Understanding your Own Culture
How do you identify yourself? We often think of our biographies as our own unique life experiences. In one way they are, and those experiences come to shape subsequent ideas and beliefs that we have. But in another way, we all participate in a social world: we occupy certain positions that carry certain expectations for our behavior; we grow up in a family; we attend school; we get punished when we misbehave. While the specifics of our experience are unique, we share these broad types of experiences.
Description of the Assignment
This activity requires you to reflect on your own biography and to write out a brief version of it using some guiding questions. The purpose of this exercise is to help you to focus on your own biography, and how your biography is both shaped by many social forces around you and how it, in turn, shapes your current ideas and experiences.
Written Requirement
Write a formal, structured four to six (4-6) page, double-spaced, typed, research, narrative, and qualitative paper about your own culture. The paper must include a discussion of your historical roots. Also, incorporate how your history and culture has an impact on your personal, interpersonal, social, and professional life.
*Grammar, punctuation, spelling, cohesiveness, format and length will also be included as a significant part of the evaluation of this assignment.
Points to cover:
o Discuss where your family is from (biological, adoptive, foster, blended, or non-traditional). When did your family arrive to the United States?
• The nationality and cultural backgrounds of my parents and grandparents are:
- Each parent's mother:
- Each parent's father:
- My parents:
o How does the culture of your family influence your experiences and how you understand and relate to others?
o Discuss the social, economic, and political character of your growing-up family. This should include not only "upper-middle-lower" class, but also, what type of occupation your father and/or mother worked, their education, etc.
o Discuss your gender and how it influences your experiences.
o Discuss your age and how it influences your experiences.
o Discuss the religious orientation of your parents and how that background influences your experiences.
o Discuss your sexual orientation and how that background influences your experiences.
o Identify special events or experiences that were particularly memorable. Why were they memorable? What impact did they have on your later life? Specifically, were there memorable events related to your gaining your own independence from your family?
o With all of the above in mind, reflect on how your life now (if you are married, your family life) is similar and/or different from that of your growing up family. What is your educational background?For example, with regard to social class, your rules for conducting yourself and your family, etc.
o How would you compare your family to the family you grew up in?