Exercises
Unit One: Navigating cultural norms
Proficiency Objectives
- communicate effectively on a wide variety of present, past, and future events
- exchange general information on topics outside your fields of interest
- write well organized texts for a variety of academic purposes
- write well organized texts for a variety of general interest purposes
- support your opinion and construct hypotheses
- write using target language and culture conventions to present and elaborate a point of view
- write using target language and culture conventions for informal purposes
Content Objectives
- compare the cultural norms and expectations of Swahili speakers from different backgrounds
- apply cultural knowledge to make hypotheses and inferences
- recall and use the hypothetical conditional tense to write about your hypotheses
Below you will find video excerpts from my interview with Magalyne Oguti on four topics related to gender and sexuality. Each excerpt begins with Magdalyne asking me a question about an aspect of my experience in Zanzibar, followed by a discussion of her comparative experience where she grew up (Western Kenya) and where she lives now (the Midwestern United States). If you’d like to view the whole interview, which begins with our self-introductions, you can find it in Primary Sources.
Excerpt 1: Masculinity
Answer the following questions about Excerpt 1. If you are a classroom learner, be prepared to discuss your answers in class and to compare and contrast them with your teacher’s and classmates’ answers. If you are an independent learner, discuss your answers with other Swahili speakers.
Excerpt 2: Marriage
Answer the following questions about Excerpt 2. If you are a classroom learner, be prepared to discuss your answers in class and to compare and contrast them with your teacher’s and classmates’ answers. If you are an independent learner, discuss your answers with other Swahili speakers.
Excerpt 3: Gendered Clothing
Answer the following questions about Scenario 3. If you are a classroom learner, be prepared to discuss your answers in class and to compare and contrast them with your teacher’s and classmates’ answers. If you are an independent learner, discuss your answers with other Swahili speakers.
Excerpt 4: Gendered Titles
Answer the following questions about Excerpt 4. If you are a classroom learner, be prepared to discuss your answers in class and to compare and contrast them with your teacher’s and classmates’ answers. If you are an independent learner, discuss your answers with other Swahili speakers.
In Sum
Write a short essay summarizing what you have learned from the above scenarios about gender and sexual norms in Zanzibar and/or from other Swahili speakers about norms in their culture(s). What aspects of gender and sexuality in a Swahili-speaking culture would you still like to learn more about? In an additional paragraph, summarize gender and sexual norms in your own culture. How are they similar to and/or different from Swahili-speakers’ norms that you have learned about so far?
