CMST
227 - Group Project Assignment
Each group will give a 30-40 minute PowerPoint™ or Prezi™
presentation.
Groups are expected to SHOW us what their subject
culture’s communicative behavior looks and sounds like,
while interpreting the behavior presented in terms of course
content, patterns and indexes. The presentation should take viewers to that culture by showing us as many of the subject culture’s norms, values, and
beliefs as possible. Don’t tell us, SHOW
us what your culture is like.
Grading:
This Group Project is 25% of your course grade. Presentations will be graded according to
preparation, completeness, course relevance, and delivery.
See the Cultural Project Evaluation Form on
our class website for details.
Participation is required by all members. Problem - Solution
Non-participatory/supportive members who have been “fired” by the
group will need to complete an alternative project/assignment.
Continuity:
While presentations do not require a theme, they must be seen as a
seamless whole, rather than a series of individual presentations cobbled
together at the last minute. Make sure each member of your group gives what
appear to be elements of a single presentation. Each member of your group must
present at some point, though it doesn’t have to be equal parts. Take care to
insure that, as a group, you’ve covered everything that’s required in a
well-organized and logical sequence. Groups should dress appropriately for a
public presentation, or as their subject culture dictates.
What the presentation MAY NOT BE is
incomplete, boring, disorganized, or poorly prepared. Please don’t
even consider reading Power Point slides to us…we can read. Your
slides should show what you can’t tell.
I repeat, don’t even consider reading
Power Point slides to us. Power Point is a great medium for setting up your
topics and linking to the actual visual examples. Groups or individuals
attempting to read us slides will be stopped.
*An excellent first step is to WATCH A MOVIE from
the subject culture, TOGETHER AS A GROUP…
Your lives will be much easier if you make your presentation
available to all group members to edit/build by either putting it in the
“cloud,” (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) or using Prezi, which is already a cloud
application.
A TOPIC OUTLINE is an ideal way to identify the necessary areas to be covered and
assigned to group members. As in the
Cultural Identity paper, there are certain elements of the subject culture that
must be included.
At a minimum these are, and in the order they should be presented:
1. Vital Statistics (a good starting point for these is the CIA
World Fact Book link on our course website)
Population, (show Geography, Location, Climate, *Scenery),
Ethnicities, Per Capita Income, Cost of living, Industries and Sources of
income, etc.
*[A great opening to the presentation is
a “beauty” video of the country and its attractions, like those their tourism
ministries produce.]
2. Deep Structure Institutions
A.
History (Also include important current issues) Start with History; we need to know this in order to contextualize
everything else.
B.
Family
C.
Religion
D.
State
i.
Government, Education,
Social Organizations, etc.
ii.
Media (examples of Newspapers, TV shows,
Movies, Music)
3. Kohls’ Values (Typically these will be the “Foreign Counterpart” values from Kohls’ chart)
Show us how these values
show up in your culture’s day to day life.
4. Verbal Behavior
We need to hear this culture’s use of language
and see its writing, if not a Roman alphabet
5. Nonverbal Behavior/Norms
Show us how the members
of your culture practice these: (e.g., Judgments of beauty, Attire, Fashion,
Space, Body language, etc.)
6. Lifestyle
Show us your culture’s: Workday
Hours, Leisure Activities, Meals/Food, Arts, Architecture, Technology,
Healthcare, Jobs, Popular trends, etc.?