You will need to select a person who will serve as the foundation for assignments 2 through 4 of the ethnographic interview series. Please select that person before beginning the research for this assignment. You will conduct research on the interviewee’s culture for assignments 2 and 3 and conduct the interview for assignment 4. Do not include content from the interview in this paper because this is assignment 2 of the series and should contain content and analysis of the research you conducted on the interviewee’s culture.
1. Considerations for selecting a person for the interview: When considering the possibilities for the interviewee, note that the interviewee
– may not be someone who is related to you or had any influence on your upbringing.
– must be from a different culture than the culture you would identify as your home culture.
– must have spent the majority of their developmental years under the influence of parents or guardians who were born/raised in the culture they are representing for the interview.
– must be able to respond to interview questions in the first person, as a locally born, active participant in the culture they will represent during the interview.
– may not be someone who moved into the culture for work or ministry purposes as an adult or was transplanted into the culture by their non-national parents. Please do not interview a military kid or a missionary kid or an individual who moved to the culture represented in the interview as an adult.
2. Culture and worldview considerations: Be sure to identify and describe the cultural context and worldview of the interviewee. Howell and Paris define culture as “the total way of life of a group of people that is learned, dynamic, shared, power-laden, and integrated.” This means that culture can be identified by geographical location, but also by the shared experiences which impact the worldview (beliefs, values, and practices) of a group of people.
The culture that is chosen for the ethnographic interview assignment series should be based on a specific geographical location such as England or Mississippi or a group of people who have a shared experience that classifies them as a cultural group such as a tribe. Be sure that the cultural classification is not too general, such as a continent. Africa is a continent made up of distinct cultures, so please do not say that your interviewee is from Africa.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines worldview as “a set of fundamental beliefs, values, etc., determining or constituting a comprehensive outlook on the world; a perspective on life.” For this assignment, you will describe the components that make up the typical worldview in your interviewee’s cultural context. Describe the beliefs and values that your sources on the interviewee’s culture have identified as the main influences of perspective in your interviewee’s culture.
– It does not suffice to say that your interviewee is a Christian or a Muslim or a follower of any other religion, without describing the context. Individual and family application of beliefs can differ depending on the context, and it is necessary to describe how people in a particular context (a small American town in southern Mississippi, a large Pakistani community in London England, etc.) apply their beliefs (Christianity, Islam, and any other religion), in their context. Using the research findings on the interviewee’s culture, show how the average person in that culture is influenced by the worldview usually attributed to people in that context.
3. So, who can you interview? You may interview an unrelated immigrant, international student, foreign professional, a neighbor who grew up in a different country or in a significantly different region of the US (for example, you grew up in New York City and your neighbor grew up in southern Texas), etc. Remember that the interview only takes place after assignments 2 and 3 in this series, but you must select the interviewee now so that you can conduct research on their culture and worldview for this assignment (assignment 2) and assignment 3.
Instructions for the Paper
The paper should contain the following four sections and these section headings may be used as the section headings in your paper. Please do not copy the questions into the paper:
1. Introduction: Use a pseudonym (fake name) for the interviewee. Briefly introduce the interviewee and identify the country or cultural group and religion of your interviewee. How do you know the interviewee? Why did you choose to interview this person?
2. Research on the Interviewee’s Culture: Conduct research on the worldview, cultural values, cultural practices, and conflict approaches most prevalent in your interviewee’s cultural context. Examples from scholarly research on the interviewee’s culture must be used throughout the paper. At least five citations from three different scholarly sources on the interviewee’s culture should be included in the paper. The course textbooks may be cited, but sources specific to the interviewee’s culture are also required. Because this is the research step in the process, statements about the interviewee’s cultural beliefs or practices must be supported by scholarly sources.
• Worldview: What is the main religion practiced in the interviewee’s culture? What do people in this culture believe about God and humanity? How might these beliefs impact the values and practices of a typical individual or family in this culture?
• Cultural Values and Practices: How does the typical worldview in the interviewee’s cultural context impact perspectives on and approaches to relationships, communication practices, and conflict?
o Relationships: Which relationships (societal, marital, familial) are most valued and what impact does this have on individuals and family life in this context? Is the culture collectivist or individualist and how does this perspective impact interactions within the community and with “outsiders”?
o Communication Practices: Are people direct or indirect communicators? Are they low or high-context communicators? What values are made evident through the various communication styles/practices? How might communication practices impact communication within the community and with “outsiders”?
o Conflict: How does this culture approach conflict? Do they express their thoughts and feelings publicly? Is “saving face” important and how does this concept impact community and individual approaches to conflict?
3. Researcher Worldview and Cultural Comparison:
• Researcher Worldview: Describe the elements that make up your worldview. What do you believe about God and humanity? How do your beliefs impact your values and practices?
o Describe your perspective and approach to relationships, communication, and conflict. How does your worldview impact your approach to relationships, communication, and conflict? How does your perspective impact interactions with people from other cultural backgrounds?
• Cultural Comparison: Compare your personal beliefs and practices to those shown to be typical in your interviewee’s culture. Use examples from the research.
o How do your personal worldview, communication practices, relationships, and approach to conflict compare to the approaches in the interviewee’s culture?
o Based on the research on your interviewee’s culture, discuss one possible challenge in interactions between yourself and someone from the interviewee’s culture.
4. Reflection and Conclusion: Thinking back on your research findings and personal worldview, what considerations should be made as you prepare for the interview? How might your knowledge of the anthropological perspective, participant observation, and rapport be useful during the interview? Briefly discuss one Cultural Anthropology concept that has been helpful in the interview preparations.
The assignment must be written as a formal paper and should include the following elements:
• Length of Assignment: minimum three pages of content
o In addition to the three pages, the paper should include a title page and bibliography.
• Format of Assignment: Current Turabian formatting is required.
• Number of Citations: A minimum of five citations from three different scholarly sources, including the textbooks and other scholarly sources, are required.
• Acceptable Sources: Scholarly sources are defined as textbooks, books written based on academic research, and academic journal articles. You may also use cultural websites supported by academic research such as the Cultural Atlas and Hofstede Insights.
• Unacceptable Sources: travel websites, personal blogs, information blogs (about.com, bibleinfo.com), consultant sites, popular culture websites, essay writing websites, Wikipedia, YouTube, opinion articles, sources that do not have an author, sources that do not cite their research sources.
Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.
