Religious Service or Cross cultural community event instructions

Instructions  

 Option 1:  Religious Service (different than your own religious/denominational                                       tradition)

Attending a religious service in a foreign language allows you to observe customs and interactions without needing to concentrate on the words. You may attend a service in English. In either case, it should be a service with which you are not very familiar. You can find a list of possible services in the Lancaster area in APPENDIX 3. This should give you an idea of the kind of religious services we are looking for. For most of the churches it would be helpful to contact the pastor or leader prior to visiting the church.  If you know someone from the church, ask them to be your interpreter. After the service, write a 2-3 page (plus title page) typed response to your experience in a foreign language religious service or community event, answering the following questions as well as how you felt and what you learned.

During the service, note such things as:

• Size of the group
  
• Composition (ages, number of women, men and children)
  
• How are people grouped? (families together, young men by themselves, people sitting alone)
• How are children treated (disciplined, indulged, are they an important part of the proceedings)?
• How formal/informal is the service? How engaged are the people in it?
  
• What kinds of interaction occur before/after the service? Do people seem to know each other well? Do  they have much to say to each other outside of the formal service?
  
• What similarities/differences do you notice when comparing this with services with which you are more familiar?
  
• What observations did you observe of the twelve domains and concepts of the Purnell Model?
  

Use the above suggestions as a guide to help you observe and reflect.  Talk to at least one person before or after the service. Explain why you have been at the service. Ask them about their experiences in the church, to explain things you found puzzling, and to tell you what they think is important about the service. Following the service, reflect on what this service has taught you about the culture of the people who attend that congregation or mosque.          

Option 2:  Cross cultural community event

If there is a community cross-cultural event nearby that you would like to attend in place of a religious service, talk with your instructor for approval.

Talk with people at the event who represents other cultures. Ask questions about the culture of the people. Look for cultural differences and similarities to your own culture and experience.

• What do you observe about the people: their customs, food, relationships, treatment of children, and the elderly?
  
• What similarities/differences do you notice when comparing this event with community events of your own culture?  Reflect on the organization of the event, who is the organizer, when does the event starts and end, and who is attending the event.
  
• Reflect on any observations you make of the 12 domains of the Purnell Model. 

                        Instructions for cross-cultural community event paper

·       Write a 2-3 page (plus title page) typed response to your experience in a foreign language religious service or community event, telling how you felt and what you learned. Reflect on the following questions:

• What did you observe about the culture represented in this event?
  
• What did you learn about their “values/worldview/lenses” just from this short experience?
  
• What puzzles you? What would you like to learn about further?
  
• What are the similarities and differences with a similar event of your own culture. 
  
• What did you observe of the 12 domains of Purnell Model.