II. Experiential Assignment

Background:
The following assignment exposes you to a new situation, requires you to carefully observe your surroundings and asks you to both describe what you felt and what other individuals might feel to have you among them. Your assignment is to go by yourself (you may not take anyone with you) to a place you have not been before, and to observe what you see (and participate, if appropriate). Please note that these two conditions (doing something you have not done before and doing it by yourself) are important. After your field experience, you will write a 3-4 page paper (no less than 3, no more than 4 pages) that includes the following:

o Date and address of where the experience took place.
o Length of time you were there.
o Brief description of the setting.
o Your reaction to the situation in terms of your behavior/feelings.
o The reaction of the other individuals toward you.
o What this experience teaches you about being different from others in your environment.
o How such an experience might influence your development if you were to live or work in such a setting for a major portion of your life.
o Relevance of theory and readings in any of the texts
o Concluding comments.

Listed below are some examples of places other students have visited:
o A Protestant visits a Buddhist service
o A Caucasian visits a Black church and student organization
o A hearing individual visits a school for the deaf
o A native Angelino visits a gathering of international students

Do not choose a setting where you would feel like an intruder into someone’s privacy. In some situations, you may need to get permission to observe the group. Use your good judgment. Do not place yourself into a situation that is physically dangerous to you. Choose a setting that you truly want to learn about so you don’t feel like an “undercover agent.” Papers must be typed, double-spaced, one inch margins, Times New Roman 12 font. They will also be evaluated on the extent to which they are clearly organized, with no grammatical or spelling errors. In writing your paper, make sure to include specific and relevant references to the readings and their content (use at least 5 references from the course readings).

Assignment adapted from Mark, D. (1989). Organizational behavior experiences and cases. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Company and from Professor Ellen Ernst Kossek, Michigan State University.

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