Day 2
W-Th Jan. 8-9
Share questions for interviewee
Mock interview
Share observations on “Nacirema”
Homework
➤ Conduct interview
Interview a person you regard as an outsider to your culture, asking them about their perceptions and experience of your culture. If possible, conduct your interview in person. If not, please do it over the phone. No WeChat text message interviews, please.
Make sure to do these things:
Record your interview (using your cell phone or other audio recorder).
Important: When sitting down for the interview, ask your interviewee for permission to audio-record your conversation. Don’t record them secretly. And check that your recorder is working first!
Please also ask your interviewee if they’d mind your sharing your recording with the class for research purposes.
➤ Transcribe and upload interview
Transcribe (copy out word for word) the parts of the interview you found most interesting. (If you wish, copy it all out.)
At the beginning of the interview transcript, add a few sentences that clearly identify the interviewee (what is their name? their cultural background? what’s their relationship to you?)
Upload the transcript (and the audio file of your interview, if the interviewee has granted permission) to our shared folder. (If you think the interviewee would be uncomfortable with this, please let me know and we’ll figure out another way for you to share the findings of your interview with the class.)
➤ Short writing assignment: “Rituals of the Esenich”
Write 2-3 paragraphs in the style of “Body Ritual of the Nacirema” about some specific aspect of Chinese culture. Title it “_____ Ritual among the Esenich,” where _____ is the aspect you’re focusing on.
Do your best to imitate the style of “Body Ritual among the Nacirema.” Make everything you write be true (to the best of your abilities) but write it in a way that makes it sound so strange that another Chinese person, reading it, wouldn’t realize this was about his/her own culture.
