Geog 167: Interview Assignment Guidelines The purpose of this assignment is to gain an understanding of another culture. You are to interview someone born and raised in a country other than the United States (and one that you are not already familiar). International students may be your best resource; however your interviewee need not be a student. Your interview is open ended and there are no restrictions on time limit or questions asked (I would assume the interview would last at least an hour). Since the goal is to understand another culture however, be sure to include questions relating to such, i.e. language, customs, traditions, food, music, holidays, dress, societal rules, etc. Any topics that are covered in your textbook and class are appropriate. When you are finished your interview, turn your interview questions and answers into a 1000-1500 word paper about the culture of the native country of your interviewee (not the person’s own biography). The number of topics is not limited, but it should definitely include more than one. Below are some guidelines: · Be sure interviewee has not been in this country for more than 10 years, unless cleared by me. Your interviewee must be native to another country. If in doubt about the suitability of an interviewee, ask me. · The person must be living in this country at the time of the interview. · Please allow adequate time for this assignment. It may take multiple attempts to arrange a meeting day and time or the interviewee may need to reschedule. Do not wait until the last minute. Remember, late papers are NOT accepted. · Interviews must be done in person or in some manner where you can see each other, i.e. Skype or FaceTime. Questions asked over the phone without FaceTime or through email are not acceptable. · Be sure your paper is not a transcription of the interview, but a paper on a particular culture or aspect of a culture using your interviewee as the primary source. · Include a very brief introduction to the country and brief stats on the interviewee (age, how long they have been in this country, why they moved here, etc). · Include a thesis sentence that lists what topics will be covered in the opening paragraph and topics sentences for paragraphs and then organize your paper with headings based on the thesis sentence. · Include a conclusion. · Contact information (phone number and email) for your interviewee is required. If your interviewee will not or cannot provide this information, you will have to choose someone else. I will randomly contact 3-5 people to contact and discuss the experience. · Approach the interview with sensitivity and open-mindedness. Your goal is to learn, not judge or criticize. · Use at least three outside sources in addition to your interviewee for information. Outside sources can add to or clarify information from the interviewee. These sources must be included in a bibliography or work cited page and also cited throughout your text. · In ...

1. Geog 167: Interview Assignment Guidelines
The purpose of this assignment is to gain an understanding of
another culture. You are to interview someone born and raised
in a country other than the United States (and one that you are
not already familiar). International students may be your best
resource; however your interviewee need not be a student. Your
interview is open ended and there are no restrictions on time
limit or questions asked (I would assume the interview would
last at least an hour). Since the goal is to understand another
culture however, be sure to include questions relating to such,
i.e. language, customs, traditions, food, music, holidays, dress,
societal rules, etc. Any topics that are covered in your textbook
and class are appropriate. When you are finished your
interview, turn your interview questions and answers into a
1000-1500 word paper about the culture of the native country of
your interviewee (not the person’s own biography). The number
of topics is not limited, but it should definitely include more
than one. Below are some guidelines:
· Be sure interviewee has not been in this country for more than
10 years, unless cleared by me. Your interviewee must be native
to another country. If in doubt about the suitability of an
interviewee, ask me.
· The person must be living in this country at the time of the
interview.
· Please allow adequate time for this assignment. It may take
multiple attempts to arrange a meeting day and time or the
interviewee may need to reschedule. Do not wait until the last
minute. Remember, late papers are NOT accepted.
· Interviews must be done in person or in some manner where
you can see each other, i.e. Skype or FaceTime. Questions
asked over the phone without FaceTime or through email are not
acceptable.
· Be sure your paper is not a transcription of the interview, but

2. a paper on a particular culture or aspect of a culture using your
interviewee as the primary source.
· Include a very brief introduction to the country and brief stats
on the interviewee (age, how long they have been in this
country, why they moved here, etc).
· Include a thesis sentence that lists what topics will be covered
in the opening paragraph and topics sentences for paragraphs
and then organize your paper with headings based on the thesis
sentence.
· Include a conclusion.
· Contact information (phone number and email) for your
interviewee is required. If your interviewee will not or cannot
provide this information, you will have to choose someone else.
I will randomly contact 3-5 people to contact and discuss the
experience.
· Approach the interview with sensitivity and open-mindedness.
Your goal is to learn, not judge or criticize.
· Use at least three outside sources in addition to your
interviewee for information. Outside sources can add to or
clarify information from the interviewee. These sources must
be included in a bibliography or work cited page and also cited
throughout your text.
· Information that is not cited throughout your text is
considered plagiarism and will result in a zero and reported.
Cite your interviewee throughout your paper as well--as you
would any other source and include how you conducted the
interview in the bibliography citation (in person interview,
Skype, etc.)
· You may use Chicago, MLA or APA for your citations. Keep
your citation method consistent throughout your paper and be
sure your bibliography and in-text citations are done correctly
according to the method you chose.
· Be sure to proofread your paper for spelling and grammatical
errors. Have an outside source read and/or edit your paper if
necessary (this service is available on campus at the writing
center).

3. · A person cannot be interviewed more than once so be sure to
ask if they have already agreed to an interview with someone
else.
· Remember, the paper is about the culture of their country, so
avoid comparing the United States or what they like or dislike
about the United States.
Important:
You will earn a “0” as a grade if:
· You do not have 3 outside sources in addition to your
interviewee (4 sources total minimum).
· You do not have a bibliography listing all your sources.
· You do not cite ALL sources listed in your bibliography
within the text, i.e. in-text citations.
· You do not have contact information for your interviewee (put
this in the bibliography citation).
· Your interviewee cannot be verified if randomly chosen.
· Information is falsified including how you conducted your
interview.
BE SURE TO CAREFULLY GO OVER EVERY SINGLE
BULLET POINT BEFORE TURNING IN YOUR PAPER. YOU
WILL BE GRADED ON HOW WELL YOU FOLLOWED THE
INSTRUCTIONS OF THE ASSIGNMENT, YOUR CONTENT,
ORGANZATION AND THE QUALITY OF YOUR WRITING.

4. News Report 1 Transcript
VNN ANCHOR
Good morning, welcome to VNN. The National Hurricane
Center is warning this morning that Hurricane
Hanna has strengthened into a dangerous Category 4 storm and
it’s tracking toward the greater
metropolitan area. Models indicate possible landfall over the
region as early as Thursday morning. But
forecasters are not sure if the storm will strengthen or weaken
over the next couple of days. The
Governor is not taking chances, she has ordered the evacuation
of all citizens and tourists within 10 miles
of the coast, that means over a million people are evacuating
from the metro area and coastal regions.
Local highways are already jammed with traffic, and some gas
stations have already run out of gas.
The Hurricane Center is warning that if Hanna strengthens to
Category 5, many homes and buildings will
be damaged or destroyed. Mobile homes are especially
vulnerable, they could be completely destroyed.
Any building that is unsound could collapse. With the storm
surge and rains, there could be major
damage to lower floors of all buildings located up to 15 feet
above sea level and within 500 yards of the
shoreline. Again the Governor has ordered a mandatory
evacuation for everyone within 10 miles of the
coast.

5. News Report 2 Transcript
VNN ANCHOR
Good evening, welcome back to VNN -- Hurricane Hanna made
landfall this morning as a Category 5
storm, making a direct hit on the metropolitan area. The city has
been hit hard by sustained 160 mph
winds and over 20 inches of rain have fallen in the past 24
hours. Hanna’s storm surge was over 18 feet
and it broke through seawalls and flooded neighborhoods. The
storm has moved North of us now, and
search and rescue operations are underway. We’ve heard reports
of victims trapped in collapsed
buildings, and others stranded by floodwaters. Utility
companies meanwhile are reporting that over a
million customers are without power, and utility crews are
fighting to restore at least temporary power to
critical facilities. The state is also working with federal
officials and private companies on restoring
communications, transportation, water, and other critical
infrastructure.
The Governor reported from the emergency operations center a
few minutes ago that the state is
struggling to clear roads and bypasses so residents can get to
shelters and safe areas. The region’s
mass transit system is calling on private transportation
companies for backup. Police departments
throughout the region are working to maintain order and protect
property. Meanwhile with so many
homes and buildings damaged, the Governor is identifying
additional temporary shelter and housing, the
state is working with FEMA, the Red Cross and other federal
agencies to create temporary shelters.
Since the evacuation was ordered three days ago, many

6. residents have been staying in hotels and
motels. The area’s hospitals are overwhelmed, they’re taking in
large numbers of victims, but they’re also
trying to shore up their own facilities which in many cases have
been damaged and flooded. The
hospitals say they need more critical medical supplies, they
need help evacuating patients from damaged
facilities, and, as a grim sign of the scope of this disaster, they
even need help with mortuary services and
victim identification.
1
News Report 3 Transcript
ANCHOR
Good evening, welcome to VNN. Since Hurricane Hanna made
landfall
last week, communities all across the region, from the coast to
hundreds
of miles inland, are struggling to recover. The slow-moving
storm brought
severe winds and rains and tornadoes, causing catastrophic
flooding
throughout the region. At least four states reported record
rainfall, and
most of the fatalities have been due to flooding. Survivors
throughout the

7. region still need emergency food and water, as well as ice to
preserve food
until power is restored. Utility companies are saying they need
another
week or more to restore power in some neighborhoods.
Responders are
also working hard to provide temporary roofing to homes and
businesses
that have damaged roofs, and to provide temporary housing to
the
thousands who have lost their homes.
The states and FEMA have established locations where residents
can get
emergency supplies and water, there are points of distribution in
many
communities where supermarkets and other food stores are still
closed or
damaged.
The state is warning citizens that the public water supply has
been
breached by toxic chemicals and sewage from treatment plants.
Residents should not use public water for drinking, washing
hands or
bathing. But some neighborhoods are still flooded and
unreachable, so
residents are fending for themselves. Some have resorted to
looting local
businesses for groceries, electronics and more. State and federal
environmental cleanup teams are trying to contain the breach to
the public
water supply.
Local emergency managers are taking a number of steps to
inform and

8. protect residents, including reverse 911 calls and even sending
officers
into the streets with bullhorns.
Hurricane Hanna has devastated communities across the region.
We have
reports of more than 1,000 fatalities, and 5,000 critical or
serious injuries.
MSE 6301, Risk Management 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit V
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
2. Examine the risk that disasters present to the community and
responders.
2.1 Describe the hazards that may impact a particular
community as a result of a natural disaster.
2.2 Outline how a community will prepare for, respond to, and
recover from a natural disaster.
2.3 Describe how risks can be mitigated in a community when
preparing for future disasters.
3. Assess emergency planning strategies aimed to reduce risk.
3.1 Describe lessons learned after a natural disaster in a

9. community.
3.2 Identify any organizational strengths and weaknesses that
may occur before, during, and after
the disaster.
3.3 Describe next steps that should take place when planning
and preparing for disasters including
short-term and long-term actions for follow-up.
Course/Unit
Learning Outcomes
Learning Activity
2.1
Unit Lesson
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Unit V Project
2.2
Unit Lesson
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Unit V Project
2.3
Unit Lesson
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Unit V Project

10. 3.1
Unit Lesson
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Unit V Project
3.2
Unit Lesson
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Unit V Project
3.3
Unit Lesson
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Unit V Project
Reading Assignment
Chapter 6: Emergency and Crisis Management Stakeholders
Chapter 7: Decision Making in Managing Disasters and Crises
UNIT V STUDY GUIDE
Emergency Management Stakeholders:
Networking, Decision Making, and
Addressing Challenges

11. MSE 6301, Risk Management 2
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Unit Lesson
The United States has a continual network of public agencies,
nonprofit organizations, private firms and
services, and governmental agencies that are capable of
providing services before, during, and after a
disaster has taken place. In most of the U.S. states, county
governments are normally responsible for
handling emergency response operations and funding. Once the
local funding and resources have been
overwhelmed, then it is up to the state to provide resources to
the county/counties that have been impacted.
The federal government may intervene if the disaster stretches
beyond the resources and the capacity of the
state and local governments (Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013;
Peerbolte & Collins, 2013).
If the disaster becomes a catastrophe, then there will be a
coordinated effort from all three levels of the
governments in order to provide and distribute resources. Both
the National Incident Management System
(NIMS) and the National Response Framework (NRF) provide a
framework for structuring the emergency
management departments that are responding to disasters.

12. During the course of a disaster, it is important to have a
combination of local, state, federal, private, and
nonprofit sectors participating and allocating resources. The
emergency manager is the lead, or primary
stakeholder, in the event of a disaster. There are social,
economic, and political groups that fall into this
category of stakeholders that will be contributing in the event of
an emergency. Local community households,
community emergency response teams (CERTs), American Red
Cross, Salvation Army, and other
businesses in the area will be key stakeholders in providing
food, shelter, and work for the unemployed. The
local political stakeholders may include the emergency manager
who will be able to apply for grants regarding
disaster relief funding, grants for planning and preparedness,
and grants for the recovery efforts that will
eventually be needed. The combination of working together
from local community representatives, volunteers,
and stakeholders is imperative to the success of the total
operation. Collaboration is needed with all the
agencies, locally and in adjoining jurisdictions, in order to
achieve smooth communication, planning and
development of operating procedures and other plans, and
forming a standardized organizational culture.
State and federal government entities should also be asked to
participate in meetings and trainings, and
offered the opportunity to participate in and critique any
exercises that are disaster-related and performed by
the community (Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013; Peerbolte & Collins,
2013).
The advent of terrorist attacks in the mid-1990s was a key
indicator that stakeholders and government
agencies alike needed to work alongside one another in the
advent of a disaster. Emergency management
operations cannot work in the sense of being within a vacuum or

13. working in a linear manner. Emergency
preparedness and response requires structural formatting, but
also has to include another alternative of
flexibility that will not be rigid in following the rules so strictly
that it will impact the overall disaster operations.
Relationship building and collaboration with the primary
stakeholders within the community are key elements
the emergency manger should take into consideration. In the
event of a disaster, the network that has been
formed with the stakeholders will be beneficial not only for the
emergency manager, but also for the
community, knowing there will be resources, assistance, and
cooperation from others in order to minimize the
life-safety risk associated with the disaster (Peerbolte &
Collins, 2013). Successful collaboration will include
sharing a common vision, believing in sharing a common goal,
being willing to change linear thinking into
more flexible opportunities, continual positive energy, and also
being creative (e.g., training and exercises,
use of alternative resources for disaster preparedness and
response, and policy-making)
(Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013).
In order to be a successful emergency manager, one must
concentrate on sharing the involvement in the
disaster preparedness and response with stakeholders. Also, the
stakeholders must be willing to share their
resources, roles, and involvement in the disaster. Collaborative
leadership and having a form of open
communication with stakeholders are two areas that will be
important to understand how each entity will be
able to contribute during a disaster. An example of good
collaboration is holding a monthly meeting prior to a
disaster occurring. City planners, local politicians, engineers,
electric and gas companies, and public works
may be included in the discussion of how they will be able to

14. contribute to the return of normalcy in the
community. These include the ability to allocate resources,
handle the media, return energy to energy–ridden
areas impacted by the disaster, and offer thoughts on safe
evacuation routes should the situation arise.
Emergency mangers need to take into consideration all the
stakeholders that can assist in the emergency
management cycle and also have them organized into an area
where their resources can be utilized.
Emergency managers and first responders are faced with
challenges when responding to a disaster and also
when it requires quick decision-making techniques for the
safety of the community. Sound decision-making
MSE 6301, Risk Management 3
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
processes are imperative to the success of the overall
operations. There is a need to make quick decisions in
the event of a disaster. If the emergency manager or leader of
the operation makes a hasty decision, it may
result in the deaths of many within the population and may
create a crisis, intensifying the consequences that
may result from poor decision-making. The emergency manager
and the decision-making process are
synchronous with the type of disaster that is taking place, the
characteristics of the disaster, the type of

15. environment the emergency manager is facing, and the risks that
are involved (Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013;
Peerbolte & Collins, 2013).
Emergency managers will face uncertainty when the disaster is
occurring and have to handle situations that
may compromise the community. Decision makers in the field
may encounter different types of uncertainty
impacting the outcome of their final communication: (a) lack of
knowledge pertaining to the event; (b)
autonomy and handling the situation through self-direction; and
(c) the differences in norms, values, and
moral and ethical decision-making. Time pressure and overall
risk during the disaster can also have an
impact on the emergency manager and how the final decision is
made (Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013).
Time pressure for the allocation of resources, the distribution of
food, the need for more logistical support, and
also being able to handle multiple scenarios at one time can lead
to incomplete thoughts and unsophisticated
decision-making processes. Furthermore, risk is another
influencing factor that may impede the clarity needed
to make a swift decision in the midst of a disaster and chaotic
situations. Uncertainty within the ranks of the
organization is one of the determining factors that impedes
progress (Kapucu & Özerdem, 2013).
Risk must be assessed and minimized prior to the disaster when
dealing with planning and preparedness
phases of emergency management. Internal and external
stressors may also lead to premature closure of a
decision being made, a disorganized assessment may be relayed
to the leader/emergency manager, and
these may create an inability to think clearly and to allocate
resources. Effective emergency management can

16. be accomplished by the minimization of message and
communication distortion. If the message that is being
delivered is clear and transparent, the likelihood of the
operation being a success will increase. Good
communication is necessary for any event, but it is also
important during training and exercises
(Peerbolte & Collins, 2013).
Previous experience in the disaster field and training will also
have a bearing on the types of decisions being
made along the way. Simulations, for example, assist in creating
a real-life scenario for the leader, but also
create an atmosphere where decision-making is taking place
immediately through the use of performance-
enhanced videos. The importance of simulations, regularly
scheduled trainings, and other types of disaster
exercises will decrease the likelihood of rushing into poor
decision making. Emergency managers will
undergo three different phases of decision making regarding
disaster management: disaster decision making
prior to the event, during the event, and after the event
(Peerbolte & Collins, 2013).
An emergency manger has the benefit of time, more deliberate
thinking, and the ability to communicate more
effectively with those in the command structure in a non-
threatening environment. On the other hand,
emergency managers should be aware of facing challenges
dealing with the unknown during the crisis. Both
the acceptance and urgency of the situation are indicators of
how the emergency manager/leader is adapting
to the disaster (Peerbolte & Collins, 2013). Good
communication during this phase of decision making will
create effective decision making for the groups involved in the
response. Finally, decisions that are made
after the disaster are related to both relief and recovery. The

17. lessons learned will be key indicators of how well
the leadership made decisions throughout the processes.
Effective decision making by emergency managers
and leaders can be difficult due to the complex situations that
are presented; however, when tough decisions
need to be made, it is up to the emergency manager to have
obtained proper training, use past experiences
for the benefit of leadership decision making, and reflect on the
management of that specific incident
(Peerbolte & Collins, 2013).
MSE 6301, Risk Management 4
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
References
Kapucu, N., & Özerdem, A. (2013). Managing emergencies and
crises. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
Peerbolte, S. L., & Collins, M. L. (2013). Disaster management
and critical thinking skills of local emergency
managers: Correlations with age, gender, education, and years
in occupation. Disasters, 37(1), 48-
60. Retrieved from
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS

18. &url=http://search.ebscohost.com/logi
n.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=83928099&site=ehost-
live&scope=site
Suggested Reading
Critical thinking skills are associated with both emergency
management and emergency managers during
disasters. This study looks at some of the psychological
correlations regarding emergency managers and
their decision-making processes.
Peerbolte, S. L., & Collins, M. L. (2013). Disaster management
and the critical thinking skills of local
emergency managers: Correlations with age, gender, education,
and years in occupation. Disasters,
37(1), 48-60. Retrieved from
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS
&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/logi
n.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=83928099&site=ehost-
live&scope=site
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS
&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a
9h&AN=83928099&site=ehost-live&scope=site
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS
&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a
9h&AN=83928099&site=ehost-live&scope=site