VIETNAM PRESENTATION
This first presentation was for my Intercultural Communications class. In this class we were expected to present a country and give some background information on their history, culture and traditions so my classmates had a better understanding of what their day to day living situations entailed. After this we looked at Hofstedes cultural dimensions to compare and contrast power distance, masculinity, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, long term orientation and indulgence to see how these character traits would translate in one on one interactions and in the classroom. Students were able to analyze the information in the presentation to see if they would be interested in teaching english abroad in Vietnam one day!
CULTURE AND IDENTITY THROUGH ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA PRESENTATION
In this presentation I explored how depending on the specific region, the type of language or in this case “english as a lingua franca” is important in shaping both culture and identity. In the presentation I touched on how identity is constructed in relation to others and how this makes discourse an essential tool to construct ones own identity. Based on the context and interaction, language can also create significant power differences through eloquent vs non-standard linguistics. In an English as a foreign language environment, people can feel a multiplicity of identities that can conflict when when trying to fit neatly in a membership category. This is because language practices symbolize identity which in turn, feedback to language. This means that language, along with identity, can be seen as a process that is complex and constantly changing to suit the needs of the user. Because of this multitude of complexity, cultural identities cannot be assumed simply through use of a language but negotiation between one’s sense of self and others ascribed identities is crucial.