- The primary purpose of this activity is to instill cultural relativism and respect for diversity in the classroom and beyond. This goal is reached by employing home photographs as representations of diversity. By highlighting and discussing the similarities and differences in home photography with differing cultural contexts, students experience difference in a way that is cogent and amenable to their own cultural practices. This experiential process of cross-cultural analysis and discussion provides the teacher with an ability to instill cultural relativism and tolerance in the classroom, to increase awareness of our own diversity, and to challenge student-held stereotypes.
| Instructor Prep. Time | Student In-Class Time | Student Out-of-Class Time |
| 30-45 minutes | 1-2 Class Periods | 2-3 hours |
- Student access to scanner and internet.
- LCD projector in the classroom.
Step-by-Step Procedure:
- Students are first asked to pick out a home photograph that has at least one member of their family represented. They should know that the photograph is used to initiate discussion on cultural diversity, so they should consider choosing an image that has cultural significance. Students also must be willing to share this image with the class and to discuss its personal and family meaning. They are asked to digitally scan this photograph and send it to the faculty member coordinating the assignment. The faculty member chooses five to ten photographs for the module, and should therefore alert the students that not all photographs submitted are actually used for the module. The faculty member chooses the photographs (either randomly or based upon obvious cultural expression) and sends them to student groups. Faculty members must be careful to not assign a photograph to a group that has the owner of the photograph as a member.
- Once the photographs are chosen and sent to the respective groups, the groups are asked to analyze the photographs in the following ways.
- Objectively describe the photograph in detail and without cultural bias.
- Interpret the meaning and cultural, ethnic, and national significance (if any).
- Consider the meaning to the family and to think about what the photograph says about family and kin structure.
- Interpret the social context of the photograph, such as who took the picture, who owned the camera, who bought the film, who posed the people, where was the photograph before it was part of this assignment, etc. (this is to get beyond the final product of family photographs and into the cultural processes behind them).
- Group members might disagree about a particular answer, though the group must ultimately choose one interpretation. Once the groups finish the assignment, they send their written response electronically to the faculty member who then sends them out to the entire class. Make sure the groups insert the photograph into their written response. Students and faculty read all the analyses of the photographs. Owners of photographs must be particularly prepared to discuss what the student groups got right and wrong if their photographs were selected for the activity.
- For the class period designated for this module, the faculty member needs a means of projection so that all the students can see the photographs under discussion. The owner of each photograph reads the written analysis of their own photograph (along with the other written responses), so they initiate discussion by going through the questions and stating what the group got right and what they got wrong. If a part of the analysis is wrong, the owner corrects the group by explaining the actual meaning or content of the photograph.
Suggestions for Use:
- An office of international affairs can help initiate contacts with an affiliated international university and can also help facilitate making linkages to local cultural community organizations.
- Though no prior class material is specifically required, some minimal lecture and discussion on culture, cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, and stereotypes would help the students understand and prepare for this activity.
- Chalfen, R. (1992). Picturing culture through indigenous imagery: A telling story. In P. I. Crawford and D. T. (Eds.), Film As Ethnography (pp. 222-241). Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press.