Cultural Sensitivity Assignment
You will demonstrate your ability to understand cultural sensitivity by comparing cultural norms from a culture of your choosing to typical American norms.
Assignment: Answer these questions in a 3 – 4 page essay. A full credit, exceptional essay will answer the questions and demonstrate your ability to think critically and apply the information to people you may work with now or in the future. Cite sources.
Think of someone in your family or someone you know very well who came to America from another country (it may be you, or you may have to go back generations!). Choose one superstitious practice that is accepted, popular, common, and considered normal in the country that they came from that is not common in the US. This can be a food or eating pattern that is believed to bring luck, cure an ailment, improve sports performance, etc. Describe it. Use this example throughout your essay to make your responses to questions 2 4 meaningful.
For example: My grandparents are from Italy. On New Years Eve they believe eating lentils will bring prosperity and good fortune in the new year since the legumes resemble coins.
2. Using your example, what is the difference between cultural competence and cultural sensitivity? How would they apply to this person? Hint: If this grandmother in the example above went to a headache specialist in the US and said she uses raw potatoes to cure her headache, how would the doctor interact in culturally sensitive and competent ways?
3. Is the person from your example from a high context or low context culture? What are some communication features of this culture? How are healthcare providers perceived? What is the role of community or family in an individuals health care?
4. Do you believe it is important to speak to clients/patients/customers how you like to be spoken to? What else is important to consider? Defend your stance with at least 2 arguments.
5. What are some strategies a health care provider or teacher could use to make sure communication with the person from your example was clear and strong? How could they reinforce their messaging to your example person?
-Use the Chinese superstition of traditional Chinese medicine “A doctor will take your pulse and examine your tongue, supposedly all that’s required for a diagnosis. He then writes out a prescription you take across the room where a clerk will pull your medicine animal, vegetable and mineral from the multitude of little draws built into the wall.From this bundle of loose material you make a tea to drink, as often as prescribed. But among the leaves and roots are more questionable curatives; dried seahorses, reputed to halt hair loss and cure impotence, and lizard skins thought to improve circulation.
Similar shops can be found in every large city with a sizable Asian population, selling a whole host of dried animal parts, some like tiger bone, rhino horn and bear organs, taken from extremely endangered animals. Conservation groups say many of these treatments have all the scientific validity of wearing a rabbit’s foot for good luck.”
