This paper asks you to think about and discuss cultural norms—in this case, cultural norms that are expressed through verbal/non-verbal communication—relating to cleanliness, dirt, and bodily functions. Our data includes language terms, including both “serious” and slang terms and metaphors, as well as non-verbal types of communication such as silence, gestures, tone of voice, accent, appearance, and etc.
Instructions:
(1) Read the PDF article “Akan Shit” and watch the YouTube “Girls Don’t Poop—Poopouri Commercial.”
PDF Akan Shit
Poopouri Ad:
https://youtu.be/ZKLnhuzh9uY (Links to an external site.)
The article is based on the fieldwork experiences of an anthropologist among the Akan people of Ghana. In it, he describes some of the issues—about things we may take for granted—that arise in “how to go to the bathroom” in another country with very different facilities and cultural norms. The article also contains some very interesting discussion about local conceptions of dirt and cleanliness, as well as a number of linguistic terms and metaphors that express these conceptions and also conceptions about health and sickness.
In contrast, the Poopouri commercial expresses a very different social and cultural context, as well as very different ways of talking about “going to the bathroom.”
(2) Your assignment is to write a paper in which you compare and contrast the cultural norms and cultural logic expressed in these two samples [the commercial and the article], as demonstrated by verbal and non-verbal communication. Please DO NOT focus on bathroom habits or facilities per se—remember this paper is about language and language terms, as well as non-verbal types of communication. In your analysis you are looking at behavioral norms as they are reflected in language and communication. Again, I want to stress that this assignment is about language, not about toilets. We are simply using cultural norms about toilets as our example. Please do not describe any personal anecdotes about your own bathroom experiences.
(3) Required: You must discuss the language terms and/or non-verbal communication in BOTH the Akan article AND the Poopouri commercial. Below are lists of suggestions to think about, to help you frame your discussion of verbal and non-verbal communication as expressed in the two samples. You DO NOT have to use all of the questions–these are suggestions to get you started. Just be sure to discuss both the article and YouTube.
“Poopouri”:
What are the social ironies you see exhibited in the Poopouri commercial? That is, contrast between our reality and what is presented [or the way it is presented]?
Does it make a difference how she is dressed?
Do you think her accent makes the message more effective?
What cultural norms about bathrooms does the commercial assume we can relate to
Why is this Youtube commercial funny? Or is it?
“Akan Shit”:
What social ironies do you see exhibited in the Akan article? That is, the contrast between their reality and their ideal?
How do the words and phrases the author includes help you to understand Akan culture and its cultural norms?
What kinds of behavior [non-verbal communication] are described in the article, and what are the people communicating? Why?
General:
How do these articles relate to the non-verbal communication materials [e.g. smell, space, privacy, gestures, etc.]?
Do you think Akan views about “going to the bathroom” are actually that different from American views? What evidence in the article supports your opinion?
Notice how I am using a euphemism “going to the bathroom.” Why is the word s-h-i-t a “bad” word? What are the cultural ideas, norms or values underlying our collective idea that s-h-i-t is a “bad” word?
You get the idea. Please don’t try to address ALL of these ideas—just use some of them to structure your discussion.
Your final paper:
Single-spaced
1000 words minimum
Be sure you are discussing BOTH the Poopouri ad and the article.
Be sure you have focused on language/communication [verbal or non-verbal]
Type the word count in your heading
Use references, since you are analyzing a website and an article (see below)
References:
As always, when you use any references in a paper [in any class, not just this one], you should cite them in parentheses in the paper, and include a reference list at the end. It’s a great habit for college students to get into—even if your professor doesn’t tell you to do so.
Citing within the paper: For “Akan Shit” you should cite (Van der Geest 1998) in the paper. For the Youtube, for our purposes here just put (Poopouri) in the paper. If you use the book, use (Ottenheimer 2013). If you cite a lecture, use (Erickson 2022).
Reference List:
Use whatever style you are familiar with. For articles, you need the author name, year of publication, article title, journal in which it was published, volume, issue, and page number. This is just standard information you need in every format style.
For a book [for example, if you cite your textbook], you need author name, year of publication, title of book, publisher and city.
For the Youtube, list by the title in this case [if there was an author you would give that]. Provide the website link address, and state when you accessed it. For example, Accessed March 12, 2022.
For a lecture, list as Erickson, Barbra, 2022, Name of lecture, Name of course.
Us MLA format.
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