Identify an interview subject with a different cultural background than you.

How you present yourself to others is an important part of being a social worker. Being able to present yourself in an open, caring, and professional manner helps with building rapport and influences your clients’ willingness to share their experiences. You also must be skilled at interacting with clients who are different from you.

Interviewing skills are also very important, as you have seen, and social workers must be mindful of how to conduct an interview in a culturally competent and culturally sensitive manner.

In this Assignment, you have an opportunity to practice your engagement and assessment skills. You conduct an interview with an individual from a different culture than your own to learn their perspective about culture and gender. The goal is for you to explore the cultural norms within that ethnic or cultural group.

To prepare:

• Identify an interview subject with a different cultural background than you.
• Download the “Interview Presentation: Questions” handout from the Learning Resources.
• Ask your interview subject the questions found in the Interview Presentation handout. Be sure to record the interview (with participant’s permission) and/or take good notes.
• You will not submit the interview itself. You create a presentation about the interview.
• Use the Personal Capture function of Kaltura Media to record a PowerPoint presentation. Your video should be 4–5 minutes but no more than 6 minutes.

By Day 7

Submit a recorded PowerPoint (PPT) presentation about your interview with a person from a different culture than your own. Your PowerPoint presentation should include 8–10 slides and should be 4–5 minutes in recorded length.

In the PPT presentation, address the following:

• Identify basic background information of the interviewee.
• Provide a summary of what you learned about the individual when conducting this interview.
• Analyze the individual’s cultural experience at the:
  • Micro level
  • Mezzo level
  • Macro level
    • Support your analysis at each level with scholarly resources.
• Describe your reaction to this activity.
• Reflect on these reactions and explain why you believe you may have experienced these thoughts and feelings.
• Describe what you learned and explain how you can apply what you learned to the social work profession.

Please remain mindful of confidentiality and privacy of the interviewee when presenting information in the educational environment.

Interview Presentation: Questions

To prepare:

• Identify an interview subject with a different cultural background than you.
• Ask your interview subject the questions below. Be sure to record the interview and/or take good notes.

During the interview, ask the individual the following interview questions:

• Have you ever lived or visited outside of the United States? If so, where? Describe the experience.
• What do you identify as your culture?
• What are the most important values and beliefs of your family and community?
• What are the important events, traditions, celebrations, and practices in your family or community?
• How does your family or community define gender roles?
• How do you identify your:
  • Race
  • Ethnicity
  • National origin
  • Color
  • Sex
  • Sexual orientation
  • Gender identity or expression
  • Age
  • Marital status
  • Political belief
  • Religion
  • Immigration status
  • Disability status
• How well do you fit within your family or community based on these other identities you hold?
• How do you think others outside your community view your culture?
• Have you experienced prejudice or discrimination? Please describe.