Rachel and Ashley

How can rhetorical practices be attuned to local cultures and their diverse knowledge making practices? In light of the methodologies such as “training cultural impacts,” and “digital ethnography” (adopted by Maher & Getto), what effective measures can be adopted by technical and professional communication scholars to create and disseminate knowledge from diverse places and cultures?

• A recent example of local culture and diversity is the use of face masks. Asian people have been using face masks for several decades no matter if there is an outbreak. Now that there is a “justified’ reason for mace masks, it is not seen as a silly miscellaneous thing, but a necessary item. 
• Understanding context is important…. Context can help to view knowledge about diverse places and cultures in objective light … or from a universal perspective rather than just a western perspective. 
• Implementation of “intercultural connectivism” which uses “student personal learning networks or (PLNs) “as a means of operationalizing culture in social contexts by making visible the learners’ cultural orientation to knowledge, information, and learning, and by so doing, potentially expanding the learners’ intercultural competence” (p. 30). So  intercultural connectivist method of teaching (through the use of networks) seeks to encourage collaborative knowledge-making across cultural, technological, and individual boundaries. So in other words, Intercultural connectivism helps to broaden students cultural context
• Students in the implementation of methodologies in both religious studies and the digital humanities and curating information that integrates the students’ individual efforts with his or her comprehensive study of the sacred mapping of Buddhism.  When engaged in intercultural inquiry of this kind, it is essential to adopt an appropriate level of scaffolding that fosters maximum student engagement with multiple Cultures without generating significant student resistance to this engagement.

Rachel, Mo, Buke

Based on your reading of Leon Barkho, and Atiqa Hachimi articles, how do you think ideological discourses become normative? As professional communicators, how can you analyze such discourses critically in a way to offer a better representation or perspective to the local context or realities in a way to make your message more inclusive and respectful?

One group member gave an example of Trump. For example, when looking at Trump a lot of reporters paint him in a positive or neutral way rather than focusing on his negative qualities. Depending on how the reporter frames the president (as a result of neutralizing his behavior or making him appear more agreeable), his actions are downplayed and normalized. This normalization of his behavior allows ideologies surrounding/related to the president to become normative. Hegemony also plays a role in ideologies becoming normative because what the majority believes in the rest follows.

Having an first person experience and being unbiased may also help to offer a better representation or perspective to the local contexts or realities in a way to make messages more inclusive and respectful. Having first person experience as a result of actually going to the source will allow for the communicator to acquire more knowledge about the subject allowing for a better description of the subject. Additionally, providing two opposing viewpoints may also help.

Freedom of speech also plays a role in wether or not an ideology can become normative.

I choose to interview Ashley about her Fitbit

I know that Fitbits are used to track people’s physical activity. The Fitbit reminds me of an apple watch because it is shaped like a digital watch. The Fitbit is familiar to me because my mother also has one and uses it to track how many steps she takes in a day. I assume she has the Fitbit in order to keep track of her habits and make her scheduled more organized.

Q1: Did you buy the Fitbit in stores or did you order it online?

Bought at best buy.

Q2: Why did you buy the Fitbit?

Best buy

Q3: How long have you had the Fitbit?

She’s had it for a month.

Q4: Has it improved your wellbeing? Has it made you become more active? \

No, but she uses it to keep track of her steps

Q4: Has it changed your habits or your way of thinking?

Has not changed her habits but it does make her want to exercise more. Motivating her to take more steps

Q5: Do you like the Fitbit? Would you recommend others buy the Fitbit?

She does like it and she would recommend it if they want to see their steps

My name is Rachel Williams.

I did my undergrad in DC at The Catholic University of America. I studied media studies and communication. Thus far I have worked different positions as administration and marketing assistants. Last summer I had a marketing internship at an engineering firm. I would like to go into the field of PR, marketing, and communication.

I like painting, drawing, going to parks/trails in San Francisco, and watching horror movies.  A fun fact about me is that I paint with acrylic paints. I use bright colors and only paint women.

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