In the Final Research Paper, you will examine your own culture from an etic (outsider’s) perspective and another culture from an emic (insider’s) perspective to demonstrate your understanding of cultural relativism and examine misconceptions and ethnocentric beliefs concerning each of these cultures. Keep the distinction between cultural relativism and moral relativism in mind as you write your final paper. Even if you do not personally agree with a cultural practice, demonstrate your understanding of the practice in its cultural context. Avoid opinionated or judgmental language in your paper.

Cultural relativism is the idea that the beliefs and practices of a culture should be understood within the context of that particular culture’s background, history, and current events surrounding it. We should not ethnocentrically impose our own beliefs and opinions, which are products of our own enculturation.

Cultural relativism is not the same as moral relativism, however. As Crapo (2013) notes

We need not, for instance, come to value infanticide in order to understand the roles it may play in peoples’ lives in a society where it is customary. What cultural relativism requires of us is simply that we do not confuse our own feelings about such a custom with understanding it. To do the latter, we must investigate the meanings the custom has for those who practice it and the functions it may fulfill in their society. (section 1.4, “Cultural Differences: Cultural Relativism,” para. 3)

Keep the distinction between cultural relativism and moral relativism in mind as you write your Final Research Paper. Even if you do not personally agree with a cultural practice, demonstrate your understanding of the practice in its cultural context. Avoid opinionated or judgmental language in your paper.

Your Final Research Paper will consist of two main parts, framed by an Introduction and a Conclusion. See the Final Paper Flow Chart for a quick overview of the assignment. See the following instructions for information on each part of the paper.

Introduction

Begin with an introductory paragraph that has a thesis statement at the end. The introduction should set up your topic, giving a preview and summary of the analysis you will present in the body of the paper. The thesis statement is the last sentence or two of the introduction and states what the main point structuring your paper will be.

Here is an Example of an Introduction.

Part I

Using the article by Miner (1956) and the feedback you received from your instructor on your worksheet in Week Three, describe one aspect of your own culture from an etic perspective. See the appropriate Sections in the Textbook in the List of Topics, based on your chosen topic from Week Three, for information on how to approach your paper from an anthropological perspective. You can describe American culture in general, as Miner does, or you can describe an American subculture, such as a specific geographical group (e.g., New Yorkers), a particular ethnicity (e.g., African Americans), or an age-related category of Americans (e.g., millennials).

Use reputable statistics and/or scholarly research to support any factual statements. Do not rely solely on personal experience or opinion.

Here is an Example of Part I.

Part II

Refer to the article you chose for Part II of the worksheet assignment in Week Three and describe an aspect of another culture from an emic (insider’s) perspective. You do not have to do research beyond reading your chosen article; however, if you do choose to conduct additional research make sure to use reputable statistics and/or scholarly sources to support any factual statements. Do not rely upon personal experience or opinion.

Here is an Example of Part II.

Conclusion

End with a concluding paragraph that reinforces your thesis. Summarize and tie together your main points for the reader. Provide a brief self-reflexive analysis of what you learned while writing this paper.

Here is an Example of Conclusion.

The Final Research Paper

• Must be five to six double-spaced pages in length (excluding title page and references page, meaning it will be seven to eight pages total), and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (see the APA Essay Checklist for Students).
• Must include a title page (see title page) with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
• Must have well-structured body paragraphs with clear transitions from one topic to the next. Incorporate in-text citations (see In-Text Citation Guide) from your scholarly sources to support your analysis throughout the paper.
• Must describe an aspect of your own culture from an etic perspective for Part I.
• Must describe an aspect of another culture from an emic perspective for Part II.
• Must demonstrate a perspective of cultural relativism throughout, avoiding judgmental and opinionated language.
• Must end with a conclusion that that reinforces the thesis and provides a self-reflexive analysis.
• Must use at least one scholarly resource in addition to the textbook, the Miner article, and the article chosen from the list in Part II of the Week Three assignment.
• Must document all sources in APA style in the body of the paper and on the references page as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a separate References Page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Here is an Example of a References Page.

The Point of View Essay

Major Paper #1–The Point of View Essay

Purpose:  This paper assignment has several purposes.  As the first major paper for this class, the Point of View Essay is designed to re-engage you with the fundamentals of all good writing, including using lush sensory details to show the reader a particular place (rather than tell them about it), basic organization, clear focus, etc.  However, this unit does not function as a mere review.  The Point of View Essay will also introduce you to the concept of “thinking and seeing rhetorically, and analyzing writing rhetorically”–using the Writer’s Toolbox described in this unit to improve your writing and critical reading skills.  Finally, the Point of View Essay  allows you to reflect on this process.

The Assignment:

1. Pleasant/Unpleasant Description of the Place:  Choose a place you can observe for an extended period of time (at least 20-30 minutes). Use all of your senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, even taste if possible) to experience the place, and record all of the sensations that you experience. As you record your data, you may wish to note which details naturally seem more positive, negative, or neutral, in terms of tone. (For instance, a stinky and overflowing trash barrel swarming with flies in a nearby alley might seem more inherently negative than a little white bunny rabbit hopping playfully across the lawn.)  Then, you will use this information to help your write descriptions of the place: one positive, one negative.  Both descriptions should be factually true (same real time and real place), but you will want one description to be positive in terms of tone and the other to be negative.  In addition to including the information and sensory details you’ve collected as the basis for these descriptions, you will also use the Writer’s Toolbox to create your two contrasting impressions for this assignment.  (The Writer’s Toolbox is explained in the Lecture Notes section of this unit.)  As you revise and refine your descriptions, please be sure you are “showing” your readers your place (really putting the readers “there” in the moment and in this scene), rather than simply “telling” them about it.  You will also want to try to eliminate unnecessary linking verbs as much as you can, incorporating verbs that show “action” whenever possible.

2. Rhetorical Analysis:  Looking back at your descriptions, analyze how you created these two very different impressions of the place (one positive, one negative) without changing any of the facts.  How did you make your place seem so positive in one paragraph and yet so negative in the other paragraph, without changing the facts?  Discuss how you incorporated each of the tools from the Writer’s Toolbox, and cite examples of this from each of your descriptions.  (This analysis should be at least 400-500 words in length.)

3. Reflection:  In one to two paragraphs, consider at least one of the following questions:   What have you learned about writing through this assignment?  How might you apply this knowledge?  Has this process of using the Writer’s Toolbox affected your vision of various information media–for instance, television and print news sources, magazines, etc.?  If so, how so?

The second portion of this assignment is the rhetorical analysis.  In the rhetorical analysis, you will explain how you used the five features to make the same exact place seem so very positive in one paragraph and yet so negative in the second paragraph.

The second portion of this assignment is a two step process. 

1.)  Review your two paragraphs noting each of the places you used any of the tools in the Writer’s Toolbox.  Try to find at least two examples of each of the tools from the Writer’s Toolbox employed in each descriptions (except for tell sentences and direct statements of meaning, which you should have limited to only one per paragraph).  If you can’t find two examples of the other features in each of your descriptions, you’ll probably want to revise your initial description, adding more of those features.

2.)  Write your rhetorical analysis, devoting at least one paragraph to each of the tools in the Writer’s Toolbox.  You will probably want to begin each paragraph of the rhetorical analysis with a general claim.   “I used a great deal of word choice in each of my two descriptions.”  Then you’ll want to follow that claim with examples.  “For instance, in my positive paragraph, I described the sun as “gleaming,” which implies that the light was pleasantly bright.  However, in my negative paragraph, I described the sun as “glaring,” implying that the light was too bright, and in fact painful to look at.”

Here’s a student example of the second portion of this assignment.  (This is the same student who focused on Pillsbury Crossing in his positive and negative descriptions.) 

The last portion of this assignment is simple.  Reflect on what you’ve done.  Why does any of this matter?  How do these tools relate to other writing you’ve done, other writing you’ve read, etc.?  How does (or how will) any of this apply to you?

Here’s a student example of the last portion of this assignment.  (Again, this is the same student who focused on Pillsbury Crossing in his positive and negative descriptions, and whose rhetorical analysis was included above.) 

What is the Writer’s Toolbox?

The Writer’s Toolbox simply refers to five rhetorical tools that writers can use to convey their meaning: direct statement of meaning, selection/omission of details, figurative language, show vs tell, and word choice. 

1.) A direct statement of meaning is a very direct statement that conveys your overall attitude about the place to the reader.  For instance:  “This is paradise.” “What a pit.”  “I wish I could stay here forever.”  “Why did I come to this dump to begin with?”  You will want to limit these to one sentence per paragraph, and you will probably want to use your overt statement of meaning either at the beginning or end of your paragraph, to emphasize your positive or negative impression.

2.)  Selection/omission of details is one of the tools used in the Royals example included in the introduction to this unit.  What we choose to leave out or put into a description of a place can have a profound impact on a reader’s impression of that place.  For instance, we might choose to leave a mildewed, overflowing dumpster out of our positive description, but include it in our negative description.  On the other hand, we might choose to put a playful, baby bunny into our positive description, but leave it out of our negative paragraph.

3.)  Show vs tell is the difference between describing in detail and summarizing.  When we show readers something, we allow them to really see, hear, feel, smell, even taste the things that we are describing.  We give them enough details to paint a sensory picture of the place.  When we tell readers something, we state it directly, summarizing the situation and leaving out details.  The following is a show sentence:  “Clouds pile upon clouds, the sky an ever-darker gray, vague rumbles of thunder building in the distance.”  If we wanted to tell readers the same thing, we might simply say “A storm is coming.”  In most of your written communication, and in this assignment in particular, you will want to do a great deal of showing and very little telling.  In your two descriptions, for instance, you will probably want to limit yourself to one tell sentence per paragraph.  (And, in fact, your one tell sentence may be the same as your overt statement of meaning sentence.)  Rather than simply telling us about your place, you will need to show us.

4.)  Word choice can be used to describe the exact same thing in two very different ways.  For instance, if you live in a small house, you might describe it as “cozy” implying that the place is comfortable and pleasant.  In contrast, you might describe it as “cramped” implying that the place is too small, and therefore uncomfortable and unpleasant.  Here’s another example:  On a sunny summer day, you might describe the sun as “gleaming” or you might describe it as “glaring.”  Both describe the same thing—the light emitting from the sun.  But “gleaming” seems much more positive than “glaring,” doesn’t it?  This tool will especially come in handy when you are describing details that seem neutral—not inherently positive or inherently negative.

5.)  Figurative language includes similes, metaphors, repetition of sounds, and personification.  Similes and metaphors can be used to make a comparison between two unlike things to emphasize some quality of one of those things. “Betty was as big as a house” is a simile, using like or as to make a comparison between Betty and a house and thus the enormity of Betty.  “Betty was a house” conveys the same idea, but this is a metaphor, as the sentence does not use like or as.  We all understand that Betty is not literally a house, but we also get an impression of how big she seems to the speaker.  Repetition of sounds can be used (in moderation) to emphasize a tone of either peace or discord.  Softer sounds like “s” and “b” tend to imply peacefulness.  Think of  “the soft song of a swallow” or a “babbling brook.”  Harder sounds like “c” and “r” tend to imply discord.  Think of “cars cluttering” a parking lot, or “raucous rebels raging” against society, spraying graffiti on those same cars. Personification can be used to give human qualities to something that is not human.  Think of a “proud, sturdy oak, stretching his arms to the sky.”  Trees aren’t proud, they don’t stretch, and they don’t have arms.  But personification can be used to emphasize their majesty.

Combine each set of sentences by subordinating minor ideas or by coordinating ideas of equal importance. The bracketed instructions explain which part of the sentence, if any, should be emphasized.

The American Dust Bowl destroyed crops, cattle, and human lives. The Dust Bowl lasted through the 1930s. [Emphasize the destruction caused by the Dust Bowl.]

Francis Bicknell Carpenter was Abraham Lincoln’s portrait artist. Carpenter wrote that Lincoln had “the saddest face” he had “ever attempted to paint.” [Emphasize what Carpenter said about Lincoln.]

Corn is found in about 25 percent of all supermarket products. Many Americans do not realize that corn dominates their diet. [Emphasize what Americans may not realize.]

Yo-Yo Ma started studying the cello at the age of four. Yo-Yo Ma began playing before audiences at the age of five. [Treat the information from both sentences with equal importance.]

The Greek scholar Eratosthenes determined that the earth was round and accurately calculated its diameter. Eratosthenes lived 1,700 years before Columbus. [Emphasize that Eratosthenes determined that the earth was round and calculated its diameter.]

Mateo was born in Virginia. Mateo now considers himself a native Floridian. [Emphasize that Mateo now considers himself a native Floridian.]

Clara Barton was always full of energy. Barton often described herself as “athletic.” [Treat the information from both sentences with equal importance.]

Confucius was a Chinese philosopher. Confucius lived about 2,500 years ago. [Emphasize when Confucius lived.]

Green tea and black tea look and taste different. They come from the same plant. [Emphasize that both teas come from the same plant.]

Assignment 2: LASA – Project Planning – Developing the Project Plan and Determining Critical Path

1.      

1.     Using the District4WarehouseMove WBS.xls provided, create a project plan for the District 4 Warehouse Move project. Use the PDF document, Project Plan Check – District4Move, to check your work to be sure you have created your starting project plan correctly. ProjectLibre is required for this task. If you have not yet downloaded ProjectLibre, please click here and follow the directions to do so now.

Note: you will need to insert a column to include your WBS codes, then you will need to sequence the tasks to show tasks by work package.

1.      

1.     Based upon the details in the WBS and the project case, determine which tasks need to be completed first and which tasks are dependent upon other tasks to be completed prior to starting. Using this information identify predecessors in your project plan’s predecessor column. Complete the predecessor column by entering the line number of tasks that must be completed in order for each task to start. This will create your project timeline.

1. Using ProjectLibre’s Network or flow diagram view, determine the critical path for this project. In a MS Word document, list the activities that are on the critical path. Considering the risks identified in the risk table below, identify which risks would be most likely to increase your project timeline. Justify your responses.
2. Submit both your completed project plan and your MS Word document.

District 4 Production Warehouse Move Project – Risk Table

Submit your plan to M3: Assignment 2 Dropbox .