In this assignment you will adopt a perspective similar to Miner’s Nacirema piece and ‘make the familiar, strange.’ You will select a local cultural event or ritual and provide an in-depth description of the practice. Think creatively on what you can currently observe: studying (dorm or library), eating a meal on campus, and getting ready to go to class, etc. You may also wish to consider special events or rituals and/or those that have been altered due to the pandemic.
*To address all the paper requirements, expect to take approximately 4 pages double-spaced
Your paper should address the following points:
1. Elements of material/nonmaterial culture:
What is happening in this event/ritual? What are the people doing?
Where is it located and how is this space important to the culture?
How are they dressed? Are they using any special, symbolic objects?
Is there a specialized language or slang (argot)?
What do you think are the beliefs and values being expressed in this event/ritual?
2. Relationship to community:
What role does this event/ritual have in their culture and community?
Do you think this event/ritual plays a role in social integration or regulation?Why/why not?
For a successful paper you must:
Clearly identify the different material and non-material cultural elements
Define any term that you use (ex. culture, community) by citing class readings
Use at least one class reading to help make your argument
Include an appendix that has a sheet of fieldnotes.These are observations you jot down as you observe the scene!!!
These can be handwritten or typed and are not counted towards page counts:
When observing the scene, best ethical practices are to observe people doing things in public spaces where they have no expectation of privacy or you have permission to observe and write about them if in private scene (like a dorm room). When writing about the cultural event or scene, you do not need to identity people or use names.
A likely source for defining community is the Keller piece or Grigsby for culture. If you quote from the reading, make sure to use a parenthetical citation such as (Keller 2005:12) or footnotes if that is the format you are more familiar with. Below is an example format for your bibliography.
Keller, Suzanne. 2005. Community: Pursuing the Dream, Living the Reality. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
(please write about st.patrick day and rich irish culture and history within boston for the essay)
P.S. citation style must be consistent with the example (Keller, Suzanne. 2005. Community: Pursuing the Dream, Living the Reality. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.)
P.P.S. you can find some reading material for citation in atatatchments
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|