Teaching: First Year Florida
Diversity Activity
Each student is required to select and become involved in a cross-cultural experience designed to help you gain knowledge of and awareness in culturally diverse students. For the purpose of this experience, minority may include ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, sexual orientation or gender.
The project consists of observation and a summary of your experience. You will need at least two activities, with at least one experience you attend. These two activities could be met by attending two separate events or by attending one event and watching a movie (observation).
Observation (learning from a safe distance)
The following are some suggested ideas:
- Attend a lecture that focuses on minority issues and concerns.
- Read a book or article about the minority group.
- Make a tour of minority community and note the community’s environment such as quality of homes, behaviors of people and other unique aspects of the community.
- Watch a movie or video that depicts cultural practices of a minority group.
- Attend a religious service of a predominant minority group.
- Attend an event, activity or program sponsored by the minority group.
Keep a personal journal of your reactions and feelings to your experience(s).
Summary of experience
Prepare a three to four page paper OR poster board and presentation that includes
the following:
- Identify the minority group you selected and why to you, this group is “diverse”.
- Briefly describe the diversity experiences you selected.
- Discuss your feelings or reactions, what you learned, and how you have grown personally.
- Discuss how your experiences may impact your behaviors and attitude as an individual.
This project is experiential in nature and can require involvement with strangers causing some degree of anxiety for those with limited cross-cultural interactions or relations. Therefore, we encourage you to select experiences based on your own level on interracial and intercultural comfort, yet pushing yourself to grow. Activities or experiences you have achieved in the past are unacceptable.
Paper due November 17.