Culture

1.How is your culture portrayed?

E- American culture is portrayed as being very advanced and innovative. At the same time though, I think that people view individual Americans as ignorant.

S- South Korea has rich and distinct culture for over 5000 years.
From what I know, our culture is portrayed as unique.
People are very attached to each other and like to know about each others' lives. People care about each others and like to share things. However, there are fairly clear respect system in South Korea culture, which you must respect elders and treat them very well. Even someone is a year older than you, you still respect them.
South Korea has a rich culture in food. Kimchi is a signature food that represents Korea.
South Korean's unique traditional clothes, house, music, and other entertainments show the variety and uniqueness of the culture.

K- My culture is portrayed as a part of a bigger culture which is Arabic/Islamic culture. Other people or the media perceived our culture as old and traditional with women covered in black from head to toe, and men riding camels in the middle of the desert. However, Dubai as an emerging city has been famous for its rapid development and some people now is starting to look at our culture as modern and innovative.

M- The Arab culture is often portrayed as a savage man-dominated patriarchy, where women are oppressed and deprived from their basic rights. As incorrect as this notion is, people are starting to understand that that is not the case. However, that only applies to foreigners who live around here.

2.What sources do you look to determine culture?

E- Sometimes I feel that that only source we have to determine the cultures of foreign countries is just what we see on the news

S- I like using Books, newspaper, Internet, pictures, music, etc
Mostly, I learn cultures from medias such as movies, drama (soap Opera), and TV shows.
I also really like to visit the actual place or country and experience the culture.

K- The most important source for determining a culture is the people, because culture is constructed by its people. Other sources we can look into to determine a culture are literature and art.

M- People are the most important element of any culture. Culture is a by product of human interaction and a result of a growth of any civilization. That being said, people now a days judge on a culture based on what they see or watch in the Media. A huge but irrelevant source of information.

3. What culture aspects do you want to explore?

E- I want to explore traditions. I think it's interesting to see where they originated from and how long they have lasted. When you learn about traditions, you become less inclined to pass judgement.

S- a) The livings,The manner/respect,architecture structure and impact on the economy and the city/ culture, peoples' reaction to other country's culture and how they accept things, peoples' perception on appearance,the level of morality

K- What I want to explore in my own culture is the food, because I rarely eat traditional food. And what I want to explore in US culture is the relationships between people. I want also to experience living there and the feeling of how to live by my own as an adult.

M- I want to explore contemporary western culture. A culture that we know so much about but never experience.

4.What cultural stereotypes do you want to dispel?

E- I want to prove that not all Americans are ignorant and fat! And I think it's imporant that we learn about the Emirati culture so that we can understand the way they live and teach others.

S- I do not think Korean stereotypes exist, specifically. However, I think some people do not have a clear idea about division between the North and South Korea. some people think South Korea is a dangerous place to come because of North Korea.
Korean people are welcoming and caring.
I wish people don't define people by their outlook. I want people to really take time to explore and experience the different cultural aspects, and try to understand difference in culture.

K- There are many cultural stereotypes I want to erase from people's minds, such as that Emirati people are loaded and smoking rich, and how they perceive our religion as terrorism. moreover, when they see an Arab person, they don't care from where he is, but that all Arab people are the same whether they are from UAE or Saudi Arabia or Egypt or even Turkey which is not an Arab country.

M- I want to change the stereotype of Arabs being primitive,uneducated, and violent.