Cultural Diversity: A Personal Perspective Assignment - Reflective Journal entries

Learning Outcomes -

1. Reflect upon, identify and articulate the importance of cultural awareness and understanding of intercultural competence

2. Explain and apply a range of theories needed to successfully live together in a culturally diverse world.

3. Identify and apply skills in mindfulness and critical reflection and awareness that supports your own development of intercultural competence.

4. Communicate orally and in writing an awareness and understanding of intercultural competence.

Instruction -

You will complete three reflective journal entries for this subject. For each journal entry, write at least 500 words, drawing specifically from the subject's learning resources and your own independent research (please indicate by using APA referencing). Respond directly to the journal prompt for each assignment. You are required to:

• Respond to the journal prompt highlighting something you have learnt from the subject's resources and your experiences.
• Reflect upon and analyse issues presented in the prompt. You are encouraged to reflect on the relevance of key concepts/ideas presented to your experience, prior knowledge, workplace or region.
• Effectively communicate & demonstrate learning by discussing key ideas/concepts from resources (and referring to authors using APA referencing).
• Articulate the significance of your learning (why it matters).
• Identify how you can use your learning, especially in relation to personal, social and professional contexts.

Reflective Journal Entry: Part A -

Prompt: 'Feeling like a fish out of water'

The expression in English- "feeling like a fish out of water"- is used to describe experiences and situations when we feel really uncomfortable, when we are out of our normal range of activities or environment.

DiAngelo and Sensoy (2014) state:

a fish is born into water and so simply experiences the water as one with itself; a fish has no way of knowing that it is actually separate from the water. And although the fish is separate, it still cannot survive without water. In the same way that a fish cannot live without water, we cannot make sense of the world without the meaning-making system that our culture provides. Yet this system is hard to see because we have always been "swimming" within it; we just take for granted that what we see is real, rather than a perception of our reality.

This echoes the Chinese saying,

If you want to know about water, don't ask the goldfish

Consider the above quotes in the context of intercultural learning and exploring cultural differences. "Water" refers to the things that we usually take for granted about our reality. What have you become more aware about as a result of your intercultural learning- in terms of your water- since starting this subject?

Attachment:- Assignment File.rar