Outline and Literature Review

Begin working on your course project outline and literature review, which is due in Unit 5.

A literature review traces the genealogy of a topic in the field; it notes the history of the topic and the notable perspectives of others in the field who have addressed the topic. The purpose of a literature review is to demonstrate that a writer has insightfully and critically surveyed relevant literature in order to convince a targeted audience that this topic is worth addressing. The literature review is not intended to report the literature, but instead to synthesize it.

Counseling Case Study Discussion

Discussion 1

Post a brief introduction to the outline you created in this unit’s assignment. Attach your Counseling Case Study outline from this unit’s assignment for your peers to comment on.

Discussion 2

Discuss

Consider a situation that happened in the workplace, in which you or someone you know was treated unfairly based on reasons stemming from individual differences. As you summarize this experience, discuss the following:

• Describe the circumstances of the situation and the core issues that caused it.
• In your opinion, describe how you or this person were mistreated, and how this mistreatment suggests that a universal diverse orientation (that is, an acceptance and awareness of similarities and differences) was not in place.
• Describe how the ability to be fully empathetic in this situation may have been restricted.
• Knowing what you know now, describe what would be a better way to handle the situation.

 Assignment

Overview

There has been increasing tension between teachers of different races regarding how children are being disciplined the in African American households in their school district. Many Caucasian teachers (80% of the teacher population) believe that the methods of discipline are inappropriate, while African American teachers (a vast minority of teachers in the district) largely believe that the methods of punishment are appropriate for their culture.

You have been asked to provide cultural sensitivity training to teachers in the school district. The goal is to increase cultural and ethnic awareness for each of the teacher groups so they can foster a better understanding of one another’s point of view and deescalate the tension between the groups.

By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assignment criteria:

Competency 1: Analyze the influence of culture on attitudes, values, perception, human behavior, and interpersonal relations.

• Analyze how cultural customs can be interpreted or misinterpreted by other cultures.
• Discuss common elements of cultural misunderstandings.

Competency 2: Analyze individual cultural competencies.

• Identify types of information to gather from stakeholders for intervention planning.

Competency 3: Analyze culturally and developmentally appropriate intervention strategies.

• Identify culturally sensitive intervention strategies.

Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the human services profession.

• Communicate in a professional manner, using scholarly resources that support the analysis through clear, concise, well organized, and grammatically correct writing that incorporates appropriate APA style and conventions.

Assignment Instructions

Write an outline of a presentation (not a full presentation) to be given to the teachers that provides guidance on how to address the issue. The point of this outline is to detail how you would approach the task and to identify areas that need to be included when addressing this multicultural conflict.

Minimally you should:

• Define the problem.
• Identify types of information to gather from stakeholders for intervention planning.
  • Identify stakeholders with whom you would consult to further explore the issues.
  • State what you hope to learn from them.
• Discuss cultural factors that need to be taken into consideration analyzing the issue.
• Identify elements of this case study that are common to all cultural conflicts.
• Analyze how cultural customs can be interpreted or misinterpreted by other cultures.
• Identify culturally sensitive intervention strategies.
  • Discuss how you approach the issue and the teachers.
  • Recommend strategies to share with teachers on how to increase cultural understanding of the teachers on both sides of the issue.

You may also consider the following questions:

• What are some of the things you need to consider when working with someone who is of a different ethnic or cultural group than you?
• What stereotypes may be present that complicate the conflict?
• What are the barriers to effective communication in this case?
• Is it important to determine which side is right or wrong to solve this problem? Why or why not?