SPCL 7922T Multicultural Counseling (Baquet): Assignments & Rubrics

Cultural Reflection & Genogram

Students will be reflecting on their cultural backgrounds and will include the following components:

Construct a genogram (significant friendships or other relationships in which you consider significant may be included). You are to include: names of maternal/paternal grandparents, parents and siblings, you and your siblings, and other significant family members. For each person, include the following: birth date/age, ethnic background, birthplace, religious affiliation, date of marriage/relationship status, level of education, occupation/career, values, interests, hobbies, and other important descriptors. This is to be incorporated in your genogram (use of symbols is permitted).

Reflect on your genogram

• Describe family rules/cultural values: roles, discipline, sexuality, finances, relationships; feelings, independence, communication, caregiving, dating, illness, family secrets, etc. Values and beliefs: education; career/work/job/occupation; marriage and divorce; children/pregnancy/abortion; male/female roles; leaving home/independence; illness/medical care; other ethnic groups; religion; treatment of different generations, rites of passage, socioeconomic status; celebrations (quinceañeras, sweet sixteen, anniversaries, graduations, etc.) Significant events that impacted on the family: War, natural disasters, accidents, marriages, divorce, children, death, etc.
• Describe how many people are in your family (if known); where you were born; where your parents and grandparents were born; generational status (e.g., immigrant, 1st generation U.S. born, etc.); and views/experiences of acculturation. What do you know about your family’simmigration history/entry into the United States? Describe. How do you and your family members align with Dominant American Values? Do the “American” values differ within the cultural dynamics of your family and socialization? Describe.

Self-Reflection

• How do you culturally identify? Include the identities (woman) or identity intersections (lowincome, queer, Chinese woman) you view as most salient and describe why these are most salient for you.
• When you look at a photograph of yourself, what do you think others see in terms of your cultural (e.g., ethnicity, race) background based purely on your physical features? What do you see about yourself?
• Submit with your genogram a summary of key points, issues, and events that have had an impact on who you are today. What in your family’s background influenced your beliefs, values, attitudes, occupational and career choices, achievements, family rules, etc.? Have you changed any of your beliefs, values, attitudes, rules, choices over the years? To what or whom do you attribute these changes? Describe any personal perspectives or insights you experienced as a result of this assignment.

Virtual Pen Pal Dialogue

As part of the course requirement, students enrolled in this spring 2020 multicultural (7922T) course will participate in a virtual pen pal dialogue. This assignment has been selected because pen-pal communication has been shown to promote self and other awareness through cross-cultural connections. The second week of class you will be assigned a virtual pen pal from [CUNY Brooklyn or Caldwell University]. You will be expected to schedule a 30-minute, biweekly video-conference with your pen-pal where you will be reflecting on course content and your own cultural awareness. You will be utilizing Zoom which is a video-telephone online platform. For those of you who are not familiar with Zoom, the link "How to Schedule a Call/Meeting" takes you to instructions (print and video) on how use Zoom.

After each virtual pen-pal communication, you will be writing a 2-3-page reflection discussing your experience.

Counselor Cultural Narrative

“Privileged and marginalized counselors develop self-awareness, so that they may explore their attitudes and beliefs, develop knowledge, skills, and action relative to their self-awareness and worldview.” MSJC Competencies, pg. 5.

This critical reflective writing activity requires students to explore self in relation to attitudes and beliefs, and develop knowledge about personal cultural identity, development, and worldview (including key personal values). Students will address the impact of personal values, cultural identity, family history, and current lifestyle on current sense of self, their future work as school counselors, and their ability to work with different groups in counseling. Use all of your course experiences to date (readings, other course materials, class dialogues, etc.) to inform your work on this project. Also, use the specific resources and prompts listed below as a guide for your personal cultural review and reflection.

Each prompt is to be integrated in your narrative. You are encouraged to utilize creativity, thoughtfulness, and intention in discussing your intersectionality and cultural identity. As you reflect,consider the following sections of the multicultural counseling and social justice competencies (pg. 5) as part of your personal cultural review and reflection:

• Attitudes and beliefs: Privileged and marginalized counselors are aware of their social identities,  social group statuses, power, privilege, oppression, strengths, limitations, assumptions, attitudes, values, beliefs, and biases
• Knowledge: Privileged and marginalized counselors possess an understanding of their social identities, social group statuses, power, privilege, oppression, strengths, limitations, assumptions.

Reflection Prompts:

• Describe yourself in terms of each component of the RESPECTFUL and/or ADDRESSING Framework. In what areas do you hold privilege? In what areas do you experience marginalization?
• With what cultural and/or ethnic group(s) do you identify?
• Describe your earliest recollection of learning your race or ethnicity.
• When did you recall learning that you were male or female? How did you learn this?
• When do you remember learning what your sexual orientation is and how did you learn this?
• When did you find out what religion your family practiced, if any? How did your family feel about people who had a different religion? Did you have similar feelings? How would you describe your current religion/spiritual orientation?
• What were you taught about your family’s socioeconomic status throughout your life? Was social class (yours or others) openly discussed, observed, assumed, etc.? Did you often interact with those whose SES background differed from your own? Describe a critical incident that made you aware of your social class.
• How often did your family talk about your ethnic heritage and in what context?
• Discuss what messages (verbal and nonverbal) you received about your cultural or ethnic background and what childhood experiences reinforce them. What message did you receive about other cultural or ethnic groups?
• Discuss your earliest recollections of learning that people are “different.” Discuss how you realized you or others were “different” and how it impacted you.
• Describe the childhood and adolescent experiences or relationships that shaped your view of people who are culturally different than you. What is your current view of people who are culturally different than you?
• Describe some experiences that may have influenced you to change the way that you view people who are culturally different than you.
• What gender assumptions/biases are common in your cultural and family group?
• How is sexual orientation regarded in your cultural group? How did your family help shape your attitudes about sexual orientation?
• How did you first come to understand that racism existed? What did you learn from this experience?
• What cultural values do you currently hold? Are they similar to or different than those of your family? Which of these values will be different from the common values of other cultural groups?
• What has been the major source of information that has shaped your perceptions of different groups of people? How have these values impacted your worldview?
• What biases are you currently aware of ? How do you plan to manage your biases when working with your clients/students?
• What groups do you think that you will have the most difficulty working with? The least difficulty? Why?
• What are the implications of these answers for your work with clients from both similar and dissimilar cultural backgrounds?

The paper will be written using APA 8th edition professional writing and formatting . The paper will vary in length based on an individual’s personal history and experiences; however, this assignment is considered a comprehensive personal review and reflection. Consider 8-10 content pages (not including title and reference pages) to be a target. Your writing will be evaluated for its reflective nature and your shared understanding of multiple cultural elements, characteristics, and dynamics included in this course.

A. Presentation: Multicultural Event or Activity

Attend at least one activity that relates to a cultural, ethnic, value, or identity issue. You should spend at least 2 hours engaged in the activity/event. You are encouraged to attend an event with a group about which you have the MOST preconceived ideas, and a primary purpose is to participate in a new cultural immersion. Past experiences may not be used for this assignment. The use of audiovisual material is mandatory, and PowerPoint presentations encouraged. Here are instruction tips on creating accessible PowerPoint presentations and here are instruction tips on creating accessible audiovisual materials. Presentations will be 15 minutes in duration.

Students will include discussion surrounding why you chose this activity, when it took place, your expectations before the event, your experience through the event, and your reflections of the experience following the event. A critical reflection on the experience is needed; how might this
experience influence your work as a counselor and ways in which you can better prepare for future clients/students. What would you like your professional peers to take away from your learning experience? Activities may include, but are not limited to, attending a religious service,
attending a funeral of another religion, an interview, attending a meeting for a campus multicultural organization, or participation in any other activity that may be related to a cultural, ethnic, value, or identity issue different from your own. Please note that you must receive prior instructor approval for the event you choose. To be further discussed in class.

B. Presentation: School Counseling Advocacy Project

Students will present a School Counseling Advocacy project in groups on specific student populations. The duration of the presentations should be 20-25 minutes.

Groups of 4 or 5 (depending on class size and time constraints). Groups will be chosen within the first two weeks of class. Groups will need approval from instructor prior to finalizing population.

• Students will describe the characteristics of their population (psychosocial, cognitive, physical, emotional development, developmental tasks, school level etc). Include theories of development, relevant statistics, family system considerations, problems/concerns/needs, current events/influences such as political, economic, environmental, societal, and cultural that directly impact your student population, highlight resources or information related to your population that your peers may use if needed (this requires research into community resources). Identify and address gaps in achievement, access, and opportunity.
• Students will include activities and interventions/techniques that will help create a positive learning environment including activities and interventions related to academic, career, and personal/social success (ASCA domains); in addition include the targeted mindset and behavior standards (at least two). You are to show how you would infuse cultural awareness into your individual/small group counseling activities. Demonstrate knowledge of comprehensive school counseling programs such as the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model.
• Students are to include details of their roles as advocates within the school system in respect to their chosen population; Understand and articulate the role of the professional school counselor in collaborating with other school personnel. Be sure to include and consider Professional Counseling Advocacy Competencies related to your population.

Final Paper

This final paper is the culminating part of your reflection for the course. Using the ADDRESSING and/or RESPECTFUL framework, describe in detail your experiences of privilege and oppression in each of its dimensions. This project entails integrating the readings and class discussions as well as undergoing a process of critical self-reflection.

For each of ADDRESSING dimensions:

1. Discuss how the class readings, exercises, and discussions reflected and/or provided you with insight about your experience of privilege or oppression.
2. Provide examples from your life that reflect your experience of privilege (as a member of the dominant group) or oppression (as a member of a non-dominant group).
3. Describe your identity development according to the models in the class readings.
4. Evaluation of privilege/oppression and intersectionality

Privilege/oppression
For the areas in which you hold privilege (as a member of the dominant group), describe your process and the challenges in acknowledging and understanding your privilege. Use the readings and class discussions to elaborate and reflect on your privilege. Discuss how you will continue to further your multicultural competence in this area (increasing your awareness, knowledge, and skills).

For the areas in which you experience oppression (as a member of a non-dominant group), describe your process and the challenges in acknowledging and understanding how you were/are impacted by oppression in this dimension. Use the readings and class discussions to elaborate and reflect on your experience (or the experience of other members of your group). Discuss how you will continue to further your multicultural competence in this area (increasing your awareness, knowledge, and skills).

Intersectionality
How does is your privilege/oppression in this area different for you due to your other areas of privilege/oppression?

Final remarks: Share your final thoughts/insights regarding this assignment and the class in general.
How did this course influenced your multicultural competencies:

1. Awareness
2. Knowledge
3. Skills
4. Action

What did you learn about the intersectionality of your experience? How did your perception of other people’s experience shift as a result of understanding their intersectionality?

• The paper will be written using APA 8th edition professional writing and formatting.
• The paper will vary in length based on an individual’s personal history and experiences; however, this assignment is considered a comprehensive personal review and reflection.
• Consider 8-10 content pages (not including  title and reference pages) to be a target.
• Your writing will be evaluated for its reflective nature and your shared understanding of multiple cultural elements, characteristics, and dynamics included in this course.