prison culture
Cultural Immersion Project Part 3 Instructions
Individual Encounter and Synthesis
You will conduct an in-depth, 1-hour interview with an individual or married couple from your selected cultural group 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 Parts 1 and 2, 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, then respect that cultural boundary and ask yourself why this boundary is there. Issues that you may wish to explore during the interview include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Early childhood experiences and parental values
2. Earliest memories of recognizing membership in a culturally different group
3. The role of religion/spirituality
4. Immigration experiences
5. Similarities/differences between couples’ interactions in the U.S. compared to in the person’s original culture
6. School experiences as a member of a cultural minority
7. Experiences with subtle racism or discrimination
8. Experiences with overt racism or discrimination
9. Ways the person/couple chose his/her/their career(s) or made career choices
10. The experience of being culturally different
11. Attitudes about the “majority” culture
12. Extent of desire to assimilate majority cultural attitudes, values, and lifestyles
13. Feelings of oppression
14. Feelings of anger toward majority culture
15. From the person’s/couple’s own cultural background, are there any racist attitudes toward or stereotyping of individuals from other particular cultures?
16. Strengths identified from the person’s/couple’s cultural background that help him/her/them cope with living in the U.S.
Individual Encounter and Synthesis
You will conduct an in-depth, 1-hour interview with an individual or married couple from your selected cultural group 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 Parts 1 and 2, 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, then respect that cultural boundary and ask yourself why this boundary is there. Issues that you may wish to explore during the interview include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Early childhood experiences and parental values
2. Earliest memories of recognizing membership in a culturally different group
3. The role of religion/spirituality
4. Immigration experiences
5. Similarities/differences between couples’ interactions in the U.S. compared to in the person’s original culture
6. School experiences as a member of a cultural minority
7. Experiences with subtle racism or discrimination
8. Experiences with overt racism or discrimination
9. Ways the person/couple chose his/her/their career(s) or made career choices
10. The experience of being culturally different
11. Attitudes about the “majority” culture
12. Extent of desire to assimilate majority cultural attitudes, values, and lifestyles
13. Feelings of oppression
14. Feelings of anger toward majority culture
15. From the person’s/couple’s own cultural background, are there any racist attitudes toward or stereotyping of individuals from other particular cultures?
16. Strengths identified from the person’s/couple’s cultural background that help him/her/them cope with living in the U.S.