Assignment
This assignment requires that you have an intercultural interaction with someone from a culture different than your own, read about that different culture in depth, reflect upon it and write about it. Once you have identified the "friend" you will be interacting with for this assignment, read up about their culture and history ahead of time. Formulate some questions you want to ask them about their culture and experience. Spend 3-4 "contact hours" with the person or group from a culture different from your own. Talk to them or interview them about their culture. Observe their interactions (if spending time with a family or group). The purpose of this assignment is to help you learn about a cultural system that is different from yours through reading and through interactions with members of that cultural group. Write a 3-4 page reflective paper about the intercultural experience in which you have participated. The paper should include:
I. a detailed description of the experience
II. a discussion of the history of the cultural group you interacted with, as well as the values and assumptions operating in the other cultural system
III. a discussion of how the other culture differs from your own and implications for future interactions
IV. attention to the context in which the interactions occurred and how that affected the communication, as well as the power positions of your own race/ethnicity/group compared with that of the culture you interacted with.
V. an application of concepts, skills and attitudes learned thus far in the course to your understanding of the experience