Artifact Reflection- Pillar 2 Pillar two that showcases a learning outcome for the Carroll University Communications major

must demonstrate a skill in responsible and sensitive communication with diverse others. To fulfill this requirement I selected a paper I wrote for COM207, Intercultural Communication. Due to the content in the essay that deals with a culture different from my own and the course concepts that I learned from class participation, I feel that this essay is the best example that showcases my ability to communicate with diverse others in a responsible and sensitive way. Intercultural communication was a course devoted to understanding how communication differs amongst cultures. The main thing I learned was that a culture doesnt consist of just individuals belonging to a certain country or ethnicity. A culture can consist of any group, club or organization who shares a set of meaning and symbols to have their own communication patterns. The class focused on understanding different forms of communication and how different groups used different mechanisms to satisfy their needs. I took this class second semester my freshman year of college, so I believe that it impacted me greatly because I still remember that we were taught to always have an understanding of a cultures communication that you wish to be a part of or communicate with. This artifact shows that I have met the department goal because it is a study done on Spanish culture and collectivism. It includes a literature review where the culture of Spain was studied with scholarly articles and a research method in which Jami and I interviewed two friends of mine who were studying abroad in Spain. We learned the standard customs that Spanish families engage in, including how individuals communicate with their families and outsiders. Before this project, I can confidently say that I was not aware of any Spanish family

customs. The research taught me the responsibility that comes along in researching cultures that are different than your own. You need to make sure to check your results with academic research to back up your claims. We had to make sure that we communicated our findings in a way that would be acceptable to the culture. A key idea was also being aware that their culture was different. Presenting this information in a sensitive way to make sure we were respecting the culture was important to us. If I were to do this project again I would proofread, proofread, proofread. I have definitely grown from freshman to senior year in the fact that I take so much pride in my papers and to have so many grammatical errors (especially in the lit review portion) was very embarrassing to me. I would also make sure to use more scholarly sources in my research, because these articles have a higher credibility than documents found online. These are things that come with experience and growing as a student and I believe I would receive a higher grade on this assignment if I had to do it now. I have definitely become more open to diversity after completing this project. It made me aware that every culture and family has their differences and just because someone doesnt do something your way doesnt mean that its wrong. This paper spearheaded me to be more open-minded in learning about cultures and understanding that being respectful of diversity is essential to success in the real world. You never want to burn any bridges by being insensitive to cultures because you never know when you could run into them again. I will use these skills by making sure to always respect different ideas from people. Diversity ensures that every day is filled with unique and wonderful opportunities and I plan to always keep an open mind when it comes to new cultures or ideas. Adapting to cultures is a skill that is essential to me, as you have to adapt to your new work culture as soon as you get a job outside of college.