1. What was the most interesting course topic and why? The most interesting course topic I found was the article we read on Katrina Why Katrina’s Victims Aren’t Refugees: Musings on a “Dirty Word and the English Language Amendment. In the Katrina article I found it interesting and true how just one word can have a big impact on someone and the feeling they get from hearing the word. The categorical word used by the media for people who had to leave their home behind, was "refugee". The author showed that the “tendency to label Katrina victims as ‘refugees’ was part of a racialized discourse that, through it emphasizes on responsibility and accountability, surreptitiously excluded poor New Orleans residents from it’s public, thereby helping to “naturalize[e] social inequality”. (Masquelier) The word the author used in this article was ‘displaced person’, instead of using the word refugee. The label ‘refugee’ was an insult to the displaced people of Hurricane Katrina. The Katrina survivors felt that the word made them less, made what they went through less. It was interesting how the media played such a big role in how the rest of the world was seeing what was happening during the storm and its aftermath. The media only showed what people would watch and talk about, and made sure to show the world social stigmas. Because of what the media chose to show, the world only saw social deviance. They expected to see the social norm of crimes committed and people not coming together as a community, so that’s what the media showed. There was crime, but there was also community togetherness. I had an idea that not everything was shown on TV but I didn’t know how much until I read this article. This article shed light on Katrina and how the people of New Orleans were left behind and not taken care of the way they should have been. I also found it interesting that people said they had no idea people lived this way in the United States; in such poverty. I will never understand how people pretend everything is so great in this country. They must be in denial of the poverty here and choose to ignore or neglect anything that has nothing to do with them. Reading this article shed light more on the fact that we have arrogant people in this country and someone needs to step up and do something about it. We should work harder to help people that have no way of helping themselves for whatever reason not just monetarily but also with rehabilitation from whatever has brought them into those circumstances. Another article I found fascinating was on the English language amendment. I discovered that we don’t have an official language in the United States very odd. To succeed in this country a person needs to know English. Every document and law from the beginning of the history of the United States is based on the English language whether working, dealing with the government, or going to school. I understand that people are passionate about their own language and feel that they should not ‘have’ to learn English to live here. I think these people need to face reality and know that to get anywhere here they need to know English. The government should not have to pay for people to learn the language. The people that choose to live here should find a way to learn the traditional language. If we as Americans only know English, go to a different country and want to succeed, we have to find our own way to learn their language. I do not see any reason for people coming to the United States from other countries that speak other languages to get the privilege of taxpayers paying for them to learn our traditional language. I would respect the language of other countries and they should respect our language.
2. What course content and assignments about language and culture connect to other courses that you have taken? I found the topic on Cultural relativity to connect with my major, Psychology. The definition of this is “the idea that differences exist among cultural systems can make as much sense as your own and that it is possible to learn to under stand different cultural systems” (Ottenheimer). This definition would be something you would need to learn in psychology, because you are dealing with people that may have different problems than yourself. A counselor needs to understand and listen to what a client is saying and doing in their world to be able to help them. The definition is good so that you can understand them, but I know that the meaning is to understand the client and not to change them. That choice is up to the client, and psychologists only help them to discover the answer themselves. That is the difference in anthropology and psychology. With anthropology you learn to understand but not change, and with psychology you need to understand but help them change.

3. How have course content and assignments about language and culture reflected your understanding of everyday experiences? The way the course content and assignments reflected my understanding of everyday experiences is that I came to understand more about other cultures and how things work in their world. I feel this class has given me the chance to be non- judgmental of other people and how they live. I must say that I think this class should be a requirement in college because in the real world you have to deal with the opinions of other people. I believe this class would help judgmental people face the fact that everyone is not the same. One of the biggest problems we have in our country is the judgment and stigmas people place on one another. One example I have faced the most is the stigma of religion and how homosexuality is ‘wrong’. This stigma is something I wish I could change and help people to understand that it is not a choice. You are born to either be attracted to a male for a female sexually and people should not pass judgment on other people for that biological attraction. This is one of the reasons I am against organized religion. This is a big passion of mine, to convince people and make them feel better about homosexuality. People need to recognize that it is ok to be homosexual and it does not affect you in any other way. Some people do not want gay people in this world and believe that gay people should not have children. When I hear people say this, I use things I have learned in this class and things I have learned over time to try to convince people that they need to GET OVER IT! There are many unwanted children in this world and gay people who cannot have children can adopt and make that one less child in the world that is not unwanted. I also think people are ignorant when they use the bible as a reason they are against this, while they have a beer and cigarette in their hands. I think this class would be something to help the world become a better place. I may be contradicting myself when I say all of this because it seems that I am judging other people for their opinion, but if anyone could give me a good reason to think homosexuality was wrong than maybe I would be ok with their opinion; but to this day I haven’t heard even one.