They are meant to be expressive, and they need to be. It is essentially a language activity, and, like any other language activity, it is unavoidably culturally based. It is always a case of a descriptive pattern constructed by one cultural group and inevitably often used to describe other groups. For this reason, this is a rich field for study of how groups see each other and how groups view the way that they are characterized. The symbols and artifacts of the past have multiple significance.
Cultural heritages are more than ancient relics and what one's elders tell one.
Also, entertainment industries, political pressures, and governmental and educational policies form them. The comments are not representative of the entire range of students' opinions. I thought this course was very well fit for the requirement. I think this course makes me analyze things around me more, not just accepting things as a fact. I try to look through surface and group things inside, in a core.