For this assignment, you will examine how cultural expressions influence your daily life. You are welcome to use images in this assignment; however, the written content needs to be at least 750 words. Remember that culture is “the norms, values, beliefs, and practices to which the members of a group subscribe and respond, even given individual differences” (Gannon & Pillai, 2015, p. 2). Expressions of culture could be physical objects, such as family heirlooms, sentimental belongings, or items meaningful to you. Expressions of culture could also be concepts such as work ethic, integrity, or honesty.
Share three items of cultural expression that influence your life. You may include the item of cultural expression that you introduced in your discussion for this unit, but the other two items should be new selections and not prior discussion submissions. You may want to write about recipes, art, music, sports, films, photography, religious traditions, or narratives about your family history. You are welcome to go beyond this list. These three cultural expressions should communicate something about your beliefs, values, actions, and way of life.
The assignment has four parts.
Part I: Introduction
Give an introduction to the paper. Include a preview of your main points and a thesis establishing what you will demonstrate in the assignment. As the final sentence of the introduction, offer the reader the main idea of what will be learned through exploring these cultural expressions.
Part II: Creating Expressions From Your Life
Introduce the three cultural expressions one at a time. Answer the following questions about your first cultural expression, then answer all questions for the second, and then answer all questions for the third.
Explain the “who, what, where, when, and why” about this item or idea. For example, what is it? Where did it come from, and when? Who has decided to keep it? Why is this expression of culture worth keeping?
How did this cultural expression help define who you are, what you believe, or how you act? How does the idea or meaning behind this expression manifest in your beliefs, values, and actions? Why did you choose this expression over other options?
Part III: Applying the Course Lessons Into the Future
In the Unit 2 Assignment, you wrote about how you would apply artistic responses to social, political, and cultural influences. In the Unit 4 Assignment, you wrote about how the experience of encountering an experience with a new country or culture could be useful in your life and work. In the Unit 6 Assignment, you investigated a cross-cultural challenge, considered ways to overcome the challenge, and encouraged others to do the same. Check back on your assignments and the goals you created for yourselves in those units (i.e., how you would apply the lesson from the unit to future actions in your life and work).
Introduce one of the prior goals you created in the Unit 2, 4, or 6 assignments. What was that goal? Why is this sort of goal important to who you are, how you see your values and purpose, and how you can grow and develop through action?
Have you taken action on that goal during this course? If so, give a progress report with the status and lessons learned from that action. If you have not yet taken action, give yourself two first steps to help you act on this goal and make progress in the next few months. How will you hold yourself accountable to move toward success in that goal?
Part IV: Conclusion
Share a substantive conclusion. Highlight the paper’s main points, restate the thesis, and share parting conclusions with the reader.
The paper should be 750 words long, written in a logical order following the instructions above, and original and insightful. Label each part of the project (Parts I, II, III, and IV) to help clarify where you are addressing these elements of the paper, but you should also be writing a cohesive, descriiptive essay that demonstrates college-level writing. The paper should be in Standard American English, APA style, and 12-point Times New Roman font. Check your grammar, punctuation, and spelling before you submit the work.
Reference:
Gannon, M. J., & Pillai, R. (2016). Understanding global cultures: Metaphorical journeys through 34 nations, clusters of nations, continents, and diversity (6th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. https://purdueuniversityglobal.vitalsource.com/books/9781483340050