Jennifer Escobedo

Teaching & Learning 339

Campus Survey Reflection

Going into theses interviews I figured I would get very similar answers from
everyone, but I was pleasantly surprised at how different everyone viewed culture, race,
and ethnicity. The one question that remained fairly consistent among the individuals
interviewed was the one dealing with stereotypes. I truly enjoyed interviewing my piers
on the subject of culture, race, ethnicity, and stereotypes because I got to witness for
myself how differently people view our society. In the end the most interesting and
somewhat disappointing conclusion I made from this activity were the views these people
had on stereotypes.
Like I mentioned already, I assumed most of the answers these individuals would
give would be similar and that turned out to be the case for the question on stereotypes.
Although that was what I expected still I felt disappointed by the fact that everyone had
experienced or come across these discriminating stereotypes. I believe it is a true
reflection of the damage media has had on our society as a whole. I also noticed that the
question of stereotypes was one that everyone confidently answered. All five people
hesitated on at least one of the questions asked yet they all knew exactly how to answer
the question on stereotypes. The fact that stereotypes are more common knowledge to
people than the definition of culture is so sad. I know there are positive stereotypes that
can help people be more culturally sensitive but everyone I interviewed only mentioned
negative examples. Stereotypes are such a large part of our society, more often than not in
a negative way.
Another interesting aspect of these interviews was the answers given for race and
ethnicity. It seems that most of the people felt that race and ethnicity were very similar
and had a hard time differentiating the two. The common answer was that race is a
persons origin but ethnicity is more specific to each person and how they identify
themselves. A couple of the people interviewed also asked me if I could tell them the
right answer after they attempted to answer which is when I realized I myself hesitated to
answer the question and also had a hard time giving a different definition of the two
concepts. This revelation left me questioning why this is; why do we not have a clear and
different idea of what race and ethnicity are as a society.
Finally, Ernst explains, in Chapter One Understanding Culture and Language in
Education, that there are many ways to describe culture and that turned out to be very
true based on these interviews. Every one gave what seems like their own interpretation
of what culture is and they were all correct in their own way. I interviewed people of
different race and ethnicity yet all but one person used traditions to describe culture
which shows that people value tradition in most racial and ethnic groups. I enjoyed the
answers I was given for defining their own culture because it gave me insight on the
different values cultures have and it was wonderful to see how people describe the
different aspects of their culture in such a positive way
 Campus Questions
(Marissa Medina)

1. How do you define "culture"? What defines your culture?

5 Like someones beliefs and experiences that have to do with religion, attitudes,
and values.
5 My culture is Mexican and American, Im somewhere in the middle of the two. I
don't feel like I'm fully Mexican or fully American, if that makes sense.

1. How do you define "race"? What is your race?

5 I think race is how you label a group of people with similar characteristics or
common beliefs.
5 I am Latino.

1. How do you define "ethnicity"? Of what ethnicity are you?

5 Im confused about what the difference is between race and ethnicity but I guess
its like the sub groups with in one group. For example under Latinos there are
Mexicans, Cubans, Salvadorians, ext.
5 I am Mexican.

1. Define "stereotype." Describe some stereotypes you have about people from other
cultures, races, or ethnicities. Where did you learn these stereotypes?
5 Stereotypes are when you judge a whole group and assume that they all have a
certain behavior. There could be good or bad characteristics attached to certain
groups.
5 Some examples are Asians cant drive or Mexicans are hardworking.
 From the media like television, more specifically the news, and probably my
friends. Definitely the media! Campus Questions
(Veronica Molina)

1. How do you define "culture"? What defines your culture?

5 Traditions that a group of people have that they use to identify each other with,
things that they believe in or have in common.
5 Unity is a huge part of my culture, like family and coming together with your
loved ones. Thats a big part of Mexican culture.

1. How do you define "race"? What is your race?

5 Race tells where someone is from, like the specific area they are from.
5 Hispanic.

1. How do you define "ethnicity"? Of what ethnicity are you?

5 Ethnicity is how you would identify yourself.
5 I am Mexican.

1. Define "stereotype." Describe some stereotypes you have about people from other
cultures, races, or ethnicities. Where did you learn these stereotypes?
5 Stereotypes are strong ideals that people have about certain cultures or ethnicity
that might not actually apply or be true. Predisposed ideals made about a group of
people that just kinda stuck around and are usually meant to degrade that group of
people.
5 Asian people are smart and Black cant swim.
 My piers, like in school. Campus Questions
(Josh Davis)

1. How do you define "culture"? What defines your culture?

5 Well, I guess culture is traditions or interests that a group of people have had for a
long time.
5 My culture is defined by music, food, and holidays. Like burgers and barbecue on
the forth of July!

1. How do you define "race"? What is your race?

5 Race is what you are like where you come from, your origin.
5 I am White.

1. How do you define "ethnicity"? Of what ethnicity are you?

5 Um I think its the same as race but more specific to you.
5 American.

1. Define "stereotype." Describe some stereotypes you have about people from other
cultures, races, or ethnicities. Where did you learn these stereotypes?
5 A stereotype is a general characterization of a group of people.
5 Asians are good at math, Black people are really loud, and Mexicans have a tan
skin color.
 Um I think I just heard them growing up from people around me and from TV.
Campus Questions
(Francisco Mendoza)

1. How do you define "culture"? What defines your culture?

5 Culture is traditions, history, art, and language shared by a group of people.
5 I feel that my culture is a mix of two culture but I feel that both are primarily
defined by art. Like music, dancing, and literature. But also food, filled with
different spices that are tend to be very hot.

1. How do you define "race"? What is your race?

5 Race is your origin, it is simply what you are born as. It like even if you don't
necessarily identify yourself as a certain race, biologically that is what you are.
5 I am Mexican.

1. How do you define "ethnicity"? Of what ethnicity are you?

5 I think ethnicity is a combination of culture and race. Its more like how you
would identify yourself based on your origin and your culture.
5 I am Mexican-American.

1. Define "stereotype." Describe some stereotypes you have about people from other
cultures, races, or ethnicities. Where did you learn these stereotypes?
5 Stereotypes are generalizations or assumptions of characteristics to describe a
group of people.
5 Ive heard stereotypes like all Americans are obese, Mexicans are lazy, All Asians
are smart, Black people are rude, and so many more.
 From people in my community and of course TV. Campus Questions
(Taylor Kendrick)

1. How do you define "culture"? What defines your culture?

5 Culture is our traditions and history.
5 I think my culture is defined by American history and the adversity involved in
our history. Also definitely art, such as music, poetry, and dance.

1. How do you define "race"? What is your race?

5 Race is a category people are labeled as based on what they look like and where
they come from.
5 I am Black.

1. How do you define "ethnicity"? Of what ethnicity are you?

5 Ethnicity is similar to race.

1. Define "stereotype." Describe some stereotypes you have about people from other
cultures, races, or ethnicities. Where did you learn these stereotypes?
5 Stereotypes are characteristics that are used to identify a large group of people or
population.
5 Examples of Stereotypes I've heard are, Asians have chinky eyes and Black
people are good at sports and can sing well.
From people in our society and from TV shows, media in general.