Humanities Homework Help

Community Activity or Personal Interview (40 points):

• Option One: Students will complete an activity outside of class in which they are to attend, observe, or participate in an event in the community with multicultural features.

Each student is required to attend one cultural event which is outside of their usual sphere of experience. You will select a culture with which you are unfamiliar and attend an event that enhances your experience and understanding of that culture. The event MUST involve personal interaction during which you ask questions to increase your knowledge of this culture. As interaction is imperative, films and television are NOT permissible. The event MUST take place during the course of this class. Events could be as disparate as a family dinner, a religious service or a cultural event. Please check with the instructor should you be uncertain about your selection. You will then write a brief essay on this experience (2-3 pages, double spaced).

The paper should include:

• Why this cultural event was outside your usual sphere of experience.
• What you learned from this experience that you didn’t know before.
• The verbal interaction that took place.
• A connection to class content (specific references should be made with proper APA citations). You are required to cite the textbook but other academic sources are encouraged.

• Option Two: Interviewing a Person from a Foreign Country

In this project you are required to interview at least one individual who was born and lived in a foreign country until the age of 18 or older. You should then turn in a 2-3 page, double spaced, typed report on your interview. Your report should focus on differences in psychological processes (e.g., development processes like child rearing, cognition, attitudes toward mental illness and its treatment, etc.) between your culture and that of the person you are interviewing. Remember to focus on psychological functioning; this is not an anthropology or sociology course. If your report seems to simply describe the general culture, social institutions, and lifestyle of the culture, your report will receive a low grade. Your report should include a short biographical sketch of the person you interviewed. Finally, your report should present your own conclusions about similarities and differences in psychological functioning between your culture and that of the person interviewed. In conducting the interview, it is a very good idea to prepare extensively beforehand. For example, you should make a list of topics you wish to cover in the interview and then construct a series of specific questions you wish to ask the person to make sure all topics are covered. You must submit a copy of the questions along with your submission of your paper (this is not part of the 2-3 pages). You might want to consider using a tape recorder (with the person’s permission) rather than attempting to take notes during the interview.

*2-3 pages is just a guide. If you write less than 2 pages, you have not fully responded to the prompt. Your response should not be more than 4 pages.

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