One of the main reasons Hispanics migrated to the United States was economic development. In the late 1800's the US started looking to Mexico to fill a drastically rising demand in the labor force in basic industries including agriculture, mining, construction, and transportation. Then in 1910 there was another surge of migration from Mexico to the United States when the Mexican Revolution broke out. Many Hispanics were fleeing the country of Mexico to avoid persecution. Throughout history Hispanics have migrated both voluntary and involuntary. The voluntary migrants came to the US to find economic prosperity, while the involuntary migrants became short-term or long-term refugees fleeing their country during the revolution. The theory that I am going to analyze is the Transitional Model. I want to know how Hispanics adapted to the American Culture. All transition experiences involve change, including some loss and some gain, for individuals (Martin and Nakayama 2013).
I will use the Transition Model to better understand the Hispanic Culture. This model will show me the influence that Hispanic culture has on Americans and vise versa. I will also be able to learn about their transition into the US. Anyone entering a new country is going to experience culture shock, which is a relatively short-term feeling of disorientation, of discomfort due to the unfamiliarity of the surroundings and the lack of familiar cues in the environment (Martin and Nakayama 2013). I want to know how they overcame this emotional stress and how they learned how to communicate across cultures. 
I will learn these things by conducting interviews and collecting observational data. I am going to interview one of my past co-workers who is Hispanic. He has since moved to Texas to be with family, but i will conduct an online chat style interview so that i will have documentation of the questions and answers. I am going to ask about his family history and if his parents were born in Mexico and if so how and why they migrated to the United States. I know he was born in California, then moved to Nebraska, so i will also ask how he adapted to such a different culture here in Nebraska. I will use the U-curve theory of cultural adaptation to learn more about his experience. The U-curve theory is a series of 3 predicable phases that occur when migrating to another culture. The phases include: Excitement/anticipation, shock/disorientation, and adjustment (Martin and Nakayama 2013). Lastly, I will discuss what methods he used for effective intercultural communication and what kind of migrant-host relationship he established. The relationships include: Assimilation, Separation, or integration (Martin and Nakayama 2013). I also went into the Multi-cultural center on campus to get a schedule of their upcoming events. I am hoping to also attend one of their events to get observational data as well.
I will learn these things by conducting interviews and collecting observational data. I am going to interview one of my past co-workers who is Hispanic. He has since moved to Texas to be with family, but i will conduct an online chat style interview so that i will have documentation of the questions and answers. I am going to ask about his family history and if his parents were born in Mexico and if so how and why they migrated to the United States. I know he was born in California, then moved to Nebraska, so i will also ask how he adapted to such a different culture here in Nebraska. I will use the U-curve theory of cultural adaptation to learn more about his experience. The U-curve theory is a series of 3 predicable phases that occur when migrating to another culture. The phases include: Excitement/anticipation, shock/disorientation, and adjustment (Martin and Nakayama 2013). Lastly, I will discuss what methods he used for effective intercultural communication and what kind of migrant-host relationship he established. The relationships include: Assimilation, Separation, or integration (Martin and Nakayama 2013). I also went into the Multi-cultural center on campus to get a schedule of their upcoming events. I am hoping to also attend one of their events to get observational data as well.
References
Martin, J.N.& Nakayama, T.K. (2013). Intercultural Communication in Contexts.(6th ed). New York, NY: McGraw Hill
David Gutierrez, Ph.D. American Latino Theme Study: The making of America. Retrieved From:
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