Amy Tran

English 1050

December 13, 2021

Course Reflection

Question 1: What are the most important concepts that you learned about culture in this

course? Why are those concepts important to you?

The most important concepts that I learned were Ethnicity and Immigration, and Intersections

of Cultures. Before this course I knew nothing about Angel Island. Many that immigrated to

America did so for a better life without knowing the hardship or reality of it. The poems that

were written on the walls tells us the reality. Many were detained against their will for long

periods of time. They were treated poorly. Coming to America was the opposite of what they

imagined, and some regretted leaving their country. (https://www.aiisf.org/poems-and-

inscriptions) Those who are born in America are very fortunate that they don’t have to go

through the process of immigrating here like those who went through Angel Island, and some

still struggle today.

The video, The Danger of Telling a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is probably my

favorite takeaway from this course. I never thought about why I thought about certain cultures

a certain way. It’s because that’s what I was told and all I knew. Until I was told otherwise, I

stereotyped many cultures.

Question 2: Which learning experiences in this course helped you develop or strengthen your

ability to think critically and analytically about representations of diversity?

I really enjoyed the weekly discussions. I enjoyed reading everyone’s stories and how different

we all are. Each week I felt myself grow more comfortable in my writing and replying to others.

For our culture project it was very helpful getting feedback on my work from other classmates.

Question 3: What are the most important concepts that you learned about diversity, equity,

and inclusion in this course? How might you apply your learning about those concepts to

future experiences both in college and outside of school?

It’s very important to be educated on diversity. Diversity is everywhere we go – school, work,

and just our day to day lives. You cannot assume that everyone is just like you. Due to my

workplace, I am exposed to so much diversity. Whether it be with fellow employees or the

people I take care of. As a college student, I feel we should all be patient with our classmates.

Everyone has a different way of learning. Some may be more or less education than ourselves.