SOCS350 FULL COURSE Latest November 2018

SOCS350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions

Week 1 Discussion

Some of My Best

Scenario

Your hospital is in need of someone to fill a new position. The spot calls for some very specific skills, education, and experience, but you happen to have an old friend who exactly fits the bill. In addition, he has mentioned to you that he feels it is time to make a change and has been contemplating looking for a new job. You give him a call and he said that he is very interested, so you call the head of the department in question and tell him about your friend. The department head is very excited and tells you to have him call for an interview. You do and everything seems fine. Several weeks pass and your friend calls you and asks if you have any idea what happened with the job. He interviewed and everything went well, but he never heard back and just learned that the position had been filled with someone who has no experience and a much different background. You call the department head and relay the question. After some hemming and hawing, the department head makes some vague statement about your friend not being a “good fit.” He was afraid that your friend’s “accent” might make it difficult for him to be understood, and he was concerned about his work ethic since he came from a cultural background that has a more “laidback” work ethic. You hang up and think about it. Your friend is from Jamaica and does have an accent and very relaxed personality, but is certainly not lazy. Then you realize that he is also a minority and that this particular department not only has no minority employees, but never has had one.

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, address the following:

Is the department head being ethnocentric or prejudiced?

What do you do?

Do you tell your friend what you were told?

Do you call someone higher up and express your concerns?

Do you do nothing at all?

How would you address diversity with the department head in future conversations?

What suggestions would you make to your own department head about diversity?

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOCS350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions

Week 2 Discussion

DQ1 Culture Is in the Air

This week’s introduction noted that culture was a lot like air. It is all around us, but we really do not pay attention to it unless it is absent or smells odd. The same is true about our culture. We do not think much about it, and we go through our lives feeling that things are the way they are because that is the way they ought to be. This week, start sniffing the cultural air around you, including your workplace’s communication styles and barriers. Additionally, examine specific cultural healthcare practices and values regarding health promotion and illness prevention.

For the initial post, address the following:

What do you learn about our culture?

Identify some things that are distinctively “American.” Do not include only material culture (objects and physical symbols), but include non-material culture such as language, values, ideology, ethics, behaviors, and the like.

Distinguish your local culture from your national culture?

DQ2 Power Relationships

A cellphone company once ran a television ad touting its call reliability, in which a young man is talking to his future father-in-law, who is telling him to address him by his first name and consider him a friend. The young man launches into a series of variations of the first name. Unknown to either party, the call is dropped and the young man does not hear any response from the father. He becomes very nervous and disconcertedly reverts to “Mr.” and “Sir.” The ad’s message is clear: Use our service and this sort of thing won’t happen.

For the initial post, address the following:

Why do you think the ad agency chose this power relationship for its commercial? Is it one to which you can relate?

Have you had any kind of similar experience at your workplace or school (e.g., with a patient, client, or professor), not necessarily on a cellphone?

Have you encountered the power relationships exemplified in the commercial when implementing various healthcare practices such as disease prevention? Are co-workers and patient receptive?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOCS350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions

Week 3 Discussion

Gender Roles

When traveling to other countries, it is important to know the male/female roles in each country. Not knowing these roles could cause problems in discussions impact the quality of their experience or your ability to care for them properly.

If you were helping a person from Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Brazil, Thailand, the Czech Republic, Russia, or Rwanda, what would you need to know about the traditional male/female roles? Search the Internet for one or more of the above countries to find out about male/female roles.

Consider your research prompt using one of the following perspectives:

Traveling for business

Working with patients and clients

For the initial post, address the following:

Share your findings with the class.

How would this information influence your interactions with people of that country?

What would you do to improve communication with those people?

 

SOCS350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions

Week 4 Discussion

DQ1 Triggers

Triggers are ethnocentric responses to differences and defensive reactions to ethnocentrism. Any number of things can serve as triggers, but they generally fall into the following categories: voice, appearance, attitude, and behavior.

For the initial post, address the following:

Describe a trigger that you have responded to in the past, even if it was only a fleeting mental thought.

What was the result of your response?

If you had a negative response, how could your response to the situation been better or different?

What barriers did you need to overcome?

DQ2 Diverse Groups

If we look at the term diversity as different groups, we can include groups such as Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y.

For the initial post, address the following:

What are some of the major differences between these groups when it comes to the work force?

What strategies can be implemented to deal with the issues and overcome obstacles to create a successful organization?

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification. For example, did your peers point out differences you did not consider? How have you dealt with the barriers they noted in your workplace? How would your peers strategies work for your workplace? Provide some new advice to your peers for the issues and obstacles you noted.

 

SOCS350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions

Week 5 Discussion

The Glass Ceiling

For the initial post, address the following:

Does the “glass ceiling” still exist?

Are there invisible barriers to advancement that impact some groups more than others?

How does the concept of the “glass ceiling” impact job opportunities and advancement in the health professions?

How does a diverse workforce affect the glass ceiling?

Use examples from the course reading to support your points, and feel free to share your own experiences with the glass ceiling including the impact of workplace politics or the economy.

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.

 

SOCS350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions

Week 6 Discussion

DQ1 Examining Strategies

For the initial post, conduct an internet search and locate short video clips that provide examples that offer strategies for dealing with prejudice and discrimination. For example, you can look up and review the video A Class Divided (a PBS documentary). Then, address the following:

What strategies are used to address prejudice and discrimination?

How does the strategy vary according to the audience (e.g., children, adults, etc.)?

Connect the strategies presented in the video to the strategies discussed in this week’s lesson or course reading.

Offer examples of how your workplace or how the health care professions environment could develop strategies to improve communication barriers and compliance.

Explain the value of self-awareness regarding your role in the healthcare profession by being able to recognize and manage diversity issues.

What role does self-awareness play in addressing these issues?

What policies or procedures does your workplace have in place to promote and encourage self-awareness of diversity?

Can you make any recommendations for workplaces to highlight self-awareness as a value of importance?

DQ2 Traditions and Cultures

For the initial post, address the following:

In our diverse society, how do we honor the traditions and cultures of so many varied groups without inadvertently disadvantaging anyone in your workplace and/or in the healthcare profession?

How can we develop strategies to ensure that cultural traditions are respected and preserved while recognizing our commonalities?

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification. For example, evaluate your peers’ ideas. What strategies would work in your workplace? What drawbacks do you see or what caution will you need to take?

 

SOCS350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions

Week 7 Discussion

Coming Full Circle on Research

Research is fundamental in the social sciences. A common data collection method is the survey. Let’s look at the survey as a social scientist.

Navigate to the Chamberlain portal. At the student portal, enter your DSI# and the password used to log in to the student portal and navigate to the End of Course Evaluations and Student Satisfaction Survey directly from the home page. Locate the Quick Links section on the left side of the home page, scroll to the bottom of the page and select the link for Surveys. Now, let’s discuss the merits and flaws of this survey instrument.

For the initial post, address the following:

Which questions would you add?

Which would you delete?

What questions would you change?

What questions would you keep the same?

How are survey questions important to the interviewer and the subject being researched?

Why is it important to ask the appropriate questions that are relative and will be effective?

As we discuss these initial discussion questions, please begin thinking about the questions you will be asking for the interview assignment this week and their importance to you as you explore the experiences of others in the helping professions.

 

SOCS350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions

Week 8 Discussion

DQ1 Appreciating Our Differences

We have been talking about the importance of understanding our own attitudes and prejudices in order to appreciate cultural differences. In light of this topic, why is it important? How have you dealt with situations in which you did or said things that you later learned or realized might have been offensive, or at least misunderstood?

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification. For example, what did you learn about your own attitudes and prejudices? Have you changed your perspective on any of the issues and/or topics presented in the class? Please explain with specific examples.

DQ2 Reflection

For the initial post, look back over the Course Outcomes and address the following:

What are you looking forward to learning more about throughout your education and career in the helping professions?

How will you be able to apply the information learned in this class to your role in the workplace? Specifically, reflect on the course by sharing some examples about the importance of valuing diversity and the importance of self-awareness in your role as a professional in a healthcare or helping professions environment.

 

 

SOCS350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions

Week 1 Assignment

Essay – Catapult to Success

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 1-10; Integrative Questions for Section 1

Lesson

Minimum of 2 scholarly sources (One source may be your textbook.)

Instructions

Organizational culture has a vital role in guiding how individuals are successful in their roles in healthcare and the helping professions, including the value of self-awareness regarding role expectations and management strategies. Therefore, it is important for employees to be aware of key attributes that may be stepping stones to their success.

For this assignment, define these five key attributes:

Communication (i.e. listening, staying calm, be empathetic, compassion),

Flexibility

Integrity

Ethical behavior

Critical thinking skills

Provide an example of each examining how each attribute brings value to the organizational culture and may propel one’s career and contribute to the workplace culture. Support your example(s) with a minimum of 2 scholarly resource.

Writing Requirements (APA format)

Length: 2-3 pages (not including title page or references page)

1-inch margins

Double spaced

12-point Times New Roman font

Title page

References page (minimum of 2 scholarly sources)

 

 

SOCS350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions

Week 3 Assignment

Essay – What Would You Do?

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 16-26; Integrative Questions for Section 3

Lesson

Outside resources are optional; however, you could consider using the course textbook to support your explanation.

Instructions

Valuing diversity in the workplace is essential to creating an inclusive culture of caring.

For this assignment, please choose from one of the following scenarios and appropriately apply each of the five key attributes (communication, flexibility, integrity, ethical behavior, critical thinking skills) describing how you as the professional would handle the situation.

Scenario 1: A social worker calls on a Hispanic client who does not speak any English. The social worker is refused entrance to the home because she is Caucasian even though the social worker speaks fluent Spanish.

Scenario 2: A female Muslim patient refuses care from you, a qualified male nurse. She refuses to explain to you why she is requesting a different caregiver.

Writing Requirements (APA format)

Length: 2-3 pages (not including title page or references page)

1-inch margins

Double spaced

12-point Times New Roman font

Title page

References page (as needed)

 

SOCS350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions

Week 5 Assignment

Essay – You Decide

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 37-44; Integrative Questions for Section 5

Lesson

Outside resources are optional; however, you could consider using the course textbook to support your explanation.

Scenario Summary

A Kansas City based supplier of health care information technology (HCIT) solutions has recently hired you as a Human Resource Manager. You are in charge of hiring new medical consultants for the sales division of this organization. Due to the competitive marketplace, sales and revenues are at an all-time low. During your interview, you stated that you could serve as a valuable asset to this company. You noted your long-standing history of selecting the best candidates for a variety of positions and stated that you could bring the sales division back to its place as the leading resource of your organization. You want to perform well at this job because it is a big career move for you. You know that if people trust your judgement about the quality of the people you hire, that they will trust your judgement about other matters as well. Also, the more successful HR managers in this company tend to move to higher positions within the organization. This job also includes spending some leisure time after 5:00 P.M. with prospective clients.

Job Requirements

Your job is to hire a medical consultant to assist with sales in of your latest HCIT solutions to a global marketplace. This job requires that the consultant be articulate, sophisticated, and knowledgeable about medical terminology and technology. Additionally, the job requires someone with an awareness of the impact of the political and economic arenas on healthcare involving availability, costs, and technology as well as maintaining an ethical approach to the job’s responsibilities. The job requires frequent travel Monday through Friday in order for the consultant to work with those in the prospective company.

Candidates

Ren Sanspit, Changing Careers

As my resume states, I was a dentist before arthritis made that career too painful. My physician says that my condition would not interfere with this position. I think working with people in sales would be more interesting than taking bite-wings and placing rubber dams. I am an empty nester and want to devote time to my new career in order to be successful.

Angie Gram, Medical Technologist

As my resume states, I was an engineering major and I designed medical devices. I am very good with people, and I am working on improving my English-speaking skills. I graduated first in my class, and I wrote a paper on the use of qr codes to monitor patient medication that was recently published in a peer-reviewed journal. I am a leading expert in the medical technology field.

Medica Seles, Informatics Consultant

As my resume states, I have been a medical sales consultant for five years. I have been awarded the Sales Consultant of the Year at my last company. Currently, I am relocating to Kansas City because I will be getting married next month. My credentials are stellar and I graduated at the top of my class in Healthcare Informatics.

Karen Comfort, BSN

As my resume states, I have a BSN and have been employed in various positions in a variety of medical specialty practices. I have worked for M.D.s, D.O.s, and hospital administrators. Having worked in so many different specialty practices I am extremely well versed in medical terminology. I am single; therefore, I am available to travel and work long hours.

Instructions

After considering the scenario and character descriptions, answer the following:

Which of these four candidates would you hire for this position?

Explain your decision.

Make sure to include a title page. In your summary, be sure to reference course material (readings, lectures, or concepts from the flash cards).

Writing Requirements (APA format)

Length: 2-3 page (not including title page or references page)

1-inch margins

Double spaced

12-point Times New Roman font

Title page

References page (as needed)

 

 

SOCS350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions

Week 7 Assignment

Essay – Interviews

Instructions

The purpose of this assignment is to go beyond the usual social network(s) and realm of understanding in order to build a bridge of understanding about another person from his/her perception about his/her own life experiences in the workplace and or helping professions.

Interview two adults: one adult of a different ethnicity/race than yourself and one adult who is at least 10 years older and/or younger than you. You must choose one person from each category, not the same person. Ask him/her the following questions and document the answers for each interview.

Document if the person you interviewed is male or female.

What is your ethnicity/race or age? (Make sure the person is ok with sharing his/her age.)

What is your level of education?

What is your occupation?

Have you ever experienced discrimination in the workplace? How did you feel? How did you react? Please explain what happened.

During your lifetime, what significant current event have you experienced? (e.g., 911)

How has this significant event shaped your experiences with others?

After you have the aforementioned interview questions answered, please provide the following regarding your findings:

Compare and/or contrast the experiences of the person you interviewed to your own. Provide one example. Write an explanation at least two paragraphs in length for each interview. Be sure to address the following questions, along with any additional information your wish to include and/or share:

What conclusions can you draw from the commonalities?

How could some of these situations be mediated or resolved (e.g., by the person experiencing the discrimination, by institutions employing those who are discriminating others or dealing with clients/customers who are discriminating against employees).

Please be sure to inform the people you are interviewing in informed his or her responses will be kept confidential and anonymous and thank him or her for the time spent interviewing with you.

Writing Requirements (APA format)

Length: 3-4 pages (not including title page or references page)

1-inch margins

Double spaced

12-point Times New Roman font

Title page

References page (as needed)

 

 

 

SOCS350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions

Week 2 Quiz

Question 1

(TCOs 1 & 2) The process of diminishing the value, importance, contributions, or attributes of a category of people is _____.

  globalization

  prejudice

  discrimination

  marginalization

  ethnocentrism

 

Question 2

(TCOs 1 & 2) Collections of persons from common racial or ethnic backgrounds who share common cultural interests are _____.

  a race

  culturally diverse

  a culture

  culturally different

  racial/ethnic communities

 

Question 3

 (TCOs 1 & 2) One-on-one acts by members of the dominant group that harm subordinate group members or their property are forms of _____.

  racism

  prejudice

  individual discrimination

  institutional discrimination

  marginalization

 

Question 4

 (TCOs 1 & 2) This occurs as a result of longstanding practices and/or behaviors that have a negative impact on members of subordinate groups:

  individual discrimination.

  institutional discrimination.

  ethnocentrism.

  marginalization.

  globalization.

 

Question 5

(TCO 8) In all industrial societies, majority and minority groups are arranged in layers reflecting their relationships with one another.  These layers are also called:

  plateaus.

  tortes.

  strata.

  cliques.

  pecking-order.

 

Question 6

 (TCO 1) Individual discrimination is also called:

  illogical.

  idiopathic.

  personal.

  ideological.

  prejudice.

 

Question 7

(TCO 8) Because minority groups have been marginalized over time, their relationship with the majority group is generally framed in terms of:

  formal communication.

  distrust.

  an uneasy truce.

  conflict.

  affection.

 

Question 8

 (TCO 8) According to Robert Merton, an apartment manager who believes in equal opportunity in housing, is told by the apartment owner that if he wants to keep his job, not to rent apartments to Asians, because their cooking bothers other tenants, would be a(n):

  unprejudiced nondiscriminator.

  prejudiced nondiscriminator.

  prejudiced discriminator.

  unprejudiced  discriminator.

  gender discriminator.

 

 

Question 9

(TCOs 1 & 2) Cultural diversity is defined in the lecture as:

  the demographic breakdown of a population.

  the variety of cultural offerings in a metro region.

  the existence of a wide variety of cultures and subcultures represented within a society.

  the number of languages spoken among a specific population.

  the array of ethnic restaurants in a given area.

 

Question 10

(TCO 1 & 2) Marginalization is defined as

  the process of diminishing the value, importance, contributions, or attributes of a category of people.

  the process of gentrification.

  the displacement of inner-city residents due to urban renewal.

  seating minorities near the kitchen and “on the margins” in restaurants.

  societal triage.

 

 

 

 

 

SOCS350 Cultural Diversity in the Professions

Week 4 Quiz

Question 1

(TCOs 3 & 4) The tangible artifacts created by a culture are _____.

  nonmaterial cultures

  symbols

  cultural lags

  material cultures

  languages 

 

Question 2

(TCOs 3 & 4) A cultural pattern in which a segment of a society maintains a distinctive identity different from that of the dominant culture is _____.

  ethnocentrism

  cultural lag

  cultural diffusion

  subculture

  an ethnic group

Question 3

(TCOs 3 & 4) The simple foraging society from the WWII Pacific Theater, who explained the supply planes as supernatural beings, were known as:

  Lockheed the Word Society.

  A Flying Fortress is our God Church.

  Skymasters.

  Just Plane Worshipers.

  Cargo Cult.

 

Question 4

(TCOs 3 & 4) This refers to cultural beliefs that justify particular social arrangements, including patterns of inequality:

  racism.

  ethnocentrism.

  prejudice.

  cultural lag.

  ideology.

 

Question 5

(TCO 6) This occurs when an ethnic or racial group or individual takes on the cultural ways of another group, usually that of the mainstream culture, often at the expense of traditional cultural ways.

  Assimilation

  Acculturation

  Immigration

  Ethnic identification

  Miscegenation

 

 

Question 6

(TCO 6) In industrial societies, what is the main generator of cultural lag?

  Congress

  Religious institutions

  Immigration

  Technological advance

  War

 

Question 7

(TCO 6) Why will there nearly always be components of caution, suspicion, distrust, or cynicism in the minority group’s view toward the dominant group?

  Because nearly all dominant groups have experienced prejudice and discrimination at the hands of the minority group.

  Because the dominant groups foster that image in the media.

  Because minority groups are naturally distrustful.

  In order to keep the minority groups fighting among themselves.

  Because nearly all minority groups have experienced prejudice and discrimination at the hands of the dominant group.

Question 8  (TCOs 3, 4, & 6) From the reading in Chapter 13, describe in detail the gaps that exist in the economic, educational, and legal system.

 

 

Week 6 Quiz

Question 1

 (TCOs 4 & 7) Collaboration is defined in lecture as:

  the delegation of a subordinate by a superior.

  the delegation of a superior by a subordinate.

  conflict resolution.

  two or more people engaged in the same task.

  two or more people cooperatively interact in ways to accomplish a goal.

 

 

Question 2

 (TCOs 4 & 7) This trigger includes physical characteristics (such as race or gender), clothing style or fashion, distinctive adornments, hair styles, cosmetic use (or absence), or physiological alterations (for example, tattoos, piercings, cosmetic surgery, and so on):

  voice.

  attitude.

  smell.

  appearance.

  behavior.

 

Question 3

 (TCO 8) The social position that results from actions or behaviors on our part or the part of others is called _____.

  socioeconomic status

  prestige

  ascribed status

  achieved status

  identity

 

Question 4

 (TCOs 4 & 7) Body stance and position, eye contact, gestures, and expressions are components of this trigger:

  voice.

  appearance.

  attitude.

  smell.

  time.

 

Question 5

 (TCOs 4 & 7) An example of behavior as a “trigger” would be:

  race.

  accent.

  posture.

Correct!

  etiquette and manners.

  ethics.

 

Question 6

 (TCO 8) Which of the following is an example of an ascribed status?

  Accountant

  Sister

  Veteran

  Graduate

  Father

 

 

Question 7

 (TCO 8) Which of the following is an example of an achieved status?

  Son

  Daughter

  Uncle

  Mother

  Cousin

 

Question 8

 (TCOs 4, 7, & 8) Identify and describe the four protected groups covered by the Canadian Employment Equity Act.

 

 

 

Week 8 Quiz

Question 1

 (TCOs 3 & 4) Affirmative action refers to:

  court decisions about quotas.

  all positive steps to end discrimination.

  steps the average citizen can take to improve race relations in their community.

  preventive healthcare.

  diversity actions mandated by government regulations.

Question 2

 (TCOs 1 & 3) According to the lecture, affirmative action is becoming a(n) _____, rather than a _____, point.