HMSV 346 – Diversity Issues in Human Services; Spring 2021 1/3 Cultural Interview - Instructions Purpose: To have you empathically experience newness in the form of a different culture, so that you can gain greater self-awareness of your own values and beliefs, and learn about differences between and within groups. Emphasis is on emotional responses and self-reflections. Procedure I. First, choose an interviewee from one of the groups listed below subject to the following four criteria: 1. You must not be a member of this group. 2. You must know very little about or have generally negative views of this group. 3. Family members, relatives, friends, co-workers, or anyone you know well are not appropriate. 4. The interviewee must currently live (so, study, work, volunteer, etc.; not a tourist) in the U.S. Choose a group from the list below. Students are strongly encouraged to select groups listed in red font subject to meeting the four criteria listed above. - Subgroups of African Americans (ex: 1st generation immigrants from Africa) - American Indians - Latinos/Hispanics American subgroups (ex: Colombians, Venezuelans, Cubans) - Middle Easterners or North Africans (Ex: Egyptians) - Asians (ex: Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Koreans) or Pacific Islanders - Incarcerated African American males or those released from jail or prison - Persons from Appalachia - Followers of African religions - Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Mormons, Sikhs, or other religions - Minimum or low-wage workers - Homeless individuals - Refugees - Sex offenders - Sex workers or similar - Non-violent offenders - Current or past users of crack cocaine or non-opioid and OTC medications - Transgendered persons - Individuals with intellectual and/or physical disabilities - KKK, Tea Party, or NRA members or sympathizers - Individuals not identifying or affiliated with either of the two major parties - Individuals in arranged or consanguineous marriages - Others (with instructor approval) II. Second, get approval from the instructor about the choice of your group. III. Do some reading about the group of your choice from at least two sources (e.g., journal articles; assigned readings, book chapters in Ethnicity and Family Therapy; A Different Mirror, etc.). Your sources must be credible and not chosen simply for convenience. IV. Conduct an interview either online (using Zoom, etc.) or telephonic (using video feature) with the person from the group of your choice using the Interview Guidelines on page 2. V. Submit your findings in the form of a paper and recorded presentation. The paper should be between 4-8 double spaced pages and the informal (verbal only) presentation should be between 8-10 minutes. Instructions for the paper and presentation are on page 3. Don’t disclose the interviewee’s name in these submissions. VI. View and comment upon the recorded presentations of at least 3 classmates. Bon ...

1. HMSV 346 – Diversity Issues in Human Services; Spring 2021
1/3
Cultural Interview - Instructions
Purpose: To have you empathically experience newness in the
form of a different culture, so that you can
gain greater self-awareness of your own values and beliefs, and
learn about differences between and within
groups. Emphasis is on emotional responses and self-
reflections.
Procedure
I. First, choose an interviewee from one of the groups listed
below subject to the following four criteria:
1. You must not be a member of this group.
2. You must know very little about or have generally negative
views of this group.
3. Family members, relatives, friends, co-workers, or anyone
you know well are not appropriate.
4. The interviewee must currently live (so, study, work,
volunteer, etc.; not a tourist) in the U.S.

2. Choose a group from the list below. Students are strongly
encouraged to select groups listed in red
font subject to meeting the four criteria listed above.
- Subgroups of African Americans (ex: 1st generation
immigrants from Africa)
- American Indians
- Latinos/Hispanics American subgroups (ex: Colombians,
Venezuelans, Cubans)
- Middle Easterners or North Africans (Ex: Egyptians)
- Asians (ex: Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Koreans) or Pacific
Islanders
- Incarcerated African American males or those released from
jail or prison
- Persons from Appalachia
- Followers of African religions
- Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Mormons, Sikhs, or other
religions
- Minimum or low-wage workers
- Homeless individuals
- Refugees
- Sex offenders
- Sex workers or similar
- Non-violent offenders
- Current or past users of crack cocaine or non-opioid and OTC
medications
- Transgendered persons
- Individuals with intellectual and/or physical disabilities
- KKK, Tea Party, or NRA members or sympathizers
- Individuals not identifying or affiliated with either of the two
major parties
- Individuals in arranged or consanguineous marriages
- Others (with instructor approval)

3. II. Second, get approval from the instructor about the choice of
your group.
III. Do some reading about the group of your choice from at
least two sources (e.g., journal articles;
assigned readings, book chapters in Ethnicity and Family
Therapy; A Different Mirror, etc.). Your
sources must be credible and not chosen simply for
convenience.
IV. Conduct an interview either online (using Zoom, etc.) or
telephonic (using video feature) with the
person from the group of your choice using the Interview
Guidelines on page 2.
V. Submit your findings in the form of a paper and recorded
presentation. The paper should be between
4-8 double spaced pages and the informal (verbal only)
presentation should be between 8-10 minutes.
Instructions for the paper and presentation are on page 3. Don’t
disclose the interviewee’s name in these
submissions.
VI. View and comment upon the recorded presentations of at
least 3 classmates. Bonus points will be
given for viewing & commenting upon between 4-6 recorded
presentations.
HMSV 346 – Diversity Issues in Human Services; Spring 2021

4. 2/3
Interview Guidelines
The content of the interview must include the following, but
you can ask more questions based on the
information shared by the interviewee or observed by you
during the interview.
Be very tactful while asking the questions below!
1. Start by asking about:
• Race/ethnicity
• Nationality
• Immigrant/legal status
• Gender
• Age
• Religion
• Class/SES (Education & occupation)
• Ability status
• Criminal record
• Political ideology

5. • Sexual orientation
• Relationship/marital status including type
(love, arranged, etc.)
• Parental/family status
• Housing status (Rent, own, etc.)
• (Relationship with) other occupants in
residence
Some of the above characteristics may be noticeable or shared
spontaneously during the interview, and
may not need to be asked. Do make a note of:
• Attire
• English and other language fluency
• Mannerisms/non-verbal communication, etc.
Then focus on that aspect of their identity for which they were
selected or the interview.
2. What are some important aspects, values, customs, etc., of
the interviewee’s group (say, of South Korean
descent) that we should know about?
3. Are there any less desirable aspects, values, customs, etc., of
their group? An alternate question could be:

6. Are there any aspects, values, customs, etc., that could be
misunderstood, disparaged, or difficult to
understand by non-group members?
4. How important is membership in the group to the
interviewee? Report the interviewee’s response, but
also arrive at your own conclusion about this question. So if
you find out that the interviewee does not
associate with or avoids others of South Korean descent, then
group membership may not be that
important to the interviewee.
5. Is there anything that makes the interviewee unique or
substantially different from (majority of) others in
their group?
6. How does membership in this group currently (and
negatively) impact:
a. Social life with other members (ex: others of South Korean
descent) of this group?
b. Social life with those who are not members of this group (ex:
a friend who is not of South Korean
descent)?
c. Interactions with:
i. Government employees (ex: police, immigration officials,
DMV staff, etc.);
ii. Strangers/staff in public places such as grocery stores, malls,
restaurants, and other businesses?
iii. Professionals (including doctors, social workers, etc.) and
community service organizations (such

7. as food banks, Salvation Army, etc.)?
d. Education?
e. Employment/Career?
f. Housing?
g. Other aspects of life in America not mentioned here.
7. What are some other challenges or hardships experienced in
the U.S. by this group?
8. What else would the interviewee want human service
professionals to know about the group and its
members?
HMSV 346 – Diversity Issues in Human Services; Spring 2021
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Paper Instructions
The paper should cover the following:
A. Based on the information gathered under item (1) of the
Interview Guidelines, provide a biographical
sketch of the interviewee.
B. Similarities & Differences
Explicitly compare the readings used in Step III (under
Procedure) with your findings from the interview

8. to describe if and how the interviewee:
a. Fit the generalizations and/or stereotypes of this group based
on the readings
b. Did not fit the generalizations and/or stereotypes of this
group based on the readings used in Step III
(under Procedure).
C. Critical Analysis
a. (1) Elaborate upon if this interview has helped develop an
understanding of the degree of adherence
of individual group members to cultural values, norms,
traditions, stereotypes, etc., that are
typically associated with their group. Hint: Question 5 from the
Interview Guidelines may be
particularly helpful in answering this and the question (d)
below.
(2) What are the implications of this understanding in your
efforts to work competently with all
clients (and not just members of the interviewee’s group).
b. Discuss ALL aspects of marginalization and intersectionality
that may be relevant to the interviewee
and may have to be addressed if the interviewee were to ever
receive services in a human service
practice setting. (e.g., Interviewee is a recent immigrant from
South Korea with no college degree
and lacking fluency in English. So explicitly discuss how the

9. combination of these four identities
could pose as barriers to service goal achievement. Discuss
what you would do to help overcome
these barriers.
i. Refer to the interviewee’s answers (and/or your observations)
to the questions in the Interview
Guidelines to identify potential aspects of marginalization
and/or discrimination
ii. If none could be identified through the interview, then use
course readings and material from other
credible sources to identify aspects of marginalization and
intersectionality.
c. Discuss either (1) or (2) below as may apply to you.
(1) Discuss your own attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions as
related to this group before starting work
on this assignment. Share reasons for why these attitudes,
assumptions, etc., may have developed
in you about this group.
(2) If you knew little or nothing about this group before starting
work on this assignment, then share
the reasons for this.
(3) Elaborate upon if this interview has helped:
i. Changed those pre-interview attitudes, beliefs, and
assumptions, or lack of knowledge.
ii. Developed a new understanding of the need to be self-aware

10. and/or knowledgeable with
respect to all client groups (and not just members of the
interviewee’s group).
Presentation Instructions
The 8-10 minutes presentation (submitted on a Discussion
Board forum) must meet the following guidelines:
A. A very brief description of the interviewee (similar to
section “A” of the paper).
B. If you identified any attributes of the interviewee that were
different from other group members as may
have been mentioned in the assigned or additional readings, or
observed by or reported to you by the
interviewee or others? Elaborate upon the implications of this
finding on your future efforts to work
competently with all clients (and not just members of the
interviewee’s group).
C. What has this experience taught you about the importance of
understanding and addressing
intersectionality of oppression (Similar to item (b) under
Critical Analysis of the paper).
D. How the overall experience enhanced your knowledge of the
group and/or dispelled any myths,
stereotypes, or biases including, but not only, your own.
Elaborate upon the implications of this new

11. knowledge & experience on the need to be self-aware and/or
knowledgeable with respect to all client
groups (and not just members of the interviewee’s group).