Intercultural Experience Paper

For this assignment you are to plan an encounter with a culture other than your own.  You are expected to go outside your comfort zone when choosing a culture, but under no circumstances should you take any risks or put yourself in danger.

Your task is to place yourself in a cultural setting you are NOT familiar with.  Interact with members of that culture, and observe your verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors and outcomes in the process. Then, submit a 2-3 page typed, double spaced paper which should contain the following:

1) a brief description of what you did

2) an analysis of some initial barriers you may have and what you did to improve your intercultural communication competence/how did you address these barriers?

3) a discussion of what you learned about the culture overall and its communication style as a result of your experience.   For example, you could analyze the experience in terms of how you saw Hofstede’s Cultural values at work, or you could describe examples you witnessed of the cultures values, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, unique knowledge, and norms.

This paper does not require academic references, but you are strongly advised to read about your culture prior to visiting it.  Any advance reading you do would make an excellent addition to your paper.  Your paper should be formatted in APA style.

Make this an enjoyable and enlightening experience! Start now.  Do not wait until the last minute!  Below are a few ways you might interact with other cultures.  This list is NOT exhaustive.  Email your instructor if you have additional ideas or need more suggestions.

•   Festivals

•   Social events (weddings, parties, etc.)

•   Cultural events

•   Arts/Entertainment

•   Religious services

•   Holidays

•   Travel within Indiana (e.g. Amish country)

•   Developing a friendship at work or in your neighborhood with someone from a different culture and learn about their culture through various interactions (for ex.: you have dinner at their house)

The paper should be 2-3 pages, typed, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12 point Times New Roman font.  Please save your paper in .doc or .docx format to ensure your instructor can open it easily.  To understand how your instructor will grade this paper, see the attached Intercultural Experience Paper Rubric.  The rubric is also available in theAssignments and Rubrics folder under the "Resources" tab.