Overview
Assignment Guide—Midterm: Cultural Event
• Percent of Total Grade: 25%
• 100 points
This is the first measure for Key Performance Indicator #3.2.1—Students will demonstrate knowledge of multicultural counseling principles and competencies.
Description:
Best practices within the field of counselor education purport engaging multicultural counseling course students in interviews and cultural immersion experiences that facilitate transformational learning—rather than just having students passively observe course material (Mitcham et al., 2013). Therefore, during the current quarter, students are required to engage in a culturally diverse experience, event, and/or ceremony related to the following topics: poverty, gender issues, sexual orientation issues, race/ethnicity, advocacy, social justice, acculturation, etc.
Students will have the option to attend an event (e.g., religious or spiritual ceremony, volunteering at a shelter, soup kitchen, etc.) and write about that experience. OR: Students may also interview someone from a different cultural or ethnic background and/or religious group and write about that experience.
This activity and paper are geared toward getting you out of your comfort zone and encouraging you to engage in another perspective/worldview. This experience/event MUST be something that you have NEVER experienced so that it may open your eyes to a cultural group, experience, ceremony, or event that may help you become a more sensitive and culturally aware counselor. The expectation is not that you randomly insert yourself into spaces without permission but rather that you use this assignment as an opportunity to build relationships with others and engage in conversations that will facilitate an increase in your own level of cultural competence.
Students may also interview someone from a different cultural or ethnic background and/or religious group and write about that experience using the same seven questions. No family member or friend interviews allowed.
If you are unsure of what the interview should be about, be sure to inquire about assignment requirements beforehand with the professor. Interviews and events cannot be based on personal group engagement/involvement, friends, or personal family of origin or connection.
Papers should be five to eight pages (papers must include a title page, abstract, and references page; please note these items do not count in total page count). All papers must be written according to the current 7th edition of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Publication Manual (e.g., proper title page, font, line spacing, page numbers, abstract, headings, conclusion section, properly formatted reference page, etc.). Also be sure to include date, time, and location of event. Events MUST take place during the current quarter.
To demonstrate an integration of new information and the understanding thereof, a minimum of five scholarly articles from peer-reviewed journals including properly formatted in-text citations are required for this assignment. These sources are to be cited throughout sections of the document (please review the table under Evaluation Criteria and Procedure for details on which sections do and do not require sources). If you choose to include books, while they are welcomed, they will not be counted toward the minimum requirement of five scholarly articles from peer-reviewed journals.
Method of Evaluation Refer to full rubric posted on course wall for point allocation and loss. Evaluation Criteria and Procedure Papers must fully answer the seven required prompt questions with in-depth self-reflective responses along with requirements listed in the assignment rubric.