1. Arrange an Interview with someone from a different culture. For this assignment, we will define “different culture” as someone who had a different first language than you. In other words, the first language that she/he learned as a child should be different than the one you first learned as a child. If you are uncertain whether your interview subject meets the criteria, consult the instructor. Let the interview subject know that the interview is to help you complete a class assignment about culture. You may meet face to face in a public place (perhaps buy them a coffee or take them out to lunch), or you may interview your subject via an online communication tool, such as Skype, Facebook Messenger, or Google Hangouts. You may not, however, conduct a voice-only interview. You must be able to see your subject in order to observe their non-verbal communication (as they may be different than yours and therefore important to the assignment). Also, be sensitive to different cultures’ attitudes about the interaction between genders.
2. Prepare a few questions ahead of time that will help you learn about her/his culture and how it is different (or similar) to yours. Try to go a little deeper than surface level questions so that you get beyond a simple discussion of material culture to cultural elements such as values and norms. If you are interviewing someone from outside the United States, an interesting line of discussion might be asking what parts of US culture he/she finds similar, different, confusing, surprising. Even if you have socialized outside the United States yourself, you may find the same things confusing but for different reasons (another interesting line of discussion). Another helpful line of discussion with someone who is living away from her/his home is what activities, people, objects, foods, etc., that she/he misses most from home.
3. Enjoy a conversation with your cultural informant about his/her culture and how it is different than your culture. Remember to take notes
4. Write a 3-page (double spaced) paper (approximately 750 words) composed of two parts:
A. Description (approximately 500 words) – describe what you learned from this assignment, making sure to include…
i. Who you interviewed (name, first language, and country of origin) and how you know them or connected with them
ii. Some of the questions you asked, especially ones that were most helpful in discovering more about your informant’s culture
iii. What you learned about your informant’s culture. Be sure to use the concepts and terms from this week’s module (examples include beliefs, folkways, norms, sanctions, symbols, values, material culture, etc.).
B. Reflection (at least 250 words) – describe what you learned about yourself from this assignment, making sure to include the following:
i. Contrast what you learned about your informant’s culture with your own cultural background. Be sure to use the concepts and terms from this week’s module as you contrast your cultural backgrounds.
ii. Use the assignment to reflect on how growing up in your culture has shaped you.
