (2017). Paradoxes of inclusion: Understanding and managing the tensions of diversity and multiculturalism. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 53(2), 235-263.

Mead, R., & Jones, C. J. (2017). Cross‐Cultural Communication. The Blackwell Handbook of Cross‐Cultural Management, 283-291.

Sandberg, S. (2013). So we leaned in…now what? https://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_so_we_leaned_in_now_what/up-next

Verkuyten, M., & Yogeeswaran, K. (2020). Cultural diversity and its implications for intergroup relations. Current opinion in psychology, 32, 1-5.