PSYC& 100 Culture Term Paper

 

The idea for this term paper is to find something about cultural psychology that you haven’t learned already. I suggest using an Internet search engine such as google or ask.com. Enter terms such as the name of a specific ethnic or cultural group, or of a couple nations. Learn something about the customs, social norms, or behavior of a specific group, and how they are similar or different from another country. Then write up a summary and evaluation (4 – 6 pages double-spaced). The summary portion might include greeting customs, how business is done, etc. (See sample paper in Canvas). The evaluation section exercises your critical thinking. You should describe both countries/cultures on the 3 pairs of cultural factors, explaining why you analyze them the way you do (see the Personality + Culture slideshow and learning exercise). You may want to acquire additional information on these factors via the Internet. 

 

One example of a paper topic is how Moldova is similar and different from the France on a number of customs. Another is how doing business is different in Pakistan from in Australia, due to cultural expectations about relationships and agreements. You may NOT use the dominant American culture, since I’ve already analyzed its cultural characteristics in the slideshow, though you could use a subculture, such as the Amish or Latinos. 

 

Naturally, as conscientious college students you don’t need to be reminded to edit your own work, making sure to have flawless grammar, spelling, and referencing. You will use your own words. Copying even a single sentence will cost you a letter grade for every such sentence. 

 

 If you are seeking an A you would naturally write more than if you were just seeking a C. Since you are using multiple sources (minimum 4), it must always be clear (through your parenthetic citations) which source you are using. Only your own opinion does not need a citation. Interviews are fine as a source, as long as they are not your only source of information. You will make sure your citations match your reference list.

 

Purpose of the assignment:

 

· Demonstrate that you know something about 2 cultures other than the US,

 

· Demonstrate that you understand the 3 pairs of cultural factors,

 

· Exercise your critical thinking to correctly analyze 2 cultures on those factors,

 

· Demonstrate good writing quality, and

 

· Demonstrate a good grasp of APA style.

 

For help on referencing style, go to http://cms.tacomacc.edu/UserFiles/Servers/Server_6/IntranetFile/APA_Master_Fall10.pdf. Your paper should have a title page sheet with a Running Head and page numbers. 

 

Particularly helpful are these videos on elements of APA style: http//teachpsych.pbworks.com/APA-Style-Videos. 

 

Grading will be done according to the following rubric: 

 

· Clarity, content, & length           1 – 16 points

 

· Cultural factor analysis, using Personality + Culture slideshow  1 – 8 points

 

· Style, grammar, spelling          1 – 8 points

 

· Citation, referencing, accuracy of APA style       1 – 8 points

 

· Total: 40 points

 

Points will be taken off for content if you use Wikipedia-even Wikipedia agrees it is not appropriate for college papers. 

 

Here’s a quick checklist for some other APA requirements:

 

 

 

· Did you use a title page?

 

· Did you use a running head?

 

· Did you put the page # in the upper right hand corner of the page?

 

· Did you use Times New Roman 12 point font?

 

· Did you double space, including the references section?

 

· Did you start the references on their own page?

 

· If you had questions about parenthetic citations or references, did you look at the above or use the reference section of our text as a stylistic guide?

 

· Did you cite everything parenthetically that you listed in your References section, and vice versa?

 

· Did you use 1inch margins on all sides?