Australia- Cultural Experience, Background, and Dimensions
Academic Level : Bachelor
Paper details Part A: Cultural Experience (3-6 pages; 75 points)Pick ONE of the options (a-f) below for experiencing a culture. You may choose to refer to your multiple intelligences score or VARK test results (Discussion 1). For instance, if you scored high on musical intelligence and have an aptitude for music, you may wish to experience the culture in that manner. If interpersonal intelligence was one of your strong points, a cultural interview (conversation) may be the way to go. a.Food: Identify the country and culture that you are studying for this assignment. Pick a recipe typical for that culture, one that draws upon ethnic ingredients not typical to American cuisine. Go shopping for the ingredients, ideally in an ethnic grocery store. Prepare the recipe and share with friends or family. For a fuller experience, play music, or a movie, specific to that culture during the meal. Report on the experience: i. What recipe did you pick? Why? Please attach the recipe as Appendix 1.ii. Where did you go shopping for ingredients? Did it feel different? How? iii. Write a paragraph about the experience of preparing the recipe. How does it compare with your usual experience of cooking (e.g. for American food)?iv. Write a paragraph about eating the food you prepared. Who did you eat it with? What were reactions like? How does this food compare with your usual diet?v. Photographs — please provide 2-4 photographs of the process from ingredients to the final meal in Appendix 2 b. Art: Identify the country and culture that you are studying for this assignment. Visit a museum (e.g. St. Louis Art Museum, Kemper Art Museum, Contemporary Art Museum, Pulitzer Art Museum, SLU Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, Samuel Cupples House etc ) Spend an hour or so studying the art of your culture of choice. If art from your specific country is not available, you can study art from that general region. Report on the experience:i. Where did you go? Why did you pick that location?ii. Describe three pieces of art that you saw, using the ‘Art of Seeing Art’ process developed by the Toledo Museum of Art (http://www.visllt.org/the-art-of-seeing-art/). Include information about the title, artist (if available) and period of each piece of art. iii. Write a paragraph about what the art you saw suggests to you about the culture, and if you thought about any differences with your own culture. Were there any surprises9iv. How representative do you think the art was of the culture you are studying? Are there multiple styles of art representing different movements or subcultures?v. Visuals — please provide 1-3 visuals of art from that culture. Museums might not allow you to photograph art during your visit, but you may be able to find a relevant image from the museum website. Alternatively, you can find images of art from that culture through an intemet search. Please attach these images as an Appendix. c.Music: Identify the country and culture that you are studying for this assignment. Explore music from your culture of choice on YouTube, other intemet destinations, or through audio files / CDs. If you want, and where feasible, you may choose to attend a live musical performance. Try to either reproduce that music, or create some in that genre. Report on the experience:i. Tell me about the music you picked — its name, nature, style, artist etc Why did you pick this piece of music?ii. Describe some technical details — the instruments used, the type of voice (if relevant), the rhythm, pitch, melody, timbre etc iii Describe your feelings as you heard the music. Was it upbeat? Soothing? Did you find it cacophonous? How representative is the music of the culture you are studying? Are there multiple styles of music representing different movements or subcultures within the culture you are studying? Compare and contrast this piece to music that you usually listen to.iv. Describe your efforts to play similar music. Did you do it alone or with a friend? What was the experience like?
d. Dance: Identify the country and culture that you are studying for this assignment. Explore dance from your culture of choice on YouTube, or other intemet destinations. If you want, and where feasible, you may choose to attend a live dance performance. Try to either reproduce that dance, or create some in that genre. Report on the experience:i. Tell me about the dance piece you picked — its name, nature, style, artist, etc. Why did you pick this piece of dance?ii. Describe some technical details — the number of dancers, their roles and coordination, the musical accompaniments used, the phrasing and body movements, the level of fluidity, etc. iii. Describe your feelings as you observed the dance. Dance has been called the encapsulated version of a culture’s history and worldview. What did this dance tell you about its culture’s world-view and their social values, belief systems, etc.? How representative is this dance of the culture you are studying? Are there various styles of dance representing different movements or subcultures within the culture you are studying? Compare and contrast it to other types of dance that you are familiar with. iv. Describe your efforts to dance in a similar style. Did you do it alone or with a friend? What was the experience like9 v. Please provide a video link to the dance you observed (or similar dance from the intemet). If you like, you are also welcome to provide a link to your dance creation in this genre! e. Literature: Identify the country and culture that you are studying for this assignment. Pick a short story, novella, play, nonfiction piece or multiple poems from your country / culture of choice — either original or in translation. Report on the experience:i. Tell me about the piece of literature you picked — its name, author, style, etc. Why did you pick it? Did you read it in the original language or a translation?ii. Describe your experience of reading it. What feelings did it evoke? Could you identify with the characters and issues? Was the cultural context familiar or different? Did you enjoy the location and culture details? iii. Describe the issues discussed in the piece of literature. Were there any surprises for you? Did it give rise to any new insights about the culture it belongs to? Did it offer any new insights about your own culture? iv. Describe the context around the piece of literature. When was it written? What was going on that culture and society at the time? How does the piece of literature reflect or comment upon its larger society at the time? v. Please provide a link to the piece of literature, if it is freely available online. If it is not, please provide a link to its description.
f.Conversation: Identify the country and culture that you are studying for this assignment. Interview a person that belongs to the culture you are studying. Use some (at least 10) or all of the questions in Linda Levine’s cultural interview guide (www.sjsu.edu/people/linda.levine/courses/ /s1 /Culturalintenncw_Questions.doc). Use other questions also if you like. Report on the experience:i. Give a short bio of the person you are interviewing. Which culture do they belong to? How many years did they spend in their home country and how long have they been living in the USA? What do they do (in terms of career, profession, etc.)? What is their educational background?ii. Where did you meet? How long did you talk for? Were other people involved? Was food involved? iii. Please list all the questions you asked the interview subject in the Appendix. iv. Summarize three issues discussed in the cultural interview, in one paragraph each. v. Describe your thoughts and feelings during the interview in one paragraph. What did you learn about the person and their culture? Were there any surprises for you? Did it get any new insights about the person’s or your own culture? Part B: Informal Institutions (2-4 pages; 30 points)Describe at least 3 of these cultural dimensions: context, power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term orientation. For each dimension, a.Describe the culture’s orientation (e.g. high context vs. low context, individualism vs. collectivism, etc.) Explain why you have chosen this orientation for the culture.b. Give at least one example of behavior for each dimension in that particular culture. c.Explain how the culture’s orientation on cultural dimensions influences behavior and decisions for that country’s companies and decision-makersPart C: Cultural background and norms (2-3 pages; 15 points)a.How many languages are spoken in the country you are studying? Which language is primary? Are there any tensions between speakers of various languages?b. Are there distinct subcultures within that country? What are some of the primary ones? Is one dominant? c.What is the primary religion in the country? Are multiple religions practiced? Is there tension between religions?d. Please describe two
