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Culture Map Exercise

1. List all of the various cultures that you belong to (or that you would say have influenced the way you communicate). There are no right or wrong answers. You can identify any and all cultures (as we have defined that term) that make sense to you.

American

Man

African American

Christian (African American Catholic)

Fraternity Brother/Friend

Father

Academic/Student

Mentor

Brother/Sibling

Urban (Hip-hop) Music Culture

Middle Class

Son

Husband

2. Graphically “map” all of the cultures in terms of their importance in your life now and their relation to each other. You can use any format you wish to map things. You may use different geometric shapes for various culture, different sizes, etc. Again, there are no right or wrong answers. Whatever mapping captures your sense of your cultures is fine.

EX:

3. Draw points of tension between your cultures. Which cultures tend to have norms for behavior that differ? That conflict? Which cultures are most in tension in this way? Draw arrows or other indicators to show that.

· Christian (African American Catholic) has tension Urban (hip-hop) Music Culture. From the age of 6, I was raised within the hip-hop culture. It has stuck with me throughout the years. Thirty years later, I get baptized at a Catholic Church.

· There is tension being African American in America.

· Most of the time, being a student/academic conflicts with my being a husband and father. There is only 24 hrs. in a day, and the time spent between work and school, there is not much left for my wife and children.

4. Which of these cultural tensions are most likely to cause you internal conflict?

Which of these cultural tensions are most likely to cause conflict with others?

· Tension being African American in America, and not having enough time left in a day for family and children because of school and work creates the most internal conflict. These cultural tensions can also creates conflicts with others.

URBAN (Hip-Hop) Music

Culture

American

FATHER

MAN

SON

HUSBAND

Middle Class

Christian (African American Catholic)

AFRICAN AMERICAN

Academic/Student

FRATERNITY BROTHER

MENTOR

FRIEND

SIBLING

URBAN (Hip-Hop) Music

Culture

American

FATHER

MAN

SON

HUSBAND

Middle Class

Christian (African American Catholic)

AFRICAN AMERICAN

Academic/Student

FRATERNITY BROTHER

MENTOR

FRIEND

SIBLING