IDEAS

Idea 2: Creating Picture Journals of the Elderly

Why is it important?

Multicultural perspectives can come through a variety of facets. Some of the most prominent are student�s experiences with and potential biases of the elderly. Exploring what it means to be elderly for individuals from different cultures allows for students to expand on their ideas that they may hold and recognize how perceptions of groups of people can drastically change cross-culturally.

Instructions

• Have students keep a journal for two weeks. Instruct them to collect at least 10 magazine/ newspaper articles, and/or advertisements that contain pictures or news about older persons. For each article or advertisement, have the students record information shown below:
• Source: Article/Ad/What Is Being Sold.
• Role of Elderly/ Analysis.
• At the end of their two weeks, ask students to evaluate their journal for any patterns in the images they observed. For example, they could ask themselves if the images of the elderly are primarily positive or negative or if there are any stereotypical roles associated with old age.
• Have students share their journals and compare themes that they noted.

Advantages

• Allows for students to explore diversity without necessarily feeling pressured to offer explicit information about their own experiences.
• Encourages students to think about stereotypes they may hold and why they may hold them.
• Students could see different views on a group that they may have thought were viewed as a distinct way across all cultures.

Adapted from:
Bucher, R. (2004) Diversity Consciousness: Opening Our Minds to People, Cultures, and Opportunities.