Ideology deconstruction Middle Eastern in US culture

Assignment overview:

Your assignment is to conduct a critical reading of yourself. In essence, this is a subjective exercise that requires you to dig deep and try to examine your self as a text that exerts influence and is influenced by a multiplicity of events and experiences. Essentially, I will grade your paper based on evidence of deep critical reflection and demonstration that you understand how individual experiences and group norms serve to shape the way you construct your identity. Remember that identity is constructed in at least a three-fold process: self, group, and the other. A critical aspect of this paper seeks to address the following questions: how might my cultural identity influence my effectiveness as a teacher? How might my identity be different if I had been socialized into a different race, ethnicity, social class, religion, sexual orientation, gender, etc.? You may want to consider at least some of the following questions:

· Analytic

This section seeks to describe who you see yourself as being. Who am I? Who is it that I try to tell people I am? What are my interests? Why am I interested in these things? How is my "self' manifested in the way I walk?, talk? , dress? , in the food I eat, in my personality? , etc. Who do others say I am? What do people say about me behind my back (or what you think they say). How am I constructed? What biases or assumptions do I hold about others? What is my worldview about cultural differrences? How has my race, gender, social class, religion, sexual orientation, exceptionality, language, etc. influenced my identity? Have I experienced a privileged life? How and why? Have I experienced life as being disadvantaged? How and why? (and any other relevant questions).

· Interpretive

This section attempts to make connections on why you are who you are. How am I different from or similar to others? What historical or cultural events have happened in the past that might have had an impact on the construction of my "self?" Who, or what influences have served in the construction of my worldview? What narratives, myths and symbols have shaped me? What are some of the activities or events that I participated in as a child that might have influenced me? Who and what are the main influences in my life? In thinking about my closest relationships, are most of the people like me in terms of cultural background? Do I have a pattern of developing relationships only with people who are like me? Why or why not? What are my experiences with people who are culturally different? How does my identity and values align with those of the dominant U.S culture? How have my schooling experiences impacted my cultural identity? (any other relevant questions).

· Normative

This section seeks to address the values you uphold. What values do I uphold? To what or to whom do I owe these values? What is potentially problematic about my values? What is beneficial? What things do I fine to be funny? Are they really jokes, or do I uphold and maintain stereotypes by supporting and telling these jokes? Do I readily seek transformation and accept change? Do I generally support the status quo? What changes would I like to make in the construction of my self-text? How might my current identity impact the way I relate to students or others who are culturally different? How might my current values impact teaching and learning in my classroom? How does my current identity impact where I ideally want to teach and how I perceive students from varying cultural backgrounds and ability levels? (and any other relevant questions).