RESEARCH PAPER FOR YOUR FINAL PROJECT:
THE INTERPLAY OF CULTURE, FORCES OF OPPRESSION, AND STORY
In our class this semester, we have looked at what makes a culture a culture, how cultures are underrepresented (or marginalized) and how traditional stories reflect culture. We have also reviewed forces of oppression that challenge (or marginalize) cultures, things like sexism, classism, racism and so on.
In this research project, you will present an original, integrated analysis that touches on all three. Your paper will include a thesis of your creation, a discussion of relevant aspects of the culture, a summary of a story (or stories) to use to support your ideas, and a discussion about how a force of oppression marginalizes the culture or how the cultures rises above it. In addition to the story, you will have a minimum of five sources. The sources must be credible and authoritative – and one of your sources must be our course text.
This paper is an opportunity to further explore content or ideas that were touched upon in the class or engage in a brand-new foray into the richness of folktales and culture.
You will be graded on your understanding of cultural concepts and the originality of your analysis. If you simply quote and paraphrase other work and write it like a book report, you will not do as well as if you use your research to inform your own thinking and develop your own insights.
Requirements for this paper
I strongly urge you to gain approval for your topic. You can contact me via email or visit me during office hours. Please do not approach me about this before or after class.
A minimum of five credible, authoritative sources on culture – one of the five sources will be the course text. The story (or stories) are not counted in this total.
A maximum of five double-spaced, typewritten pages, submitted to TURNITIN during finals week.
A story summary or summaries, with attribution. Please do not spend a chunk of your paper retelling a folktale – a summary can be all of three sentences. You must include a brief evaluation of your story source in a footnote.
Works cited page.
A thesis statement in the first paragraph that clearly states what you will be doing in the paper.
You will research a completely different culture from any you’ve reviewed before (unless you receive express permission, see exception below). If you looked at Mexican and Spanish culture, you may not do another Latinx culture. If you did an African culture and African-American culture, you cannot do an African culture or something from the African diaspora. If you did India and Korea, please stay away from Asian cultures altogether. This paper is a wonderful opportunity to explore something completely new. You will lose a full-letter grade if you fail to fulfill this requirement.
In-text citations.
Clear writing.
Your citations must be done ethically and correctly.
Your analysis will demonstrate your understanding about culture, how it is reflected in folktales and how a force of oppression impacts an underrepresented culture.
Paper Structure
In addition to the requirements above, I expect to see that your claims are supported with examples. For instance, if you claim the central importance of a family in a culture, you must specify what type of family structure and denote behaviors that reflect the importance of family, such as: Do the grandparents live with the family? Which family members are sought for advice? How is respect shown? How do other cultural institutions treat the family? How does cultural worldview impact the importance of family in the culture? You also would do well to summarize a folktale that reflects family-oriented cultural values.
Force of Oppression
Discuss how at least one national or global force influenced/influences the perspectives of a dominant cultural group toward a subordinate, underrepresented group. Such forces may include colonialism, immigration, white supremacy, segregation, classism, racism, sectarianism, ableism, discrimination, religious missionaries, ethnic cleansing, urbanization, poverty, international relations, trade, jihad, slavery, profiling, sexism, antisemitism, heteronormativity, to name but a few.
Recommendation
Look for information about a topic of interest in the library databases – JSTOR, for example. This type of content has been discussed in scholarly literature in many ways.
Sample Papers – available on Blackboard, however, you may not use these topics
Non-Ethnic Culture – prison culture
Comparison of two folktales with a similar theme – stories from Inuit and German cultures
Neurodivergence and changeling stories
Sample Topic Ideas
You do not have to choose any of these topics. They are listed here to help you brainstorm an interesting topic. However, if you find one of these topics compelling, you may certainly do it. I expect you to check with me about your topic so you can be on a good track for this paper, however.
Immigration: the perspectives of both sides. Include a folktale about a migration in ancient times or on a current issue, like the Syrian refugee crisis with a story from a Syrian refugee folktale collection (there is one).
Cultural views of the elderly (you could include stories about the terrible Baba Yaga and/or magical godmothers).
Independent women in classic European fairy tales (or lack of independent women in classic fairy tales)
The symbolism of dreams in a culture and its stories (and how dreams reflect something about the culture)
The reason for Jewish humor (with story examples).
Defiant women and why they appear in stories.
How folktales reflect cultural assumptions about gender identity, sexism, or heterosexism
The significance of the Shaman in a culture and its stories (here you might consider how a majority culture views
Polytheism in a culture and its mythology (examples: Hindu culture, African Yoruba culture)
Tattoos and class status in Maori culture
Cultural perspectives on death (compare two cultures)
Two contrasting culture heroes or archetypes and how they reflect culture
Cultural attitudes about wealth and poverty
Cultural perspectives on disability – how do stories reflect ableism?
The role of supernatural beings in a culture and its stories. Some examples: trolls in Icelandic culture; fairy folk in Irish/Celtic cultures; Golems in Jewish culture; ghouls in an Arabic culture; the Aziza in African Dahomey culture; the Boto in Brazilian culture; ghosts in Roma culture; Spearfinger in Cherokee culture and so forth. This list could go on for days.
Decolonization or colonialism in Jamaica (or Haiti, Hawaii, or another land) and its lasting effects on culture.
Amish beliefs, values and the perspectives of the “English.”
Last Completed Projects
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