Select one chapter in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down that discusses Hmong history (Ch. 8 to 14) and have everyone in the Learning Team read the chapter in its entirety. Each team member should take notes and call out important details of Hmong history and cultural practices.
When finished, compare notes. Once the notes are synchronized, identify at least two historical events or cultural practices that are atypical to most Americans.
Create a 10- to 15-minute, 7- to 9-slide voice-over presentation using either Microsoft® PowerPoint® or websites such as Google Slides™, Adobe® Slate, or Prezi. The presentation should identify the historical events or cultural practices your team selected and examines how these differences create disparities between U.S. health care and the Hmong in California.
Cite 3 reputable references to support your assignment (e.g., trade or industry publications, government or agency websites, scholarly works, or other sources of similar quality).
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Introduction:
This assignment involves analyzing a chapter from the book “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” that talks about Hmong history. The goal is to identify two historical events or cultural practices that are atypical to most Americans and create a presentation to examine how these differences create disparities between U.S. health care and the Hmong in California.
Answer:
The chapter that discusses Hmong history in “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” is informative and sheds light on a culture that is often misjudged by Americans. One notable cultural practice is shamanism, which is a spiritual belief that plays a significant role in Hmong healthcare. Shamans are believed to communicate with the spirit world to gain insight and offer healing to the sick. Another cultural practice that is atypical to most Americans is the practice of arranged marriages. Hmong parents usually arrange marriages for their children, and courtship and dating are not common practices in their culture.
The cultural practices described above create disparities between U.S. health care and the Hmong in California. Healthcare providers in the U.S. do not recognize the importance of shamanism, and this can lead to mistrust and poor communication between Hmong patients and healthcare providers. Moreover, the Hmong’s reliance on arranged marriages leads to challenges in healthcare decision-making. For instance, family members may have different opinions on the course of treatment for a sick patient, and this can create a conflict that may negatively impact the patient’s health outcomes.
To support this assignment, three reputable sources can be cited. The first source can be The Hmong Studies Journal, which is a scholarly publication that features research articles and reviews on Hmong culture and history. The second source can be the website of the Hmong American Community of Fresno, which provides information about the Hmong culture and their experiences in the U.S. Finally, the third source can be the book, “Health and Medical Care of Southeast Asian-American Elders,” which discusses the challenges that Southeast Asian-American elders face in accessing healthcare and provides recommendations for improving healthcare for this population.
