Instructions:1. Select a tradition from a culture of your choosing. a) this could be a tradition or practice from your own cultural identity (this is a great chance to tell a part of your own story or to get in touch with it, depending on where you’re at in your cultural journey). b) this could be a tradition or practice that you’ve always wanted to research and learn some more about. 2. This tradition could be something formalized like aholiday or ceremony (Hanukkah, Chinese New Yearetc.). It could also be something informal like agreeting practice or behavior (touch, use of timeetc.) so there is really a lot of latitude here.3. Analyze the tradition in terms of what it representsabout the culture’s world view. You will want to be able to:a. offer a thorough explanation of how the tradition ispracticed.b. What values does this tradition reinforce aboutthe culture.4. You will want to conduct research for this project ontwo levels:a. Research about the practice and how it is carriedoutb. Research about how the tradition interacts withthe culture.(If you are doing a culture that youare not familiar with, definitely make sure youhave research to help you support yourconclusions about which pieces of world view aresustained in this tradition. This research might be first hand experience as well. c. There are resources to get you started in ourweek #2 module. They are:
- The Hofstede Center links loaded in the module
- World view components notes that help parallel the reading in the book.
d. The key to this project is to establish a thesis thatconnects the tradition to the material discussed. Below, is a sample thesis:The rituals associated with the Latino Quinceneara offers insight into the collectivism of Mexican culture. Part II: Designing your presentationI want this project to be meaningful and interesting to you and I want this to be a chance to tell your story, if that’s something you are hungry to do. To those ends, there are multiple ways you can choose to present this project. Select a way that makes sense to you as a good way to present your tradition. Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences suggests, “In order to capture the full range of abilities and talents that people possess, Gardner theorizes that people do not have just an intellectual capacity, but have many kinds of intelligence, including musical, interpersonal, spatial-visual, and linguistic intelligences.” So, tap into your intelligences with this project:
Option #1 Write a research paper about the tradition or practice you chose.
This is an option that tends to fit well with people who ascribe to a linguistic/verbal intelligence and enjoy reading and writing as a channel for expressing their thoughts and ideas.
1. Write a 5-7 page double spaced typed paper that explores the topic you’ve selected
2. The paper should use 3 or more sources to support the information and analysis shared.
3. The paper should adhere to the guidelines provided above about the project.
Here’s a sample introduction that shows how that thesis might be incorporated into the introduction of the paper:“Just like a page out of a fairy tale, the storybook tale has finally come true…”(Quinceneara Boutique.com), so opens the invitation to arguably the most significant day in a young Hispanic girl’s life, the day she turns fifteen and becomes a woman in the eyes of her culture. The traditions and practices surrounding a Quinceneara symbolize coming of age in a culture that values collectivism. By looking at three of the rituals contained in the Quinceneara,, one can better understand how this day celebrates the taking of one’s adult place in a collectivist culture. This paper will explore the collectivist values sustained in the rituals of: Selecting the court, changing of the shoes and finally, the last doll.Then go into the body of your paper–your preview statement at the end of the intro has already identified your three main points, so you’re set. The first main point in the paper will be selecting the court —talk about how the court is selected, the significance and how that ritual represents some aspect of collectivism. I want this paper to be a meaningful tie in between theory and practice. You should be able to make excellent connections between chapter 2 and 4 and 5 in the text and the practice you choose to explore. Please let me help you make this project a meaningful one. I am here to offer guidance.Other options here: You can write a poem or compose a story that speaks to and represents the cultural tradition and include analysis, so that you’re walking us through the connections to the project and the unit material. You can film yourself telling the story or delivering the poem in a way that is reflective of the culture.Option #2 Physical PresentationThis option offers the opportunity to explore a cultural tradition or practice through more kinesthetic avenues. This can be great for kinesthetic topics such as dance or nonverbal communication practices. An example might be: looking at the tradition of flamenco dancing. If you actually do flamenco dancing, you could have someone film you dancing, and then you could film your discussion and analysis of the dance and what it reveals about the cultural world view it is associated with. This will require you being able to upload the film. Perhaps you’d like to do flamenco dancing but you yourself are not a flamenco dancer, that’s fine. You can share film of someone else–perhaps from an event you’ve attended (with their permission of course) and then you can interview experts on film and film your own responses. Do you have a favorite recipe? Put on your own cooking show and show us how to make your favorite recipe and what it represents about the culture’s world view.So– be creative. There are a lot of ways to do this option!! Unsure if you’re on the right track? Check it out with me. Option #3 Musical IntelligenceUse this option to explore a cultural tradition through music. This could be by using music as a channel for exploring the tradition (for example, how does the music associated with Rosh Hashanah reflect the values of Jewish world view and the holiday?) OR literally looking at the musical traditions of a culture (how do the instruments and songs for instance reflect the world view of the culture). You can film this or make a film from other resourcesYou can compose a musical piece that embodies the culture (and analyze it of course).You can perform a musical piece from the culture and talk about it (on film, or through power point slides). Option #4 Naturalistic IntelligenceThis is a chance to express a cultural worldview through nature This could be through a look at traditional foods or cooking methods used in a culture and what that represents about the world view. (make your own cooking show). This could be by constructing a small landscape display or demonstrating a gardening technique (ie bonsai or topiary). These are just some ideas, let your mind brainstorm!!Option #5 Visual Spatial IntelligenceConstruct a drawing or painting that speaks to the cultural world view tradition you’ve selected. Be able to analyze and explain the significance of this drawing or painting in terms of what it represents about the world view. This might be the story told in the painting and/or it might be the methods used in executing the art work (the way it’s painted, or the colors used, or the technique used). Option #6 Interpersonal intelligencePeople are the keepers of cultural history. Take time to film interviews with the people around you– this is great if you’ve selected to look at your own world view. Interview grandparents, relatives, community leaders about the components of world view, listen and share their stories. ONCE YOU HAVE SELECTED AN OPTION, I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU SO THAT WE CAN CLARIFY YOUR PROJECT AND THE GRADING RUBRIC FOR IT SINCE EACH OF THE 6 OPTIONS WILL HAVE ITS OWN RUBRIC.
