Part 1- In one short introductory paragraph, describe the circumstance where you anticipate you will have those intercultural interactions, characterize what type of cultural difference you expect to encounter, and describe what potential challenges you might encounter (stereotypes, communication issues, etc.) and why you selected that particular circumstance. Note: If you anticipate encountering intercultural differences in several areas of life, focus on just one area. If you already encounter this scenario (for example, if you travel a lot already) you can use that scenario if you anticipate that you will continue encountering this scenario in the future. If you seriously do not anticipate having intercultural encounters or really have no plans to come into contact with culturally different people, then you could write about coming into contact with another culture on a dream vacation that you win as a prize and that would take you to any desired location in the world.
Part 2- Briefly introduce and describe the two very specific topics from this course that you chose to write about here and why you chose them. Important suggestion: Although there is no right or wrong topic, in most cases, try to strike a balance between too general (e.g. choosing a general concept like culture or “stereotype”) or too specific (e.g. simply describing the video about saying no in Japan without explaining its broader significance to your situation). Examples of appropriately specific topics might be things like, “Bennett’s stages of intercultural awareness”, or “rules for forming accurate generalizations rather than stereotypes”. Focus on picking topics that you can clearly see yourself using as tools to improve your intercultural interactions. This can include topics that improve your intercultural understandings, attitudes, or behaviors. You may have to select a variety of topics and start writing a bit before you decide what your best two choices are.
