Perspectives on Culture and Diversity

My definition of culture: Everything that makes up who a person is, how they interact with others, their behaviors, beliefs, customs, ideas, characteristics… This includes their race, religion, ethnicity, class, language, appearance, dress, customs, traditions, daily life style, choices, and perceptions about the world around them.

 

My definition of diversity: All of which encompasses who we are as an individual, and directly relates to our individual culture. In my opinion, diversity and culture go hand in hand, because our culture is who we are as diverse individuals.

 

ELL Teacher at my school (title one and “inner city”) -

“I'd say that culture is the specific thoughts, behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, taboos, norms, dress/appearance, and important symbolism that constitute a group of individuals collectively.
Diversity is the variety seen with ethnicity, gender, SES, background and other factors in a group.”

 

Walden Colleague -

“Culture- being human, embracing family traditions, acknowledging differences, individuality, religion, race, language, how we dress, behavior, hierarchy. 

Diversity- culture, tradition, differences, how we perceive each other, behavior, embracing individuality.”

 

Sister in-law and fellow Kindergarten teacher at a “country school” –

“I would say that diversity is including all different types of people and ideas, etc.

Culture is the beliefs and customs in a community.”

 

Which aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received—and what are some examples?

 The terms tradition, differences, perception, behavior, religion, ethnicity, race, are all commonalities in the definitions.

 

Which aspects have been omitted—and what are some examples of such omission?

I believe that gender, socio-economic status, sexual-orientation have been omitted in these definitions.

 

In what ways has thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these topics?

I think that this is assignment is a perfect example of how we each individually think, perceive, process, and communicate differently; all of which relate to our culture and diversity as a person.