Culture

PSYC 105: Guidelines for Research Project

For the completion of this research project, students will have the option of constructing athree-to-five-page (3-5-page) research paper either individually or in a group (consisting of twoto four students total). Each student/group will be required arch a particular culture ofinterest (inside or outside of the United States) and discuss how at least four (4) of the followingfactors explored throughout the course are viewed/addressed within that particular culture:family, gender, sex/sexuality/sexism, age/ageism, relationships, marriage,work/employment, leisure, music, arts, sports, ritualistic practices/customs, holidays, religion,politics, economics, communication, death/death customs, physical health, mental health,racism, prejudice/discrimination, stereotypes. The culture you choose should reflect a “trueculture” (as described later in this handout), but should also be a culture in which you have aninterest in learning more about.

All research projects will be due toward the end of the course session on the specific date notedin your Course Schedule. Any late projects (received any time after 11:59 p.m. on the given duedate or beyond) will be deducted 5 points for every day that it is late (F.Y.I., all daysconclude @ 11:59 p.m. and include the weekends).

What is a culture?

A culture is a group of people who share a way of living, including behaviors, beliefs, values,and symbols that are accepted and passed along by communication and imitation from onegeneration to the next.

Diverse cultural groups think, feel, and act differently. There are no scientific standards forconsidering one group as intrinsically superior or inferior to another. Studying differences inculture among groups and societies presupposes a position of cultural relativism. It does notimply normalcy for oneself nor for one’s society. It does, however, call for proper judgmentwhen dealing with groups or societies different from one’s own. Information about thenature of cultural differences between societies, their roots, and their consequences shouldprecede judgment and action. Negotiation is more likely to succeed when the partiesconcerned understand the reasons for the differences in viewpoints.

Which culture can/should I research?

For your research project, choose a culture in which you show an expressed interest(preferably one to which you do not belong). Examples of cultures include, but are notlimited to, the following:

ethnic culturesAfrican, European, Native American, Caucasian American, AfricanAmerican, Asian American, Asian, Hispanic, Cuban, French, Chinese, Japanese,Indian, Jamaican, Dominican, Russian, Italian, Brazilian, Scottish, Mexican,Australian, Austrian, Alaskan, Hawaiian, Greek, Swedish, etc.;

American culturesNew Yorkers, Baltimorians, Californians, Texans, Northerners,Southerners, Mid-westerners, etc.;

age-related cultureship-hop, hippies, baby boomers, elderly, teenagers, etc.; religious culturesMuslims, Christians, Catholics, Buddhists, Cults, etc.;
career-related culturesathletes, celebrities, doctors, lawyers, politicians, etc.

You can be as general or specific as you like regarding the culture that you choose, as long asyou are able to define your culture and include within your paper the information notedbelow.

Where should I start?

To Begin:

•  Choose your work preference. You must first decide whether you would like to work aloneor with up to three other students (a total of two to four group members, including yourself).If there is at least one other student with whom you find that you share a common interest,it is suggested (but not required) that you consider working together. Keep in mind that ifyou choose to work in a group, all group members will be responsible for contributing tothe project and will receive the same grade accordingly. In the end, whether working aloneor in a group, all papers must follow the same format (see below under “The Paper”).

•  Select your culture. Refer back to the information above to familiarize yourself with thedefinition and different types of culture, then identify the culture youd like to research. Ifworking with other students, please be sure that ALL members of your group have aninvested interest in the culture selected, as this will help to ensure that each membercontributes equally to the project.

•  Gather your resources. For this assignment, you must include at least 3 valid resources,though you may include more if desired. These may consist of online journal articles, books,web site sources, magazine articles, etc. and will be the basis for your citations andrefercontent by quoting it word forword, that content should be surrounded by quotation mato ear