Cultural Self-Analysis – Create a PowerPoint (or similar project using a web-based platform) describing your cultural identity and its impact on your life and interactions with others in terms of the following questions. Please be sure to explicitly address all of the questions in each section. The PowerPoint/Project should flow as a narrative story rather than a question and answer format.
Race, Ethnicity, Geography, and National Origin
What do you identify as your national background, racial group, and ethnic identity? In what geographic region were you reared? Are you the product of a rural or urban environment? What values are typical of that region? Where did your ancestors come from? Why and how did you or your ancestors come to the United States? In what ways did you/they adjust to this new home? What aspects of your/their culture of origin were retained? What impact does this way of entering the United States and the subsequent adjustment have on your culture? On your identity?
Religion and Spirituality
What was your religious affiliation (if any) during your childhood? How did this come to be in your family? How are conflicts due to religious values resolved? What do you think this religious preference reflects about your heritage/culture? What is your religious/spiritual affiliation now (if any)? If it has changed, how did that transformation happen?
Gender and Sexuality
What are your gender and sexual orientation? How are gender and orientation differences handled in your family of origin? How is sexism in your culture addressed?
What behaviors, characteristics, beliefs, and values are defined by gender in your culture? How are gender roles divided? How is conflict between gender roles handled?
What are some specific rules for marriage and childrearing in your culture?
Age and Accessibility
What is your age? Consider your interactions with your peers. Consider interactions
with those in your age group. Give two examples of how you treat those the same age
as your children or younger; your parents; your grandparents or older. How does your
age affect your experience in your family of origin? How has your degree of ability and
accessibility shaped you as a person?
Class and Geography
What is the socioeconomic history of your family? What role or meaning does
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socioeconomics have for people with backgrounds like yours? If your socioeconomic
history is different now, how did that transformation happen? What were music, art, and
clothing preferences like in your family of origin? What were the political preferences of
your family of origin? How did this come to be in your family? What do you think this
political preference reflects about your heritage/culture? What is your political preference
now? If it has changed, how did that transformation happen?
Personal Relationships
Think of significant people in your life when you were a child/adolescent (i.e.
parents/guardians, close relatives, teachers, clergy, siblings, etc.). What do you
remember about their attitudes and feelings toward multicultural and diverse
populations? How were racism, heterosexism, genderism, ageism, classism, etc.
addressed? What did you overhear them saying about multicultural and diverse groups?
Who determined the “social norms” and “rules” of your family? How were they enforced?
How were they passed to younger members of the family/group? What events can you
remember that involved personal contact with diverse groups? What were/are your
thoughts, feelings, and reactions? How many of your close, long-time friends were
members of multicultural and diverse groups? In what ways, if any, were these
friendships different from other friendships you have with friends who reflect your own
cultural groups? What significant events have affected your family and those closest to
you?
Group Membership
When did you first become aware that you were a member of each of the groups that
have shaped your identity, whether you chose to embrace or reject those aspects?
Please add any other information you think is pertinent to your cultural identity.
Each presentation should look like this:
Introduction
Introductory text for the entire PowerPoint/Project goes here.
Race, Ethnicity, Geography, and National Origin
Witty and insightful text goes here.
Religion and Spirituality
Witty and insightful text goes here.
Gender and Sexuality
Witty and insightful text goes here.
Age and Accessibility
Witty and insightful text goes here.
Class and Geography
Witty and insightful text goes here.
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Personal Relationships
Witty and insightful text goes here.
Group Membership
Witty and insightful text goes here.
Conclusion
Concluding text for the entire PowerPoint/Project goes here.