CQ JOURNAL: CULTURAL EXPERIENCE ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW
Throughout the course, you will submit 4 journal entries which will guide you to reflect on your
cultural intelligence (CQ) scores, set measurable goals and action steps for improving your CQ,
and participate in activities and experiences which will help to practice effective intercultural
communication. With CQ, there is always more to learn and room to grow, and this course is an
opportunity to practice exercising each of the CQ capabilities. You can use your journal entries
to track your progress through the journey of this course, but hopefully you will feel inspired to
continue to develop your CQ beyond this course.
INSTRUCTIONS
Your journal entry should meet the following requirements.
? Length: 400-800 words
? Your journal entry should be written in paragraph form with proper grammar and
spelling. Thoughts should be well-organized and cohesive.
? Your journal entry should be submitted on the template provided.
For this journal, each student will need to seek to have a cross-cultural experience and engage
with people from a different ethno-linguistic background than your own. The purpose of this
assignment is to have a new experience with a culture that is unfamiliar, practice developing
their CQ capabilities, and take note of similarities and differences in cultural values.
Here are a few suggestions of experiences to have (note: students should choose one option from
this list):
? Visit the home of a friend from another country. Ask them to teach you how to make
food from that country, or how to play a sport which is unique to that country. Talk
together about the differences in your two cultures and challenges of interacting with
people who are different. (Note: It’s important that students seek out a new experience.
This option is not meant for students to visit a home of a close friend where they have
been often or have been around the culture or family for a long time. Perhaps an
acquaintance that you’d like to get to know better would provide a new experience).
? Attend a cultural celebration or festival sponsored by a local cultural association. Learn
about the various traditions. (Look for Greek Festivals, Indian Cultural Festivals, Chinese
New Year celebrations, etc.)
? Visit a local non-Christian place of worship (Mosque, Hindu temple, Buddhist temple,
etc.). Respectfully ask for a tour and ask for someone to share a little about their religion,
the meanings of certain artifacts or statues you see, and the purpose of the practices you
witness.
? Attend a Christian worship gathering where most of the attendees have an ethno-
linguistic background that is different than your own. (Many communities have churches
who worship in a foreign language.)
? Visit a local ethnic restaurant (note: Taco Bell, Panda Express, Chipotle, Chuy's, and
other American chain restaurants that serve "international food" do not count as ethnic

GLST 220

Page 2 of 3
restaurants. Find a place where the chef and most of the staff are from the country from
where the food originates, and other people of that same ethnicity go there to get food
from home). Talk with the staff about where they are from and ask them about how they
make their most iconic dishes. Ask about the role food plays in their culture. **This only
counts if you actually engage in conversations other than ordering food!**
After you have completed your cultural experience, use the writing prompt below to complete
your journal. Your journal entry should be at least 400 words and should include an answer to
each of the major sections/headings of this prompt (in bold). The bullet points under each
heading are suggestions for topics to consider.
Describe your cultural experience.
? Where did you go?
?  Who did you talk to?
? What do you see, hear, smell, taste, feel?
? Did anything surprise you?
? What did you most enjoy about the experience?
? What was the most difficult part?
Discuss what you learned about the culture represented through the experience.
? What was similar to your own culture?
? What was different?
? What cultural values did you notice?
How can your CQ help you in cross-cultural experiences such as these (be specific)?
How has your awareness of cultures in general or the specific culture represented changed
because of your experience?
ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENT OPTION
We know that some students live in places and situations which may prevent them from having
such a cross-cultural experience. While we encourage you to do some more research in your
community because many students are surprised to find that there is more diversity than they
expect, we do understand that there are limitations. If you cannot find a cross-cultural experience
like the ones listed above, you may, with the prior permission of your instructor, use a digital
experience as a substitute. You may watch a movie that was produced in a foreign country (think
Bollywood, Chinese film, French Film, etc.), or watch a movie about a person who crosses
cultures. Please contact your professor if you would like to use a digital option for this journal.
For your journal entry, you should write a 400-800 word review of the movie. You will discuss
the elements of culture you found to be unique in the media (especially focus on cultural value
orientations, the cross-cultural challenges experienced by the character, and the ways you would
apply cultural intelligence to be able to engage that culture effectively)