Writing 5-7 pages about meeting a person from either Japan or South Korea. Choose one of them to write about

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INST 110I: INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT

FALL 2017

Cultural Identity Project

Prof. Quirino de Brito

Here are some suggestions by way of a tentative rubric for your most important learning activity

in INST 110I this semester. I have named this class project The Way of Neighbors, the Voices of

Friends: Past and Emergent Cultural Identities.

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: This required assignment in Introduction to International

Engagement (INST 110I) is a culturally-oriented [cross-national] activity intent at bringing to

scrutiny the main concepts discussed throughout the semester. As an in interactive exercise, this

Project aims at supporting face-to-face dialog in a collective effort to foster awareness about

community identities within and beyond our campus.

OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this activity is to strengthen our potentials for cultural and

linguistic competencies as we become increasingly part of a highly inter-connected global

society.

THE TASK [Nuts & Bolts]

1. You have been asked to identify and interview an international student from a cultural group (i.e. nationality, ethnical background) distinct from your own, per our class

discussion. The preference here is that you establish contact with a global citizen living,

working or studying in Chico or its vicinities (i.e., Butte College). FYI: Just at Chico

State, we have over 500 international students enrolled in our various academic

Programs. This international student cohort may as well constitute the best source of

information for your CIP Project. Representatives of these are: Saudi-Arabians (188),

Indians (85), Chinese (72, and Kwaitians (44). But, Chico State also boasts enrollments

from other nations such as Germany, France Brazil and Mexico, among others. By now

you should have been able to have signed up for a country you would like to write your

essay on.

Again, please make sure you interview [face-to-face] at least one person from the

cultural/linguistic group which you have chosen to write your paper on. Of course, if you

find more than one representative for your group who might be interested in sharing their

story with you, the better. This will render your story stronger, and increase your write-up

reliability. I really encourage this choice, though you are not required to follow this path

as this choice will demand extra time for data gathering, organization, analysis and

writing.

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NOTE: Your interviewee must be a native of the country you have chosen, and ought to

have lived in that country for at least 10 years. Please avoid interviewing mom and dad,

or your immediate siblings. Also, refrain from doing Skype, Facetime interviews as well.

As discussed in class, the main idea behind this project is for you to reach out to the

wealth of international students, and the enviable pool of citizens from around the world

who live among us (i.e., in school, neighborhood, and city).

A good starting point in selecting the individual you will be interviewing is to draw from

the pool of international guest-speakers who will be coming through our class this

semester. Other great sources to identify and pin down your informants include, but are

not limited to, CSU, Chico’s Center for Regional and Continuing Education (CCE), and

the rainbow of ‘global students’ on campus (Contact: CSU, Chico’s Study Abroad;

Office of International Education - SSC, fourth floor).

2. Your intellectual task is threefold:

a. Conduct an interview of someone who was born and lived overseas for more than 10 years;

b. Compare and contrast self-perceptions, between your target cultural group (the country you have picked) and your own (American). [This exercise will help you

spell out the similarities and/or differences between the two cultures];

c. Discuss how this juxtaposition of cultural identities have helped you sort out individual cultural features which define the particular group you have selected to

interact with.

PROJECT OUTCOME

Reflective Essay [5-7 pages] This is the final product of your “Culture Identity” Project, where you will report the

findings from your interviews/conversations with your selected cultural group. You will

use this essay as a base for preparing yourself for a collective discussion, an in-class

forum, or individual presentations. Due date: Thursday, October 19th, 2017 by midnight, as per our Syllabus.

PURPOSE

The main purpose of this essay is for you to test some concept applicability in the day-to-day

realities of people belonging to cultural groups (and/or subgroups) different from your own.

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FORMAT

As to the general format for your final paper, I strongly recommend that you follow the

suggestions below [FYI: More specific guidelines on the completion of your CIP essay will be

provided to you during the course of the semester]:

a. Paper should be typed and double-spaced (Times New Roman, font 12); b. Special attention must be given to correct spelling, punctuation and grammar; c. Develop a narrative that is consistent with your thesis statement, and is backed up by

tangible information (i.e. data collected from your informant(s), books, journals,

newspapers). Make sure you have an outline readily available, before you start to weave

together your narrative, develop an argument, or build your story [No shopping list,

please!];

d. Give your paper a title which will read as a summary (synthesis?) of your write-up; e. Generate a title page which identifies: course, term, instructor, student, and paper title; f. Make sure you quote your informants adequately; g. Your paper should contain no less than 5 type-written pages, double-spaced), exclusive of

References, Notes, etc.;

h. Make sure you integrate into your essay the materials covered in class this semester (i.e., Textbook, PDFs, films, and guest-speakers);

i. Consult/research a minimum of two (2) additional peer-reviewed publications (i.e., journal articles, books) beyond the list that I have provided to you in INST 110I; integrate

the readings into your narrative, plus add them to your bibliography;

j. Use quotations appropriately (i.e., cite the source, and date); k. Please use the writing style you are most familiar with. Experience has it that the most

folks who take INST 110I have adopted the MLA Style. Nonetheless, if you are

comfortable with APA’s, please go ahead and use it. You will not be penalized for

adopting your favorite style of writing.

SUBMISSION

The deadline for submission of your final written essay is Thursday, October 19th, 2017 by midnight.

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APPENDIX

INFORMED-QUESTIONS [Drawn from our readings plus discussions in INST 110I]

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

1. Here you should collect some basic information on your informants [This is essential information which you will need while writing your research findings, right?]

a. Name b. Age c. Country of origin (citizenship?) d. Gender e. Professional identity (i.e., student, teacher, professor); if student, which major. f. Race, and/or ethnicity g. Length of stay in the U.S. h. Education [Major, degree status]

PERCEPTION OF SELF

2. If, say, you are interviewing a Mexican citizen, you might want to address the following questions:

a. In your opinion, what does it mean “to be Mexican”? In other words, “what makes a

Mexican a Mexican?”

b. Maybe, a follow up question to “a” might be: “If you were to tell me one characteristic

that defines you as a Mexican, what would that characteristic be?

CONCEPTIONS AND/MISCONCEPTIONS

3. What are some of the misconceptions people (i.e., Americans) have about your culture/people?

SIMILARITIES AND/DIFFERENCES ACROSS CULTURES

Here are some suggestions for questions to ask from your informants which will

assist you in drawing comparisons between your selected group’s culture and

American culture(s):

4. What are some of the most obvious similarities between your country and the United States? What are some of the differences?

5. Is your country’s youth (i.e. college students) LESS or MORE politically/civically engaged than the young generation of students in the United States? In which ways?

6. What are some of the similarities and differences in terms of social and community ties in your country? (i.e., gregarious, individualistic, collectivist)?

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7. What are some of the more explicit values people in your country live by?

8. Has the social media affected the way people have traditionally interacted in your country? How?

9. What is the most significant cultural barrier between your culture and the American Culture?

This is my favorite set of questions for our cultural identity project this semester. I am sure you

have other concerns which speak more closely to your interest(s) and curiosity about other

cultures. Please feel free to add your own questions as you start to streamline your dialog with

your interviewee(s).

IF, after reading these instructions, you are still unclear as to how to successfully complete your

‘culture identity’ assignment [i.e. essay submissions through TurnItin], please do not hesitate to

ask: in class; during my office hours (Tuesday, 5:00-5:30 P.M.; Thursday, 3:30-5:30 P.M., and

by appointment); OR, write to [email protected]. Also, I can be reached by phone at (530)

898-3251. In case of any emergency, you are welcome to call me on my cell: (530) 680-3961.

Prof. de Brito