Interview Process

 Before I start the interview process, I'd like to create a list of objectives that the interview will hopefully accomplish. I want to learn something new about a country that I didn't know. I also would like to hear objective views about America and its government. Learning about new foods and how other countries eat also interests me. Learning how other countries structure their education also intrigues me. Lastly, I'd like to learn what is good and bad about moving to America in general. Now that my objectives have been stated, let's move on to the list of 20 steps that the interview will follow.

1. Write down a list of objectives that the interview will follow.
2. Begin to think about whom I want to interview.
3. Practice the interview process with someone.
4. Write down and/or focus on what I've learned with the practice interviews.
5. Continue observing interesting people from other cultures to interview in the future.
6. Select the person that I will interview.
7. Explain to them specifically what I want them to do.
8. Look at both of our schedules and find a time that works for both of us.
9. Reserve a meeting room in the Media Center to conduct the interview in.
10. Tell the interviewee to bring his/her recording equipment in the case that mine do not function properly.
11. Organize my core questions in a logical manner.
12. Make sure that the recorder I'm using has power to run, and that it functions properly. 
13. A few days before the interview, remind myself of the objectives/do's/don'ts for interviewing.

The Day of the Interview

14. Show up at the preplanned meeting room early with the recorder and extra power sources.
15. Test the equipment and make sure it is functioning.
16. Greet the interviewee and thank him/her for showing up.
17. After greetings, ask if they are ready to begin. Then start the recorder and the interview.
18. If the interviewee is struggling with the question, ask related questions or help them understand what the question is asking.
19. End the recording when the interview is complete and thank them for their time.
20. Make sure to not leave anything behind, and then leave.
21. When accesible, check the recording to make sure it was working.
22. Begin to transcribe the interview, making sure to record every word.
23. Begin to research the country the interviewee is from with the interview fresh in my mind.
24. Finish the country report and don't forget to cite the sources.
25. Describe how the interview went.
26. Post the interview transcript and country report on my blog.

Prioritized Core Interview Questions

1. Which country`s food do you like the most? What are the similarities and differences between it and your own culture`s food?

2.What are the typical greetings in your culture and what do they mean?

3.What could SCSU do to make your stay on campus better?

4.How would you describe famous sports in your country?

5.What religious holidays or other cultural events do you or others celebrate; can you explain your traditions for each? 

 6.Do you have any daily rituals in regards to your religious beliefs?

7. At what age do you start school? Are you under a lot of stress in school??

8.What different modes of transportation are used in your country?

9. Could you tell me a secret about yourself that very few people here know about and that shows us well, who you are and what you stand for?

10.Can you describe a typical day for a child in your country?

11.What kind of government is in charge of your home country, how did it affect your life and how has democracy in America been a change?

Library Research Assistance

Group 3 (Nicholas Schleif, Abdullah A, Yue Wang), Topic: Course Guides

What are they?

      Course guides are guides created specifically for class assignments. They are pages that have information that is relevant to the class. Also the course guides customized online library guides for your particular course or research assignment. They are prepared in consultation with you by your instruction librarian. You can select guides to reference resources in specific courses. This is an example of a course guide:

 How to Use them.

      After you've gone to the first page titled "Course Guides", there are many ways to navigate. You can search for a specific course such as CMST 212 , an instructor, a subject, or do a keyword search. Once you've found the right course, you click 'select a course' and it will bring you to the course guide. At the top of the page there is a Table of Contents with each sub-topic of information. For each sub-topic there are links that help you with the information. For example, under a sub-topic called Citing Sources there could be examples of each kind of cited source.

Why are they important?

      It is easy and clear for students to find what kinds of courses are good for them, because guides are created specifically for class assignments. When we search course guides, it save our time and it shows students about refund information, course changes, instructor and subjects. For this class, course guides can contain information like research help, finding articles, citing sources, and information about the library. If a student is struggling with a topic, they can look up information about it in the course guide to understand it better. Course guides help students achieve the goal(s) of the class, which is the most important thing.    

Core Questions and Answers

1. What could SCSU do to make your stay on campus better?
      Currently, Saint Cloud State University is doing a wonderful job of making my campus experience enjoyable. I'm a Post-Secondary student so I don't actually 'stay' on campus. Almost every other aspect of the campus that I experience is decent : the buildings, the teachers, and the students. The only thing I would change is to offer free parking to everyone after a certain time of day, or to Post-Secondary students. With the cost of tuition I'm sure that SCSU isn't having a hard time making money, so they could possibly cut the cost for parking. The university probably doesn't need the cost for the parking pass to upkeep anything, it's almost pure revenue for them. 


2. Could you tell me a secret about yourself that very few people here know about and that shows us well, who you are and what you stand for?
      To be honest, I'm not the type of person who keeps many secrets. The most surprising thing that people learn about me is that I'm a musician. I fluently play 3 different instruments and I love music passionately. Apparently to many people I don't seem like the musician type. This helps define myself because I'm constantly listening to music, learning how to play music, and sometimes creating new music. For the sake of mystery, I won't say which instruments I play now.


3. Which country`s food do you like the most? What are the similarities and differences between it and your own culture`s food?
      I would say that I like China's food more than any other country's food. Particularly I like Chinese that is spicy, contains noodles or chicken, and has some sauce over it. It is different because I can't think of many 'American' foods that are spicy like some Chinese food. It is also different because Chinese food usually has vegetables that I don't mind eating, whereas 'American' food doesn't really incorporate vegetables as well.  Both types of food are available quickly in a fast-food restaurant, and can be sold in portable and convenient packages. The two types of food are also similar because they both rely heavily on chicken in the foods. 


4. What are the typical greetings in your culture and what do they mean?
      For someone you've just met, a handshake is a typical greeting followed by both people stating their names. I've never really thought about it, but the handshake is an odd greeting that has an obscure meaning. The only thing you could gather from a handshake is if the person is shy or bold. Stating your name allows the people you've just met to recognize and address you. For someone that you know better a hug or kiss is a better greeting. A hug or kiss has a more affectionate or intimate meaning indicating that you know the person fairly well. 


5. What kind of government is in charge of your home country, how did it affect your life and how has democracy in America been a change?
      My whole life democratic government has been ruling over me. There are certainly good things and bad things about this. The good part is the degree of freedom allowed to me and that for most things government hasn't interfered with my goals. This also allows people to fufill their dreams: if someone wants to be a shoemaker they can be the best shoemaker they can be. The bad part about this type of government is the process: the presidential elections become the biggest money-grubbing popularity contest the world has ever seen. Overall though, I'm satisfied with the way government has been involved in my life.


6. What different modes of transportation are used in your country?
      In America there are many modes of transportation. The mode that people use depends on cost, distance, and other factors. The most popular mode of transportation in America for everyday use is the automobile. The next popular mode of transportation would be either walking or riding bikes/scooter/moped/taking the subway. For long trips the most practical mode of transportation is train or airplane. The modes of transportation mainly depend on the distance you are going : you wouldn't take an airplane to travel 20 miles.


7.  At what age do you start school? Are you under a lot of stress in school?
      In America, everyone usually starts school at age 5. When in kindergarten, there isn't much stress in school.  Some of the activities are colorings, art projects, and other non-academic things. As you grow older though, the stress to do well in school increases. Starting at high school, when students are usually about 14 years old, there is certainly stress to do well. After high school, students have the option to go to college where I'm sure there is stress in every country to do well. 


8. What religious holidays or other cultural events do you or others celebrate; can you explain your traditions for each? 
      I, like many Americans, celebrate Christmas. I think that the tradition for Christmas started about 200 years ago in Scandinavian countries. The figure was called Sinterklaas and he brought presents and joy to children. This tradition carried on because people love spending money, and today we have Christmas where we exchange gifts. Another holiday that is celebrated in America is Easter, where we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In America, we also celebrate holidays that aren't religious like President's day. President's day is when we celebrate the leaders of America and the decisions that they made.




8b. Do you have any daily rituals in regards to your religious beliefs?
     The only daily religious ritual that I have is praying. I believe that praying is very important for my faith and spiritual health. When I pray I usually discuss issues that are on my mind from my day, or sometimes I pray for the future. I don't always pray formally with my hands folded, eyes closed, and kneeling. I think that the format doesn't matter as much as the message when you pray. Apart from praying, I attend church bi-weekly. 


9.  How would you describe famous sports in your country?
      I would say that Americans are obsessed with sports. There are many professional sports including football, baseball, hockey, basketball, tennis, swimming, golf, bowling, and many more. In every news show sports are mentioned, and there is often media coverage of 'the game'. Anyone with money can attend a professional sports game, and buy merchandise of their favorite team or individual. In some sports, like football, there are the championship matches that are televised and viewed by millions of people. However, there are also non-professional level sports that people can play for entertainment and enjoyment. I almost forgot to mention: being a professional athlete is one of the highest paying jobs in America.


10.Can you describe a typical day for a child in your country?
      A typical day for a child, let's assume an 8-year-old, begins by waking up in the morning. At age 8 they probably don't have an alarm clock, so their parents probably wake them. They will usually eat breakfast at a kitchen table before they leave for school. Most kids then take the school bus to school and begin their classes. After about 8 hours of school the kid then takes the school bus back to the house. There he will probably do homework or perhaps recreational activities like biking, playing board games, or even play video games. This cycle is essentially repeated every weekday until the weekend comes. The typical weekend of an 8-year-old probably consists of a lot of free time. They could watch television, play video games, or even go outside. 

Interview Questions

 Group 3: Nicholas Schleif, Hao Xu, Joseph Reece

Industries/Economy/Agriculture/Politics:
1. What kind of government is in charge of your home country? How has this affected your life or differed from a democracy?
2. Are there any particular crops that your home country exports a lot of?
3. What are three of the largest political parties in your home country?
4. Is agriculture a big part of your home country’s economy / are a lot of people farmers?
5. Besides agriculture, what fields do most people have jobs in?
6. Do the typical parents of your home country support their children economically after high school?
7. Do most people go in to blue-collar (laborious) or white-collar (non-laborious) jobs?
8. To what extent do the people of your home country get to choose their leader?
9. Is there a lot of political violence or unrest in your home country?
10. What industries do your parents work in?
11. How involved are you with politics?
12. How much pressure is there for you to get a job and be successful?

Interview Questions (raw)

      Topic 1: Food
Q1:Are there any foods that originated in your home country? If so, what are they?
Q2:Does your native country import most of its food, or does it grow most of its food?
      Topic 2: Language
Q3:What is the most common language of your home country?
Q4:Is it normal for people to know more than one language in your home country? If so, what are the language(s)?
Q5:If most people know another language, who would typically teach them? Was it a school structured thing, or would it be the parents' job?
      Topic 3: Sports
Q6:What would you say is the most popular sport in your home country?
Q7:As a teenager, did your schools offer sports to participate in? If so, what sports?
      Topic 4: Education
Q8:Do most people in your home country go on to pursue higher education (eg: college)?
Q9:How much pressure (from society or your parents) was there for you do to well in school?
      Topic 5: Family
Q10:Who was the most important decision maker in your house?
Q11:Who lived in your house? Your immediate family,  immediate family and grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc.
Q12:What is the average size of an immediate family in your home country?