Cultural Experiences Assignment

Monterey Peninsula College

Intercultural Communication (Spch 4)

Professor: Daniel S. Fox, Ph.D.

Objective

This assignment asks you to learn about some of the public activities that involve people from other cultures and to participate in them. These can be meetings, festivals, religious services or events, cultural events such as music or theater performances, demonstrations, or lectures.

You must receive approval of the instructor before you participate in the event.  You must write a short memo the states (1) your name, (2) where the event is taking place, and (3) what you plan on observing the specific event(s).

I will attempt to let you know about some opportunities in the area. However, you will also need to search the local newspapers, talk to friends, and use any other sources you can find in order to locate these cultural events. (The Californian or Monterey Herald Calendar section may be a good source.) Part of the purpose of the assignment is to make you aware of what is offered in the area that is multicultural. (If you locate an interesting event, please let me know as soon as possible so that I may announce it in class and/or post it on the website for others.)

Assignment
1.  EXPERIENCE:  You are to attend an event of a culture or co-culture different from your own.

2.  OBSERVATION:  Try to notice the various ways that you can see specific cultural characteristics of that culture being acted out. Observe non-verbal behaviors such as greeting behavior, speech volume, spatial relationships and gestures. How do they differ from your own? From what you expected? How do you feel as an “outsider” in that culture? What made you aware of being an “outsider”?

3.  TAKE FIELD NOTES:  Collect artifacts from the site (brochures, postings, web page data, mission statements, etc.) and write notes into a Composition Notebook.  Include your own observations (as described above), diagrams of where people where, and your assessments about the communicative interaction among the people in that culture.  The Field Notes will be handed in separately (see the Calendar for dates).

4.  REFLECTION PAPER: After you have attended the cultural event, you are to write a response to your experience. Your response should be approximately 2-3 pages in length and follow standard format (typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, 1 inch margins). You must attach (whole document should be stapled) your signed event approval form to your paper (this does not count as one of your 2-3 pages!).  

In addition to those possible questions suggested in the paragraph about Observation, include the following:

·        Describe the event, its purpose, the cultural group originating the event, when it occurred, and how you learned of the event. (no more than one paragraph)

·        Your discussion may include some of the following:

i.          What did you notice that was culturally puzzling to you?

ii.   Did you notice anything that might cause difficulties in intercultural communication between people from the cultural group sponsoring the event and people from your cultural group?

·        In one sentence, describe an important conclusion about intercultural communication due to your participation in this event.

Additional Notes

·        Remember, this paper is intended to be your responses to the experience of attending this event. It is not intended to be simply a summary of the event.

·        I will accept each paper as soon as you have completed it, but see the Course Calendar for exact deadlines.

5.  SHARING:  Be prepared to share a summary of the content of each of these responses in small groups in class (see Course Calendar for dates).  Sharing sessions for each person will be about 5 minutes in length.