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Cultural Immersion Paper
General Instructions
Use textbooks, class materials, outside sources, and use APA format (Note: first person
expression is expected). Reflect on your experiences and your prior preconceived ideas.
Which of those preconceived ideas are now open to re-interpretation and why? What have you
learned about yourself and “them” now that the immersion is over? Take what you have learned
about this group and yourself and apply it in a counseling context. Assume you have a client
from this group and discuss each of the following:
Use the insights you gained into your preconceived ideas of this group to identify ways
you will cope with your internal dialogue about clients from this group. Have your biases
shifted, and how will you keep your internalized biases at bay?
What are some likely counseling issues you might expect from this group and why?
What approaches (counseling and systemic) will you use and why?
What are the ethical and legal issues inherent in counseling a client from this group?
What will you do now to be ready to meet this future client?
What did you learn in this experience that you will use with future multicultural/diverse
clients?
Write 8-10 pages; Graded; 25 pts, APA and outside resources required
If you are a non-counseling major, instead of applying your experience to the
“counseling” area, please apply it to your area of education (i.e. teacher, administrator,
etc..)
Also, place your Cultural Immersion papers in the Discussion Board if you wish to share
with your classmates.
CACREP Standards Addressed: 2F.2.a, 2F.2.b, 2F.2.c, 2F.2.d, 2F.2.g, 2F.2.h, and 5C.2.j
Scoring Guidelines
Points available: 100.
Components Unacceptable
(0 points)
Revisions Required
(5 points)
Target
(10 points)
Introduction
Establishes historical
background and defensible
thesis that supports a logical
line of reasoning (CACREP
2F.2.a, 2F.2.b, 2F.2.c,
2F.2.d, 2F.2.g, 2F.2.h,
5C.2.j)
Underdeveloped
introduction; reason for
culture selection is
unclear or missing;
historical background is
inaccurate or missing
Coherent introduction
that includes a reason
for culture selection;
historical background is
accurate but limited
Engaging, well
developed introduction
that includes a detailed
reason for culture
selection; historical
background is accurate
and thorough
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Components Unacceptable
(0 points)
Revisions Required
(5 points)
Target
(10 points)
Focus & Purpose
Developed thesis and
attentive focus on topic
(CACREP 2F.2.a, 2F.2.b,
2F.2.c, 2F.2.d, 2F.2.g,
2F.2.h, 5C.2.j)
Missing thesis; confusion
about or
misunderstanding of
topic; no sense of
purpose
Simplistic and unfocused
ideas; limited sense of
purpose
Developed thesis;
represents sound
understanding of the
assigned topic; focused
Ideas, Support &
Development
Supports ideas and
reflections using specific
and relevant examples of
evidence/experiences
(CACREP 2F.2.a, 2F.2.b,
2F.2.c, 2F.2.d, 2F.2.g,
2F.2.h, 5C.2.j)
No or limited
evidence/experiences
are provided to support
ideas and reflections;
evidence is incomplete,
incorrect, oversimplified,
or disconnected from the
context
Provides necessary
evidence/experiences to
support ideas and
reflections; the
importance/relevance of
all pieces of
evidence/experiences is
unclear or under
developed but does
support the ideas and
reflections presented
and is placed properly
within the context
Relies on compelling and
detailed
evidence/experiences to
support ideas and
reflections; the
importance/relevance of
all pieces of
evidence/experiences is
clearly stated; considers
alternate interpretations
of evidence/experiences
to enhance
demonstration of cultural
intelligence
Conclusion
Establishes clear conclusion
based upon
evidence/experiences
(CACREP 2F.2.a, 2F.2.b,
2F.2.c, 2F.2.d, 2F.2.g,
2F.2.h, 5C.2.j)
Missing or no connection
of evidence and analysis
to the reflections; fails to
summarize the argument
coherently
Limited connection
between evidence and
analysis to reflections;
summarizes some ideas
and thoughts but repeats
ideas to support
reflections
Engaging, strongly
connects evidence and
analysis to reflections;
summarizes the main
topics without repeating
previous ideas
Structure &
Organization
Text has unity and
coherence to accomplish the
focused purpose
No paragraph structure;
or single, rambling
paragraph; or series of
isolated paragraphs
Organization is
confusing or disjointed;
weak paragraph
structure; transitions are
missing or inappropriate
Clear organizational
structure; easily followed;
includes transitions;
structured format
Audience & Tone
Audience appropriate and
consistent tone
No awareness of
appropriate audience for
assignment; tone is
inappropriate
Lacks awareness of
appropriate audience for
the assignment; tone is
inconsistent
Effective and accurate
awareness of audience;
tone is appropriate for
audience and
assignment
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Components Unacceptable
(0 points)
Revisions Required
(5 points)
Target
(10 points)
Sentence Structure
Demonstrates varied
sentence structures to
enhance meaning
Contains multiple and
serious errors of
sentence structure: i.e.
fragments, run-ons;
unable to write simple
sentences
Formulaic sentence
patterns or overuse of
simple sentences; errors
in sentence structure
Effective and varied
sentences; errors (if
present) due to lack of
careful proofreading
Mechanics
The text has few
grammatical, spelling and
punctuation errors.
Frequent errors in
agreement, verb tense,
spelling, and
capitalization; intrusive
and/or inaccurate
punctuation;
communication is
hindered
Contains several errors
in agreement, verb
tense, spelling,
capitalization, and
punctuation (up to 6);
errors interfere with
meaning
Virtually free of errors in
agreement, verb tense,
spelling, capitalization,
and punctuation (no
more than 3); errors do
not interfere with
meaning
Vocabulary & Word
Usage
Uses extended and
appropriate vocabulary
Vocabulary is
unsophisticated; or
subject specific
vocabulary or
sophisticated vocabulary
used incorrectly.
Proper, but simple
vocabulary used; subject
specific vocabulary used
infrequently
Vocabulary is varied,
specific and appropriate;
uses subject specific
vocabulary correctly
APA Format/Citations
Correctly uses APA style and
formatting
Reference page includes
frequent errors (more
than 3); no attempt was
made to cited
supporting sources intext; contains multiple
errors in APA format
Reference page in
accurate and virtually
free of errors (no more
than 3); all supporting
sources are cited in-text,
but minor errors in APA
format are present
Reference page in
accurate and free of
errors; all supporting
sources are properly
cited in-text; APA format
is correct and accurate
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Page 1 of 3 General Instructions for Cultural Immersion Paper
Use textbooks, class materials, and outside sources, and format your paper in APA style (first person expression is expected). Consider your previous experiences and preconceived notions.
Which of those preconceived notions can now be reinterpreted, and why? What have you discovered about yourself and “them” since the immersion is over? Apply what you’ve learned about this group and yourself in a therapeutic setting. Assume you have a client from this category and go over the following points:
Use the insights you got into your preconceived notions about this group to determine how you will deal with your internal conversation concerning clients from this group. Have your biases shifted, and how will this affect you?
