Operationalizing the interview process

My main objective for interviewing three students is to gain a better understanding of the culture they come from.  I am interested in knowing about their traditions, customs, food, religious beliefs, and daily activities. I want to compare this information to my own culture. I would also like to know how it feels coming from a different culture to the United States.   I think it is very important to understand and know about how other cultures work because we live in such a globalized society.   Every day the world is shrinking through business connections, travel opportunities, study programs, etc…  Understanding differences in cultural practices gives us a better chance of working together with patience, kindness, and compassion.  People may brush each other off because they don’t know how to interact with one another because of cultural boundaries or language barriers.

1.       Write my objective

2.       Prioritize questions list

3.       Approach those in class I would like to interview

4.       Ask if they would be interested in meeting with me

5.       Pick a date and time that works for both of us

6.       Set up a meeting place

7.       Rent out a tape recorder with new batteries and tape, make sure it is working correctly

8.       Practice asking the interview questions so I can guide the conversation in the correct direction

9.       Prepare by dressing professionally

10.   Bring refreshment for my interviewee

11.   Make it to appointment ON TIME

12.   Turn on the recorder

13.   Welcome the interviewee and thank them for coming

14.   Start the conversation with basic ordinary questions

15.   Steer the conversation towards the goal questions

16.   Keep the conversation going as long as it needs to, don’t just stop because all questions are answered

17.   When finished ask if they would like to add anything else or would like to ask me any questions

18.   Thank the interviewee again and part ways

19.   Listen to the recorded interview and then transcribe it

20.   Begin research for country report

21.   Write the summary and reactions to the interview

22.   Post on my blog.

Prioritized Interview Questions

1. What religious holidays or other cultural events do you or others celebrate; can you explain your traditions for each?
2. Do you have any daily rituals in regards to your religious beliefs?
3. Which country`s food do you like the most? What are the similarities and differences between it and your own culture`s food?
4. Could you tell me a secret about yourself that very few people here know about and that shows us well, who you are and what you stand for?
5. What are the typical greetings in your culture and what do they mean?
6. At what age do you start school? Are you under a lot of stress in school?
7. What could SCSU do to make your stay on campus better?
8. Can you describe a typical day for a child in your country?
9. What different modes of transportation are used in your country?
10. What kind of government is in charge of your home country, how did it affect your life and how has democracy in America been a change?
11. How would you describe famous sports in your country?

Library Research Assistance- group #1; topic: Research Basics

Part A
Starting your research

• Library 101  This is a quick and easy guide to using the Library.  The Library is an important free resource available to all students but can be discouraging to those who do not know how to use it properly.
• How to Find Hot Topics:  Finding a topic to do a research paper about can be difficult.  There is a list of suggestions for paper topics and resources for searching information about them.
• Points of View Reference Center: This reference resource has a list of current controversial issues and gives information on different areas of that subject
• Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center:  This gives different arguements to current controversial issues
• CQ Researcher:  A reference for searching for unbiased Researched information
• Facts on File (World News Digest): A search engine used for finding news articles
• ProQuest Newspapers:  A resource for searching printed news articles
• Academic Search Premier: An easy to use data base
• The Information Cycle:  Tells you about how information flows to each type of source (book, website, journals).  If you understand how it works then you will know where to search for information.
• Library Resources and Services for Graduate Students Specifically for Grad Students
• Minnesota History Day/Primary Resources  This is for Students workingon MN History Day Projects

Part B
Part C
Part D

Interview Answers

1. What could SCSU do to make your stay on campus better?
There are a few things on my list that St. Cloud State University could do to make my stay better. At the top my list is parking. I drive to school everyday and get extremely frustrated with the parking situation.  No matter how early I leave for class I am always late because I can't find parking on the streets.  When this happens I try to park in the ramp and it is full.  They built the parking ramp to help elevate the situation but it is only 3 levels tall.  I believe they should have built a much larger one.  Also, I think there should be more dining options on campus.  The only place that I will actually spend my money at is Subway.  They don't have many healthy, affordable dining options which I think other students would appreciate this as well.


2. Could you tell me a secret about yourself that very few people here know about and that shows us well, who you are and what you stand for?
No one in this classroom knows anything about me so I suppose anything I tell you would be a secret.  There are very few places in the world that I would not want to visit.  I am open to trying to new things. I like learning about different cultures, trying new food, seeing different architecture, and natural attractions. If I had an indispensable amount of money I would spend it traveling to different parts of the world.


3. Which country`s food do you like the most? What are the similarities and differences between it and your own culture`s food?
I love food from Asia.  I don't mean America's version of this either.  The ingredients in a lot of the dishes consist of rice or noodles, meat, vegetables, and spices such a red chili peppers, cilantro, garlic, sesame paste/peanut sauce.  I also really like sushi.  American cuisine is derived mainly from French cuisine drawing from other culture's traditional dishes.  Since America has so many different culture's and ethnic background's we have a lot of food that is similar to others from around the world but it really isn't the same.  I think we tend to eat a lot of food that consists of pasta, beef, potatoes, corn, and breads. 


4. What are the typical greetings in your culture and what do they mean?
There are different greetings used depending on who you are interacting with.  Many people say "hello," "good afternoon," do a head nod, or wave when in passing.  If you are greeting someone you know you will often say "Hello, How are you?"or  "Hey, what's up/whats going on?"  If you are greeting a close friend, family member, or partner you can greet them with a hug.  The only time, I feel, it is appropriate to greet with a kiss is with you partner.  If you are interacting for the purpose of business you will greet with a firm handshake.

 5. What kind of government is in charge of your home country, how did it affect your life and how has democracy in America been a change?
I am from America and have been raised under a Democracy.  This has affected my way of life and thinking greatly.  We are raised to believe that the Democracy we live under is the best in the world and other nations should model their country like us.  I don't always believe this to be true.  I don't feel like we are as free as we think.  There are many undemocratic things the United States government does around the world. Don't get me wrong, I do love my country and happy that we are a democracy but I don't believe that the rest of the world needs to model after us, nor could it always work for them.  There is always going to be corruption with power whether it is a democracy, monarchy, communism, etc...


6. What different modes of transportation are used in your country?
There are many modes of transportation used in the United States.  In Minnesota, however, I think it is most common for people to use vehicle transportation.  We either drive ourselves, carpool, or take the bus. Depending on the distance people will take taxi's as well.  In larger cities it is often faster and more convenient to take the subway.  In the metro they have built the light rail but it is still limited to certain areas.  I think it will become increasingly popular as it expands. For long distance travel people will usually take a plane or drive. I don't think train travel is all that popular in the United States. 


7.  At what age do you start school? Are you under a lot of stress in school??
Kids usually start kindergarten around age 5 or 6.  In most states It is mandatory to attend school until age 17 or 18 unless parents give permission for drop out.  After graduating from high school I did decide to further my education.  I started college in fall of 2007 and transferred to St. Cloud in 2008.  I would have graduated last semester but I took 6 months off of school to intern at a hotel in China. I am under some stress in school because I work a lot when I am not in class.  It is also stressful trying to figure out my next path after graduation.


8. What religious holidays or other cultural events do you or others celebrate; can you explain your traditions for each? 
The main holidays that I celebrate with my family are Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.  Though these are mainly religious holidays, my family doesn't celebrate them for that reason.  They are times during the year that we get together to visit with each other which is centered around a large meal.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  The family gets together, either immediate or extended, and has a large dinner. The meal consists of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberries, salad, and some sort of vegetable.  We also drink wine and eat dessert.   
8b Do you have any daily rituals in regards to your religious beliefs? 
No. I do not follow an organized religion though I am a spiritual person.  I try to center my mind and body through regular yoga sessions.  I suppose that would fall under daily rituals.


9.  How would you describe famous sports in your country?
Football, hockey, and baseball are the most famous sports in our country.  I am really not a big sports fan but I like to watch "important" games with a group of friends while eating delicous junk food and drinking beer.  The Superbowl is the most popular football game. Every year it is at the end of January beginning of February.  Hockey is played on the ice. It is a more aggressive sport. I also like drinking beer while watching this sport.  It is really fun going to SCSU hockey games to cheer on the Huskies.  Baseball is a more laid back sport.  Drinking beer and watching it at Target Feild is fun on a summer day.

10.Can you describe a typical day for a child in your country?
This is a very broad question to answer. I think many children in our country live very different lives depending on their background.  For the most part, I would say, children go to school, do some sort of after school activity, then do homework.

Punctuation Presentation 2/14/2012

Punctuation Powerpoint

Food Interview Questions

1.  Which country's food do you like the most? What are the similarities and differences between it and your own culture's food?

2.  What type of dish is famous in your country? why?

3.  What is your favorite food? Why?

4.  How broad is your countries food culture? 

5.  How hard is it for you to adapt to foreign food?

6.  Are there any foods that originated in your home country? If so, what are they?

7.  How do families obtain most of their food; market, home grown?

8.  What is the main type of dish in your country?

9.  Are there special occasion/holiday foods? (e.g. In the United States we eat turkey on thanksgiving)

10.  Is the food in your country mostly imported or grown locally?

11.  What do you think the relation is between food and culture?

12.  What do you consider to be healthy food? Do you prefer it over junk food? Why?

13.  Do you cook? If yes, what food do you cook the most often?

14.  How often does grocery shopping happen? Daily? Weekly?  

Interview Questions

1. Where are you from? (Country, Province, City)
2.  What is your hometown known for?
3.  Is there any famous tourist attractions?
4.  What are the local traditional food dishes in your hometown?
5.  What do your parents do for a living?
6.  Do you have any siblings?
7.  What is the typical family structure like?
8.  What are you studying in school?
9.  How long have you been/will you be studying in the United States?
10. What do you like/dislike about Minnesota?
11.  What is your favorite American dish?
12. Besides the US, have you traveled anywhere else?