Preparation for Final Essay-101 Cultural Comparison

Which culture should I choose? one you are attracted to one that is part of your heritage one whose homeland(s) you have visited the culture of a friend or family member one in the news today one that you fear one you find incomprehensible

Limit your comparison to one subject. Here are some ideas: Gender roles Education Standard of living Health care System of government Communication styles Values Role of religion Role of elders Dating customs Marriage styles (monogamy, polygamy, polyandry) Family style (nuclear, extended, cohabitation, single parent, gay and lesbian) Diversity Racism

Example Limited topic Chinese and Italian Marriage Customs Points of Comparison Role of the families Use of matchmakers Role of the bride (adapted from) Gadda, George, and Faye Peitzman. Teaching Analytical Writing. UCLA Publishing 1988.

Example Thesisa unifying insight Unacceptable: This essay will compare the marriage customs of Southern Italians and Chinese in order to show how much alike the two countries customs are. Acceptable: In exploring the traditional courtship and matrimonial customs of Chinese and Southern Italians, one will discover that marriages are not always the bond between two people, but rather an alliance between two families. Gadda, George, and Faye Peitzman. Teaching Analytical Writing. UCLA Publishing 1988.

Research Journal 1. Exploratory freewriting and clustering 2. Questionsboth your questions, as they arise, and your classmates questions generated later during this activity 3. Preliminary outline 4. Research plan 5. Research notes 6. List of sources (including the information you will need for your Works Cited page) 7. Tentative thesis and outline

Freewriting & Clustering Your in-class journal entry is an example of exploratory freewriting. You can perform guided freewriting (freewriting on a specified topic) to explore possible points of comparison, as often as necessary. You can also freewrite about difficult or striking ideas as you discover them in your source materials, in order to gain a better understanding of them or relate them to other ideas.

Preliminary Outline This will evolve as your paper grows. It must include the limited subject and points of comparison.

Tips for Good Research Notes Limit each note to one piece of information and use a separate page for each source. Include the source with each page and the relevant page numbers for each note, so you will have the necessary information for your in-text citations and Works Cited page. Organize your notes under your outline headings. Identify your own comments and conclusions to avoid confusing them with material from sources.

Research Plan: Assign a to be completed by date to each item on the list below. 1.Freewrite to identify goals and resources. 2.Write a preliminary outline that consists of your limited subject and points of comparison. 3.Identify print and electronic resources and prepare a working bibliography. 4.Read print and electronic sources and write notes, summaries, and comments. 5.Create a tentative thesis and a unifying statement for each point of comparison; then, write a rough draft. 6.Get peer feedback and create a Works Cited list. 7.Revise paper. Check citations and list of Works Cited. 8.Proofread paper. Paper due: TBA

List of Sources Refer to the MLA section in your handbook to find the appropriate format for each type of source. Possible sources for this topic: cultural encyclopedias; other reference books on cultures and countries/area studies; relevant academic journals (culture and area studies, cultural geography); substantive periodicals (e.g., National Geographic); Internet edu, org, and gov sites; interviews with members of the culture; documentary films Note: To find articles in periodicals, consult databases such as ProQuest and subject indexes such as the Social Science Index, available at libraries. Some subscription databases are available online to library card holders. A number of quality articles may be found in other online databases.

Unacceptable Sources Internet com sites Newspapers Movies (commercial Hollywood type) Popular or sensational periodicals (See the handout on distinguishing types of periodicals.)

Tentative Thesis and Outline This consists of three parts: your limited topic, the insight that will unify your paper, and the unifying statements for each point of comparison.

Example Tentative Thesis and Outline Limited topic: Chinese and Italian Marriage Customs Thesis: In exploring the traditional courtship and matrimonial customs of Chinese and Southern Italians, one will discover that marriages are not always the bond between two people, but rather an alliance between two families. Unifying Statements for Points of Comparison Role of families: Marriages in the two countries are carried out by family design. Use of matchmakers: The Chinese matchmaker, reconciling differences between the families, closely resembles the ambasciatrice associated with Italian weddings. Role of the bride: Whereas American brides seem to be placed upon a pedestal, those in China and Southern Italy are of secondary importancesecondary to the family.

Activity Questions 1.At the top of a sheet of paper, write the limited subject of your comparison. Example: Catalan and American Gender Roles 2.Pass your paper to the person on your right. You will write a question on every classmates paper until yours comes around again.

Paper Requirements 3-5 word-processed pages (three full pages minimum for full credit!) 12 point plain font 1 margins MLA style of documentation (in-text citations and Works Cited page) at least three sources point by point pattern of organization

Point by Point Comparison Introduction (attention getter+ background information + thesis) Points of Comparison Subject (marriage customs) Role of the families: Chinese/Italian Use of matchmakers: Chinese/Italian Role of the bride: Chinese/Italian Note: The discussion of a single point could span several paragraphs. Conclusion

Paper Timeline (doesnt include other class activities) Discuss research journal and assignment requirements. Write questions for journal. Write research journal entry in class. Share research plans and preliminary outlines. Share resources and strategies. Peer response to rough draft Peer edit second draft (including Works Cited page) Paper due Dates to be inserted in class.