The purpose of this assignment is to examine, analyze, and reflect on your intercultural communication skills and competence. You will apply intercultural praxis to develop your analysis. You will write a 2-3 page essay describing and reflecting on a specific incident or interaction you had in a culturally diverse context.
In your essay, start by defining in your own words each of the six parts of Praxis.
Second, briefly describe the interaction.
Third, apply all six parts to the event you are analyzing. You must use all six parts of praxis.
Develop your analysis of the interaction by considering the following questions to help develop your analysis (Do not list your answers for each question in your paper. Use the questions as a prompt):
How would you evaluate your communication competence in this interaction?
What were the social and cultural factors that influenced this particular interaction?
What were the historical contexts and/or group dynamics that shaped this interaction?
How were you positioned socially and historically in relation to other people involved in this interaction?
How is cultural identity shaped in this interaction and how does it influence how people communicated?
How is this interaction shaped by relations of power based on race, gender, class, sexual orientation, class, and other differences?
How does globalization or migration shape/inform the interaction?
How does popular culture shape the way the interaction took place?
What kind of values, norms, and expectations were there?
How did you experience “difference” and how did you respond to it?
EXAMPLE 1: Let’s say your roommate made a sexist, racist, or homophobic joke. You responded to the joke by laughing at it, ignoring it, or questioning it. How did you manage the situation at the time? How might you handle it differently if you used Praxis?
EXAMPLE 2: Let’s say you started dating someone who practices a faith different from that practiced by you and your family. While this is not a big problem for you and your girlfriend or boyfriend, it is clear that your parents do not necessarily like your interreligious relationship. How did you manage the situation at the time? How might you handle it differently if you used Praxis?
EXAMPLE 3: Let’s say you work as an office assistant. One day you receive a phone call from a customer who does not speak English well. You struggled to understand him or her, but he or she is trying to communicate to the best of his or her ability. How did you manage the situation at the time? How might you handle it differently if you used Praxis?
