Middle East Technical University

Northern Cyprus Campus

EFL 279 Sociolinguistics and Intercultural

Communication

Learning Log 3 Culture and Socialization

Name: Hammad Anees
Student # 2103059

Submitted to: Dr. Besime Erkmen

Submitted on: 3/18/2017
The main idea discussed in the lesson was culture and how it varies through different regions. The

lecture can be divided into three main parts based on the idea discussed. In the first part we

discussed culture as shared and focused on the definition of race and ethnicity. We learned how

its a common misconception that race is considered a label based on biological traits and how

sometimes ethnicity is mixed with race. We also discussed the ethnic and racial categories presents

and how we fit into them. In the second part we focused on culture as relative and did a detailed

discussion on ethnocentrism. A couple of videos were also seen to further our discussion on the

topic. Another term we learned during this part of the lecture was ethno relativism which I found

quite valuable as the definition of ethno relativism aligned with my beliefs on cultural differences

hence providing me with a proper term to label my views. During the third part further discussion

on the topic culture was done and its definition was looked at, through different concepts to

understand it better. Since the topic in discussion was culture, I could relate a lot from the

discussion and could point out many differences too. One such difference was the victory sign

which is shown for victory in my culture but is considered offensive in many others. Being an

international student studying in a university with a diverse population, I encounter these cultural

differences and similarities daily. I think this has evolved me into a different personality as I have

picked up a lot of different habits belonging to different cultures and individuals. One thing that I

am still unclear about is that, does it fall under ethnocentrism if one speaks to another in a language

that is not common for the group of people they are sitting in? The teacher answered this question

in class stating that it does not and I agree with it partially. I think it is okay in an informal situation

but in a formal situation like a classroom full of international and local students, it falls under

ethnocentrism.