Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I interviewed three people this week and asked them about their definition of culture and diversity. I chose to interview my husband because he is a different gender from me, my mom because of our age difference, and my co-worker because she is African American which is a different race from me.

Culture:
My husband's definition is different customs and backgrounds for a group of people.
My mom's definition is the surroundings that you are raised in.
My co-workers definition is the way a group of people live within their society.

Diversity:
My husband's definition is the differences in people which could include race, religion, ethnicity, etc.
My mom's definition is the different cultures that we encounter in society.
My co-worker's definition is the differences and uniqueness in everyone and what sets them apart from everyone else.

There are some aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course that can be seen through these interview answers. The aspects of diversity being unique to everyone and diversity includes many things such as race, ethnicity, religion, and many more factors. The aspects of culture including customs, backgrounds, and belonging to groups of people. Culture is also about a person's surroundings and society that they have become accustomed to.

While I think these definitions gave me an insight into each person's individual answer and how they see culture and diversity, I have also seen things that I have learned through this course that were omitted in their answers. While culture can be about the different customs and beliefs that we can see on the surface, it also includes deep culture and the aspects that we cannot see. Diversity also includes aspects of social identities.

In learning more about people's definition of culture and diversity it has broadened me own definition as well as given me a new perspective on culture and diversity. Learning from others I can see that their definitions have been influenced by their own culture and diversity. This interview has shown me how important people's values and opinions are important to them and how each person can be influenced.