STUDENT EXAMPLE Intercultural Communication 10-10:50 MWF Cultural Resume Outline #1 Israel Geography/Climate (Terri’s comment:*This section was not developed very well, it is rather shallow and could use more information) · Area · The area is 20,330 sq. km (or 7,850 sq. mi.), about the size of New Jersey. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · Israel is 290 miles long and 85 miles wide. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · Terrain · The land itself contains mainly plains, mountains, deserts, and coasts (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · Israel is the location of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. (Birx, pg. 1337). · Climate · The climate is temperate (much like the United States), except in desert areas. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · Location · Israel is located in the Middle East. It borders the countries of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt, along with a coastal border from the Mediterranean Sea. (Cutler, pg. 1337) · Cities · The capital city of Israel is Jerusalem. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · Other main cities in Israel are Tel Aviv and Haifa. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) Government (Terri’s Comment: This section is done very well, lots of in-depth information) · Type · Currently, Israel’s government is a parliamentary democracy. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · Documents of Law · Israel does not have a Constitution, but they do have their Declaration of Establishment, Basic Laws of the Parliament (the Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law, all of which perform the same duties as a constitution. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · Branches of Government · The Executive Branch is composed of the President and the Prime Minister. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · The President is elected for a 5 year term by the Knesset. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · The Prime Minister is usually selected by the President or the Knesset. From 1996 to 2001, the Prime Minister was directly chosen by Israeli citizens. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · The Legislative Branch is composed of a unicameral Knesset. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · The Judicial Branch is composed of a Supreme Court. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · The Districts · Israel is made up of six districts, which are administered by the Ministry of Interior. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · The districts are Principal Government Officials, the President, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, the Ambassador to the United States, and the Ambassador to the United Nations. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · Political Parties · The main parties are the Labor, Likud, and Kadima parties, but there are other minor parties, both secular and religious, and some ran predominantly or completely by Israel’s Arab citizens. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · In the 17th Knesset, there were a total of 12 parties represented. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · Citizens are able to vote at age 18 universally. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · Economy · The GDP, in 2006, was $170 billion. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009) · The annual growth rate was 4.8% in 200.

1. STUDENT EXAMPLE
Intercultural Communication
10-10:50 MWF
Cultural Resume Outline #1
Israel
Geography/Climate (Terri’s comment:*This section was not
developed very well, it is rather shallow and could use more
information)
· Area
· The area is 20,330 sq. km (or 7,850 sq. mi.), about the size of
New Jersey. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· Israel is 290 miles long and 85 miles wide. (U.S. Dept. of
State, 2009)
· Terrain
· The land itself contains mainly plains, mountains, deserts, and
coasts (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· Israel is the location of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on
earth. (Birx, pg. 1337).
· Climate
· The climate is temperate (much like the United States), except
in desert areas. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· Location
· Israel is located in the Middle East. It borders the countries of
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt, along with a coastal border
from the Mediterranean Sea. (Cutler, pg. 1337)
· Cities
· The capital city of Israel is Jerusalem. (U.S. Dept. of State,
2009)
· Other main cities in Israel are Tel Aviv and Haifa. (U.S. Dept.
of State, 2009)
Government (Terri’s Comment: This section is done very well,
lots of in-depth information)
· Type
· Currently, Israel’s government is a parliamentary democracy.

2. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· Documents of Law
· Israel does not have a Constitution, but they do have their
Declaration of Establishment, Basic Laws of the Parliament (the
Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law, all of which perform
the same duties as a constitution. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· Branches of Government
· The Executive Branch is composed of the President and the
Prime Minister. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· The President is elected for a 5 year term by the Knesset.
(U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· The Prime Minister is usually selected by the President or the
Knesset. From 1996 to 2001, the Prime Minister was directly
chosen by Israeli citizens. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· The Legislative Branch is composed of a unicameral Knesset.
(U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· The Judicial Branch is composed of a Supreme Court. (U.S.
Dept. of State, 2009)
· The Districts
· Israel is made up of six districts, which are administered by
the Ministry of Interior. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· The districts are Principal Government Officials, the
President, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, the
Ambassador to the United States, and the Ambassador to the
United Nations. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· Political Parties
· The main parties are the Labor, Likud, and Kadima parties,
but there are other minor parties, both secular and religious, and
some ran predominantly or completely by Israel’s Arab citizens.
(U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· In the 17th Knesset, there were a total of 12 parties
represented. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· Citizens are able to vote at age 18 universally. (U.S. Dept. of
State, 2009)
· Economy
· The GDP, in 2006, was $170 billion. (U.S. Dept. of State,

3. 2009)
· The annual growth rate was 4.8% in 2006. (U.S. Dept. of
State, 2009)
· The per-capita GDP was $26,800 in 2006. (U.S. Dept. of State,
2009)
· Israeli currency is the Shekel. As of 2007, 4.35 shekels equal
the value of $1 in the United States. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· Natural resources of Israel include copper, phosphate,
bromide, potash, clay, sulfur, bitumen, and manganese.
· Israel’s agriculture is composed of citrus, fruits, vegetables,
beef, dairy and poultry products.
· Like the United States, Israel has textile industry, tobacco,
diamond cutting/cleaning, medical supplies/technology,
construction, rubber, plastic, and footwear.
· Trade
· Israel’s main trade partners are the United States, the United
Kingdom, and Germany. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· Israel’s main trade partners for imports are United States,
Belgium and Hong Kong. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· Israel’s main trade partners for exports are United States,
Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. (U.S.
Dept. of State, 2009)
Education (Terri’s comment: Another well developed section!)
· Israel’s education has gone through many significant
reformations over the past 64 years or so when Israel officially
became a State in 1948. (Avidor & Pasternak, 2007)
· Mission/Goal of Israel’s Education system
· Israel has had strong motivation for social integration and
diversity in the school system. (Avidor & Pasternak, p. 661)
· The mission or purpose of the Israeli education system is to
change immigrant children as well as the entire population by
making it easier for immigrants to Israel to adapt to a new
culture and new environment. (Avidor & Pasternak, p. 661)
· Ministry of Education, the administration which is in charge
of education in Israel, serves many purposes.
· The state is fully responsible for ensuring that every Israeli

4. child is given an acceptable level of education. (Avidor &
Pasternak, p. 661)
· The Ministry of Education, along with the culture, is
responsible for administering the education system and guiding
it. (Avidor & Pasternak, p. 661)
· The Ministry’s functions are to cover the budget, curriculum,
and operational aspects of the education system’s activities.
(Avidor & Pasternak, p. 661)
· Structural Principles of the Education System are important in
Israel’s efforts to provide education. (There are three of them in
all)
· The division between sectors of the Israeli population reveals
how the education system should be structured. (Avidor &
Pasternak, p. 661)
· The Hebrew and Arab educational systems are two separate
systems under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education.
(Avidor & Pasternak, p. 661)
· The Hebrew education system has two branches of education
which are National and National-Religious and Arabic
education is its own system. (Avidor & Pasternak, p. 661)
· There also exist “Independent” educational systems, which
include systems which are run by various religious groups or
political parties. (Avidor & Pasternak, p. 661)
· Another structural principle is the division of the Ministry’s
units.
· There are three units in the Ministry and they are
administrating educational personnel, organization and
financing, and supervision of areas in pedagogy and curriculum.
(Avidor & Pasternak, p. 661)
· The third structural principle concerns routine operations of
the educational system.
· The system operates in six districts, which are North, Haifa,
Center, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and South. (Avidor & Pasternak, p.
661)
· The gradation in Israel is very similar to the United States.
· The formal education system begins with preschool, daycare

5. or kindergarten. (Avidor & Pasternak, p. 662)
· These schools serve children ages 2-6 years old. (Avidor &
Pasternak, p. 662)
· When children are at least three years of age, they fall under
compulsory education in kindergartens run by local authorities
and must be supervised by the Ministry of Education. (Avidor &
Pasternak, p. 662)
· Daycare centers for ages 2-4 are predominantly private, many
run by woman’s organizations, but most are run by local
authorities.
· The educational emphasis at this stage is on technology,
culture, literacy, and creativity. (Avidor & Pasternak, p. 662)
· The next step after at least two years of some kind of
preschool is primary education, which is either offered grades
1-6 or 1-8, depending on the subsystem or type of education is
offered.
· Elementary schools are the biggest in the system when it
comes to enrollment, classrooms, teachers and teaching hours.
(Avidor & Pasternak, p. 662)
· Most elementary schools in Israel operate six days a week for
about 200 days a year with 4-8 hours of class time. (Avidor &
Pasternak, p. 662)
· Almost all elementary school teachers are female. (Avidor &
Pasternak, p. 662)
· The lower grades in elementary schools have one teacher who
teaches all subjects in one classroom whereas students in grades
4-6 are taught different subjects by different teachers and have
a homeroom teacher.
· The schedules are fixed in elementary schools with no room
for programs.
· The final stage in education is secondary, which includes
grades 7-12, like the United States.
· Grades 7-9 go to junior high schools, which were established
during an education reform in 1968, and grades 10-12 go to high
schools. (Avidor & Pasternak, p. 663)
· There are three types of high schools, which are academic

6. (mainly comprehensive high schools), technical, and
agricultural schools. (Avidor & Pasternak, p. 663)
· Secondary schools serve as places for Israelis to learn trades
for the future. (Avidor & Pasternak, p. 663)
· Although the education system appears to be very organized
and dedicated to education, the statistics of the quality of
education that students are receiving in Israel, however, fail to
hold up to its own standards.
· Since the workforce has grown in Israel throughout the
decades, jobs require higher education, but over 50 percent of
Israeli youth will not be able to because they are not receiving
quality education. (Adva Center, p.19)
· In 2004, 52.2 percent of 17 year olds failed to receive high
school diplomas and many of them attended schools in Arab
areas, poor Jewish towns and urban areas. (Adva Center, p.19)
Population (Terri’s comment: good section)
· In 2007, the estimated population of Israel consisted of 6.43
million people. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· The annual population growth rate in 2007 was 1.2 percent.
(U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· The main ethnic groups in Israel are Jews, which make up 76.2
percent of the population, Arabs, which make up 19.5 percent of
the population. Those who responded with ‘other’ make up
about 4.3 percent. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· The main religions of Israel are Judaism, Islam, Christianity,
and Druze. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· The official languages in Israel are Hebrew and Arabic, but
English and Russian are widely spoken in Israel as well, but
they are not technically official languages. (U.S. Dept. of State,
2009)
· The average Israeli gets about 11 years of compulsory
education. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· The literacy rate in Israel is 96.9 percent. (U.S. Dept. of State,
2009)
· The literacy rate for females is 95.6 percent and for males is
98.3 percent. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)

7. · The infant mortality rate in 2007 was 7.03/1000 births. (U.S.
Dept. of State, 2009)
· The life expectancy at birth was about 79.32 overall. (U.S.
Dept. of State, 2009)
· The life expectancy was 81.55 years for women and 77.21
years for males. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· The work force in Israel consists on average about 2.68
million back in 2004. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
· Those who work in agriculture make up 2.1 percent;
manufacturing with 16.2 percent; electrical/water with 0.8
percent; construction with 5.4 percent; trade/repair of motor
vehicles with 3.6 percent; accommodation services and
restaurants with 4.3 percent; transport, storage, and
communication with 6.5 percent, banking, insurance and
financing with 3.3 percent; business with 13.4 percent; public
administration with 4.7 percent; education with 12.7 percent;
health, welfare and social services with 10.7 percent;
community, social, and personal services with 4.6 percent; and
domestic services such as working as a maid or nanny with 1.6
percent. (U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)
Religion (Terri’s comment: This section is lacking – needs
MUCH more development especially for the content area)
· Israel, like the United States, has a democratic ideology when
it comes to religion and the state. Israel has legislative religious
freedom.
· Historically, Israel has been an exclusively Jewish nation,
since the name Israel comes from the name that was given to
Jacob by God in order to make the descendants of Abraham (his
grandfather) a great nation, but Israel as a State recognized by
the United Nations does not have an official religion but
recognizes many.
· Along with the three Abrahamic religions, Judaism,
Christianity and Islam, Israel officially recognizes the Druze
and the Baha’i faiths as well
· Within Christianity, Israel recognizes the Greek Orthodox,
Greek Catholic, Latin (Roman Catholic), Armenian Orthodox,

8. Armenian Catholic, Maronite, Syrian Orthodox, Syrian
Catholic, Chaldaic (Catholic) and Evangelical Episcopal
(Anglican) denominations.
· There have been many attempts to keep Jewish laws and
secular laws separate, but over the years it has been observed to
be nearly impossible, given that much of Jewish law is already
practiced among most Israelis, regardless of whether they are
practicing Jews or not.
Bibliography
"Israel." Background Notes. U.S. Department of State, 2009.
Gale Power Search. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.
Cutler, Marianne. "Israel." Encyclopedia of Anthropology. Ed.
H. James Birx. Vol. 3. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Reference,
2006. 1337-1338. Gale Power Search. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.
"Education: over half of Israeli youth fail to graduate high
school with diplomas." Israel: A Social Report. Adva Center,
2006. 19. Gale Power Search. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.
Avidor, Moshe, and Rachel Pasternak. "Land of Israel:
Education." Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and
Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. Vol. 10. Detroit: Macmillan Reference
USA, 2007. 652-674. Gale Power Search. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.
Shetreet, Shemon. “Freedom of Religion in Israel.” Jewish
Virtual Library. 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2012

9. STUDENT EXAMPLE
Intercultural Communications
MWF 10:00-10:50
Terri’s comments:**This was a “C” outline – it has the basic
components but it is not developed enough – sections are all
very short and shallow – needs much more information!
The Philippines
· Why did I choose The Philippines?
· Have prior knowledge from time spent living there
· To better understand the culture and some of my experiences
had there
Geography
· Archipelago
· Made of 7107 islands
· Only 2773 have names and only 1190 are inhabited (Gonzalez,
2001, 6)
· Total area of land is comparable to the state of Arizona (Tope,
2002, 7)
· Seasons
· Tropical climate experiences both wet and dry seasons
· Average number of typhoons every year is 21 (Tope, 2002, 13)
· Wet/typhoon season occurs in the northeast from December to
May while occurring from June to November in the southwest
(Wee, 26, 1999, )
· Heavy rain and winds contribute to flooding and mudslides
· Climate
· Hot and humid in the low lying areas
· Milder cool temps in the mountains.
Population
· The population is expected to reach over 130,000,000 in July
of 2012 (Central Intelligence Agency)

10. · Multiple ethnic groups under the classification of ‘Filipino’
· Tagalog 28.1%, Cebuano 13.1%, Ilocano 9%, Bisaya/Binisaya
7.6%, Hiligaynon Ilonggo 7.5%, Bikol 6%, Waray 3.4%, other
25.3%
· Nearly 11.5 million people live within the City of Manila
(Central Intelligence Agency)
Government
· Full name is The Republic of The Philippines (Wee, 1999, 8)
· Government type is Republic, but not always so
· The Philippines have been ruled by many nations which have
led to a very mixed pot of cultures.
· Was under Japanese occupancy during WWII (Wee, 1999, 8)
· In 1946, gained full independence and maintained a
Republican government until 1964.
· Communist insurgents take over; in 1972 Ferdinand Marcos
assumes presidency and dictator for the nation.
· In 1986 Marcos is beat out for the presidency and flees the
nation; freedom ever since.
· Local districts are called Barangays and are headed by a
mayor (Tope, 30, 2002)
· Implements policies at the township level (Tope, 30, 2002)
· Supports the youth with scholarships for the poor (Tope, 30,
2002)
Religion
· First and only ‘Christian’ Nation in Southeast Asia
· The most commonly practiced religion is Roman Catholicism
· Catholicism was introduced by the Spaniards in the 16th
century by Ferdinand Magellen. (Wee, 1999, 55)
· 83% of the population is Catholic (Wee, 1999, 55)
· Many cults have risen in popularity over the years
· Iglasia Ni Christo
· Jehovah’s Witness
· The Mormon Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints)
· Islam was introduced to the Philippines over 200 years before

11. Christianity (Wee, 1999, 57)
· Predominately contained in the southern regions of Mindanao
(Wee, 1999, 57)
· Population is only at about 4% Muslim (Wee, 1999, 57)
Holidays
· Lent and Holy Week are major celebrations
· During the Lenten season, numerous Passion Plays are
performed (Mendoza, 1999, 12)
· Holy week is celebrated for an entire week rather than just
Good Friday to Easter Sunday.
· It is not uncommon to see shirtless men beating themselves as
an act of panata (Tope, 2002, 108)
· Christmas celebrations
· Not unlike North American celebration of Christmas
· Mass at 4 am for the 9 days leading up to Christmas day
(Mendoza, 1999, 20)
· Gifts are exchanged with friends and family (Mendoza, 1999,
20)
· Feast of the Three Kings held post Christmas (Mendoza, 1999,
23)
· Colorful Fiestas
· Ati-Atihan celebrates friendship between the Negritos and
Malay datus. (Wee, 1999, 88)
· 3 day celebration of Ati-Atihan, Santo Nino, and the harvest
thanksgiving (Wee, 1999, 89)
· Colorful headdresses are worn and ‘warriors’ cover themselves
from head to toe in soot (Wee, 1999, 90)
· Feast of the Black Nazarene (Wee, 1999, 90)
· Every January 9th, male devotees carry a life-sized statue of
Christ out of the Quiapo Church in Manila (Wee, 1999, 90)
· The statue is believed to have miraculous powers and people
try to touch it as it passes by.
· At the end of the day, the statue is returned to it’s shrine in
the Church (Wee, 1999, 91)

12. Bibliography
Books:
Wee, J. (1999). Major World Nations: Philippines.
Pennsylvania: Chelsea House Publishers.
Mendoza, L. (1999). Philippines. Wisconsin: Gareth Stevens
Publishing.
Tope, L.R.R, & Nonan-Mercado, D.P. (2002). Cultures of the
World: Philippines. New York: Marshall Cavendish
Corporation.
Gonzales III, J.L. (2001). Countries of the World: Philippines.
Wisconsin: Gareth Stevens Publishing.
Online:
Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook. Retrieved
February 23, 2012, from
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/rp.html
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