All students will do a research project, which will count for about 60% of their grade. The project should reflect a cultural approach, not just a cultural topic. Everyone will turn in a proposal, an annotated bibliography, and do a class presentation on their subject. Beyond that, students have three options:
1. A traditional research paper of 12 to 20 pages. (Guidelines below.)
2. A short video or flash documentary/essay on an aspect of contemporary culture.
Number 2 should probably be done in groups; talk to me early in the semester if you are interested in this possibility.
Possible Topic Areas: The following are some possible topic areas. They are too broad for specific topics, but might help give you some ideas that you can then focus down into something manageable;
Subcultures and society: punks, mods, skinheads, or other subcultural groups.
Why do women like to shop more than men?
Is skateboarding a subculture?
Malcolm X hats in Senegal: what happens when other cultures take up American symbols?
The Cultural Meaning of the Veil in Islamic Countries
The Cultural Roots of Evangelical Christianity in the US
Religion, Culture, and Politics: the Case of Jesus Freaks
The Semiotics of Anti-ads