Cultural Immersion Project - Individual Encounter and Synthesis

You will conduct an in-depth, 1-hour interview with an individual or married couple from yourselectedcultural groupin order to develop an understanding of the cultural factors that helped shape that individual's or couple's cultural identity.

A variety of issues may be explored in the interview. The knowledge you gained from both parts of the Cultural Immersion Project as well as your sense of the person/couple you interview will guide you in how personal you can get with your questions. Cultural groups and individuals vary on how private they are. Use their feedback regarding what areas you can probe. If the person is very open, go deeper. If not, respect that cultural boundary and ask yourself why that boundary is there. Issues that you may wish to explore during the interview include, but are not limited to, the following:

· Early childhood experiences and parental values;
· Earliest memories of recognizing membership in a culturally different group;
· The role of religion/spirituality;
· Immigration experiences;
· Similarities/differences between couples' interactions in the U.S. to couples' interactions in the individual's culture;
· School experiences as a member of a cultural minority;
· Experiences with subtle racism or discrimination;
· Experiences with overt racism or discrimination;
· Ways the person/couple chose his/her/their career(s) or made career choices;
· The experience of being culturally different;
· Attitudes regarding the majority culture;
· Extent of desire to assimilate majority cultural attitudes, values, and lifestyles;
· Feelings of oppression;
· Feelings of anger toward majority culture;
· From the person's/couple's own cultural background, any potential racist attitudes toward or stereotyping of individuals from other particular cultures; and/or
· Strengths identified from the person's/couple's cultural background that help him/her/them cope with living in the U.S.

Once your interview is complete, you will answer the questions listed below. First person may be used in your answers. This assignment may also be in outline form instead of formatted as a traditional paper; however, you must observe correct and current APA style. The paper must have a correct title page, and you must use a reference page (no abstract is needed). A word estimate is beside each question; however, the quality of your answer is more important than the word count. You may expand further, but you do not have to do so.

1. Share some of the background of your interviewee (or couple). What is this person's/couple's story?

2. How open was this person/couple? Why do you think this was?

3. What were some key cultural events (interactions with the majority culture, experiences of racism, positive experiences with the majority culture, etc.) for this person/couple?

4. What was your sense of this person's/couple's acculturation level and racial/cultural identity development? Why do you think this is the case?

5. How did you respond emotionally toward this person/couple during the interview? Given aspects of your personal experience, why do you think you reacted this way?

6. Based on the interview experience, what knowledge about this cultural group was added that you did not get from the previous parts of this assignment?

7. Remind yourself of the biblical worldview lens material considered in this course (see the presentation titled "Interpreting Culture" in the Module/Week 1 Reading & Study folder). What are some strengths or elements of common grace that you see operating in this cultural group? How can individuals pray for people in this cultural group?

8. Which part of this immersion experience (Part 1, 2, or 3) was most helpful to you in learning about this cultural group? Why do you think this was?