Video Analysis

The stereotypes and misconceptions that exist in the society may mislead the contemporary students’ perception of their peers. Consequently, it is difficult for students from different cultural communities to adapt to the modern social environment. The first video under analysis reflects numerous existing stereotypes and judgments regarding the spoken language of students that undermine the learning process. The second video shows that the US society needs to avoid stereotypes and patterned thinking regarding culturally sensitive students. The comparison of two videos reflecting the personal opinions of the representatives of diverse cultural groups and viewpoints of Native Americans on the elimination of the cultural conflict shows the essence of the course and sociological perspective of the imperfections in the contemporary learning process. 

Overview

The first video, Group # 1: Language and Culture, is dedicated to language differences between students belonging to various cultural communities. At the beginning of the video, a Chinese student recalls having problems with the stereotyped thinking of other students during communication with them (SOC EDS 117 CHANNEL, 2016). However, there is a high learning potential in the cultural exchange and comparison of different cultures’ lifestyles. The authors of the video tried to raise the awareness of other students about the potential benefits of communication with students from other cultures. In addition, in the video, the authors emphasize the issue of accommodation of such students to the educational system of the USA.

The second video, Group #15: How Does Language Carry Power in Schooling?, highlights the impact of language and cultural differences on the learning process. According to the video, the aforementioned issues raise tension among students belonging to different cultural communities (SOC EDS 117 CHANNEL, 2016). The video focuses on the efforts to find the best ways to address the problems students belonging to culturally sensitive groups face. These students feel both non-spoken and obvious tension because of social stereotyping, which puts labels on students incapable of speaking pure English due to the influence of their native language. 

Video #1

The group video successfully reflects the essence of cultural peculiarities of different students and their experience regarding the joining of the US community. In the majority of cases, communication barriers arise because of social stereotypes, which could be eliminated due to increased communication with the representatives of other cultures (Bresser, Melanese, & Sphar, 2009). In my opinion, it would be appropriate to add more information about the ways of avoiding barriers to intercultural communication. However, this video focuses more on the personal experiences of the interviewed students rather than on general social stereotypes. 

According to the video, active intercultural exchange would be beneficial to students. It should become the new hope for the future of international relations, along with the sharing of experiences not only in the educational sector but also other fields of human activities (Bresser, Melanese, & Sphar, 2009). In contrast to the second video, the first video does not provide any explanation of stereotypes that define the perceived thinking models of students belonging to the white community. However, the video is useful because it shows the potential advantages of active communication with students from different cultural communities. 

A major peculiarity of the first video is that it puts a special emphasis on the issue of equity and access to education. For example, in the video, a Hispanic student who started his learning at the age of four at one of Boston elementary schools and received full language support shares his experience. Thus, the video shows that there is a possibility that contemporary schools will encourage the same initiative and will strive to facilitate the smooth transition of international students into the US system of education. The same idea is present in the second video. 

In addition, the video uses various sociological terms and highlights different issues learned throughout the course. It encourages people to engage in communication with culturally sensitive students in order to understand their lifestyle and worldview (Delpit, 2006). The video is a highly inspirational work that provides information supported by interviews, which show that students should learn how to accept each other and value each other’s uniqueness. 

Exclusive savings! Save 25% on your ORDER
Get 15% OFF your FIRST ORDER with the code my15off +
10% OFF every order by receiving 300 words/page instead of 275 words/page

HelpOrder

Video #15

The video highlights the difficulties students belonging to different cultures face in the US society. According to the authors, the students who belong to the upper-middle class of the white community grow up thinking that other cultural communities should strive to speak English with the same fluency and clarity as they do (Goodwin, 2010). Otherwise, their language is considered inconsistent with social expectations. In order to improve the video, I would include more examples of students from different cultural backgrounds who face social pressure, since it would emphasize their vulnerability and social injustice. 

Unlike the first video, in the light of the discussed social issues students face, this video suggests reframing the educational process. Besides, the video mentions that it is necessary to accept culturally different students together with their peculiarities and specific needs. Such students should not feel any discomfort while learning the same subjects as white Americans because of their language differences (McCarty, Romero-Little, & Zepeda, 2006). By the end of the video, it becomes obvious that culturally diversified classes should encourage an active inclusion of all students. According to the video, effective intercultural communication may help the US society to solve the problems of discrimination, social tension, and stereotyped thinking. 

In addition, the authors of the video strive to raise awareness about the difficulties students from different cultural communities experience when trying to access the same base of knowledge as white Americans. This means that the contemporary educational system does not provide students from different cultures with enough resources and information that would boost their learning process. As a result, those students find it difficult to learn English and understand the goals and objectives of other courses (Gutstein, 2007). Such challenges cause tension and stress among those students, who, consequently, feel lonely in the society that does not want to recognize their cultural needs and peculiarities. 

The analyzed video also supports the information learned during the course. It reveals the essence of stereotyping, cultural diversity, cultural peculiarities, special needs of students in the educational process, and equality among learners. All these aspects have a significant impact of the quality of education students receive and on their accommodation to the US society. Moreover, the video supports the course’s idea that there is a need to revise the current educational system in order to take care of culturally sensitive students. There should be no chance for racial inequality based on the language of . 

Conclusion

The evaluation of both videos helped me to understand the difficulties international students and immigrants experience. They often find the educational process challenging because of their language and cultural peculiarities. The group projects covered the essence of the problem in three-minute videos. The videos are structured in such way that I managed to understand the complications students who belong to different cultural groups face. There is a need to reframe the existing school system in order to make the educational environment more welcoming to students from different cultures. Otherwise, stereotyping will impede effective cultural exchange and social transformation.