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Unit 2: Cultural Interview Assignment

This document includes:

Assignment Objective

Assignment Specifics

Tips on Conducting an Interview

Possible Interview Questions

Assignment Objective: To learn more about and gain a deeper appreciation for cultural difference. To investigate the relationship between culture and place. Sharing and learning more about another’s cultural story and differences will give you greater cultural competence!

Written Assignment Specifics

Introduction: In the first paragraph of your essay, please introduce your interviewee. Who is she/he? How old is he/she? How do you know the person? Why did you decide to interview the person? Here is where you provide a little background or biographical information. Please also indicate how you conducted the interview (phone, in-person, Skype, etc.) in the introduction.

Interview Summary: Summarize what you learned about the person’s culture and life from the questions you asked. You do not have to write about every single thing you talked about. You can provide the highlights. *Below is a list of possible questions and tips on conducting the interview.

Culture & Geography: Discuss at least one relationship you saw in the interviewee’s story between place and culture. You can also discuss course topics of population, immigration, migration, or globalization in terms of this connection.

Conclusion: For this final section of your essay, talk about how the interview experience went for you and your interviewee. How did it go? Reflect on what you learned from the interview experience. Did it deepen your cultural awareness or appreciation? How?

Tips on Conducting an Interview

1. Explain to the person you are interviewing a little bit about the assignment. Most people are happy to help a student and to share about their life! Please put them at ease. Let them know it is up to them what they share and that anything they discuss about their history and life is valuable. Let them know you appreciate them talking with you. Ask permission to take notes or record the interview.

1. Pick a quiet comfortable setting to conduct the interview or make sure the phone/skype interview is done in an appropriate setting free of distraction.

1. It is important to focus on your interviewee. You want to make eye contact, show interest, and be a good listener. *Please keep in mind sometimes when you are asking questions about culture and a person’s background it can sometimes get very emotional for that person. Sometimes your interviewee will get choked up or cry. It is important to show empathy.

1. If they seem uncomfortable about a topic or question, please just move on. If they don’t want to talk about certain things that is OK. There are plenty of things they can talk about to still make for a great interview. This is not about getting answers to every question; it is an experience of getting to know this person’s life story better and making a connection at a deeper level.

1. Ask open ended questions. In other words, you are asking how, why, for examples, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if you don’t understand. Also a good technique is to say things like “can you tell me a little bit more about that?” Don’t be afraid to add follow up questions that fit and seem to flow. Like I said it is not about hitting every question. It is about getting to know the person’s history (story) better. Encourage! Think of this more as a guided conversation.

1. Prepare interview questions ahead of time. You can choose from the questions below, and you can also add your own questions.

1. It is always good to end your series of interview questions by asking, “Is there anything we haven’t discussed that you want to share about yourself?”

1. Finally, please make sure at the end of the interview to thank the person for taking the time to do the interview with you.

Remember: It is important to have a plan for the interview before it begins. Create a list of questions you want to cover in the interview. You do not need to cover all the questions on your list. You don’t have to ask them in a specific order. It is natural for one question to lead to another or back to another topic. Below is a list of questions you can choose from. You can also make up your own questions.

Possible Interview Questions

Questions to gain biographical information include things like:

What is your name? Where were you born? Where did you grow up? Do you have siblings? What is your work (volunteer and/or paid), or educational background?

If the focus of your interview involves immigration or someone who is second-generation, questions could include things like:

Where did you move from? When? Why did you or your family leave to come to the US? How was the adjustment to life in the US? What do you miss from your homeland or what have your parents/grandparents mentioned that they miss? Were there any customs you and your family have worked to preserve? Are there any customs that have changed or you have given up? Why? What is the best thing about living in the US? What is the worst thing? Do you feel like you are assimilating? Is living in America what you or your family expected it would be like? Explain.

*If focusing on a regional move like maybe interviewing someone who moved to the North from the South. You could adapt the above questions to reflect migrating within the US.

Questions about Culture:

If English is their second language, ask the person what languages they speak? Ask if they still speak the native language and in what settings (home, school, work).

What holiday traditions do you celebrate in your family? Can you describe some of the special customs, foods, or memories? Are there important traditions passed on to you from your parents or grandparents? Have the traditions been changed or adapted?

Ask questions about food. Are there any foods or recipes important in your culture? Have they been passed down? Have the food traditions been changed or adapted? Why? Is food an important part of celebrations and culture? Is there someone who prepares the food for holidays and celebrations?

Ask the interviewee to share stories about their childhood. This could include asking the interviewee to discuss favorite childhood memories. Maybe a house they grew up in? A neighborhood or school? You can even ask them about cultural or societal differences they see from when they were young and today. Did they grow up in the city or country? Did they have lots of family around? Do they miss the place they grew up?

You can ask about religion. What is their faith background and/or current faith? What role does religion play in their life or family life? How did church or faith impact their growing up? Experiences?

Some other interesting cultural questions include:

Have you ever been excluded by others based on your cultural differences?

Have you ever been discriminated against due to race or ethnicity? In what way?

Are there any stereotypes or misconceptions about your culture? Can you please explain?

Are there any gestures, actions, or words that are seen as very disrespectful in your culture?

In your culture, how are the elderly viewed?

Are there any specific views on parenting or raising children in your culture? Who are the main caretakers of children? Is the importance of family stressed in your culture? How?

What is considered respectful in your culture? How do you show respect in your culture? How do you greet people in your culture that are family, friends, or strangers?

How is personal space and physical contact viewed in your culture?

What roles are typical in your culture in terms of gender or age? How is gender viewed? Are there specific gender roles or gender bias?

How is the concept of time viewed in your culture?

Are there any heirlooms, objects, or places that help you stay connected to your culture?

Is there anything we haven’t discussed that you want to share about yourself or your culture?

Note: The Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage has some wonderful information on how to conduct oral histories and an interview guide. Some of the possible interview questions above were adapted from their guide. Feel free to check out their oral history resources at http://www.folklife.si.edu/education_exhibits/resources/guide/introduction.aspx

References

Hunt, M. (2003). The Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide. Retrieved from http://www.folklife.si.edu/education_exhibits/resources/guide/introduction.aspx