SPC 1017 Group 1 Blog

Hi everyone! My name is Alicia Urrutia and I am in group one. My group was in charge of chapter 3, and I had to do my part of the project on 3.2. My experiences with group projects are often not good, as sometimes you need to pick up the slack of others that do not show up and do not do the work. My lessons were on sexual orientation and religion. When I asked my team for input on my two lessons, I was amazed at the amount of support and help I was given. Everyone had different opinions, which helped me understand my topics more. It educated me a little more as well as I was getting all of this feedback as well. My two lessons are touchy subjects that is frequently talked almost every single day in today’s society. 

 

    Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. The dominant American culture has historically valued and privileged heterosexuality. People who deviated from the heterosexual norm were often severely mistreated. Our society is a little more accepting of the LGBT community than they were long ago, but it still does not change that they receive hate and backlash for their lifestyle. Although laws that reflect a change in attitude toward sexuality are gaining popularity, people who are not heterosexual still face discrimination, as well as legal and physical threats. Therefore, co-cultures exist across the country based on the collective experiences of those who embrace a sexual orientation that is not heterosexual.

       

When it comes to religion, it is about the same. Many people have their opinions on it. There is always an argument with this touchy subject, like as if people can not share their opinions without being bashed about it. With my teammates, we were able to express our different opinions on religion, and surprisingly, it did not end up in an argument. We were very accepting and respectful about everyone’s opinion. 

      A religion is a belief system with a set of rituals and ethical standards based on a common perception of what is sacred or holy. Although the dominant culture in the United States values religious freedom, historically it has reflected monotheistic Judeo-Christian values and practices. Many religious co-cultures exist harmoniously across the country today. Unfortunately, some people in the United States have become prejudiced against Muslims based on a misunderstanding that inaccurately equates Muslims with Al-Qaeda, the militant group responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 

 

I am extremely proud of my group. We were able to give feedback to each other and all did our part in such a short amount of time, we did an amazing job. The communication was spectacular and there was nobody who did not do their part. We were all able to give enough information about our sections and we even learned from each other as well. That is a great thing to happen, being able to teach each other something. 

       Group 2 did amazing as well. They were assigned to do Chapter 9, which was about mostly about support groups. They as well were able to give so much information where everyone could understand it. I enjoyed the part where they spoke about Pseudo Effect and how it can challenge others when in a group environment. What the Pseudo affect is, it is a conflict between a group or person that the reason for it is poor communication. The other group can agree with what the other group is saying but the reason why they do not agree is because they did not explain clearly what was being said. That is what leads to disagreements and what is called the pseudo-conflict. So, for me I always try to explain things right so we don’t get in disagreements, when it is possible that they would be in agreement with me.

 

      Group 3 did an outstanding job with their slides and their teamwork was so visible, you were able to see it through the camera. They were assigned to do Chapter 10. The slides they did talked about identifying and defining a problem in a situation. It is important to get everyone on the same page in the group so everyone can understand the problem or issue. The best way to identifying and overcoming a problem in a situation is to first take accountability for your own actions. Identify where it went wrong, literally starting from square one so you all get to the end result together as well. Simply speaking with each other in a professional manner and everyone is able to explain themselves without it having to escalate is the first step into identifying and overcoming the problem. Once you identify your main problem and take accountability, you will be able to talk to your teammates and will find the solution. 

 

       With that being said, I am very proud of my group and as well as all of the other group and my classmates as well. In fact, everyone in the class is so dedicated and are so helpful with one another. We all have this respect for each other, even with classmates that do not talk that much but are engaging with us as much as they can. My classmates and my professor included are really nice people and can help whenever they can with whatever one needs. This class is a breath of fresh air and it feels so nice and comforting to be able to work with classmates who are willing to get the job done and so helpful with one another. Considering the fact that the class did not really have that much time to really dig into this project, but still managed to excel tremendously throughout their entire presentation. I am extremely glad that I chose this class and I cannot wait to do another project with my outstanding team.