INSTRUCTIONS:
This assignment requires that you interview someone other than yourself about experiences of migration, globalization, assimilation, and exclusion. You will then write a summary and analysis of your interview, which will be what you submit. The ideal subject for this interview would be one of the following: A friend or family member who migrated to a country other than the country of their birth A friend of family member who is a second generation in a migrant family (their parents migrated, and they were born and raised in the new country) Someone who is not a migrant but who has spent a significant period of time living or working in a country that is not the country of their birth (i.e. studying abroad, working abroad, participating in a service program). Please note these are more significant engagements than your average tourist experience, which is typically too short to provide the depth of experience that we want to ask about here. Note that many of your classmates meet these criteria. If you do not have someone in your immediate friends or family who you would like to interview, you could post a request on the class discussion board to ask for a volunteer who would agree to be interviewed either in person or via skype. Interview Instructions: Plan for the interview to take at least 30 minutes. You will want to ask about the following things: Their experiences crossing cultural boundaries How they compare the 2 different cultures How much they identify with either one (including why and how) What role do cultural symbols and practices play in establishing that identification The different ways that they experience assimilation and exclusion in the host culture. Whether they feel like they are part of a diasporic community (that is, a community of people who have a similar experience of cultural displacement)? If so, what is that community and how do they participate in it. Any other questions you come up with. You will want to take notes and maybe record the interview for reference. Be aware that people’s experiences of migration are incredibly diverse, and there might be immense variation in the responses from different interview subjects in this class. Analysis/Writing instructions: Write a summary of the interview that includes an analysis exploring the interviewee’s experience in relation to class concepts. A good analysis will show competency in at least 2 concepts drawn from lecture, film, or reading, connecting these to the interview and explaining how they apply. Please be sure in your summary to identify your interview subject and explain how they meet the criteria for this assignment. Although the writing should be primarily about your interview subject, you may find it helpful to compare their experiences to the experiences of crossing cultural boundaries that you and your classmates described during in-lecture assignment in week 2. (It would be especially interesting to note differences and explore why such differences might exist). You will probably need at least 1 single spaced page to adequately cover the content. (2 page max).