Group Project: (25%)

The project is designed to investigate cultures that we, as a class, believe should be better understood. You will
be assigned to groups of 4-5 people based on which culture(s) you prefer to study. Each group will read
information about its culture of interest, interview members of that culture, if possible, and observe cultural
displays in order to determine the ways in which the culture affects its members’ communication. Each group
will give a 45-minute presentation that includes a presentation of cultural components and conclusions that the
group has drawn regarding how the make-up of that culture influences its communication. Group members
could then answer class questions. Your group presentation will be evaluated based on the quality of the
information you present to the class as well as the quality of the presentation itself. Further details will be
discussed in class.

Group Project Assignment

 Eight groups on eight days 45 minute presentation, then questions from class and instructor (if
needed).

 The presentation should DEMONSTRATE (this means “show” - NOT “describe”) the selected
culture’s communicative behavior, while exemplifying as many of the subject culture’s norms,
values, and beliefs as possible.

o Course relevance must be explicitly referenced; this project is a demonstration of

the presenting group’s knowledge, not the audience's.

 There are certain elements of the subject culture that should not be overlooked.
At a minimum these are:
o Vital Statistics
 Population, Ethnicities, Per Capita Income, Geography, Location, Climate,
Scenery, Cost of Living, etc.
o Dominant Cultural Patterns (how do these values show up in your culture’s day to
day life?)
o Deep Structure Institutions
 History
1. Including important current issues
 Family
 Religion
 State
1. (Government, Education, Social Organizations, etc.)
2. Media (examples of Newspapers, TV, Movies, Music)
o Hofstede’s Patterns (how are these orientations apparent in your culture’s day to
day life?)
o Verbal Behavior (we need to hear this culture’s use of language and see its writing
if not a Roman alphabet)
o Nonverbal Behavior/Norms (we need to see how the members of your culture use
this)
 Judgments of beauty, fashion/s, etc.
o Lifestyle
 Workday Hours, Leisure Activities/Time Orientation, Meals/Food, Arts,
Architecture, etc.

 All group members must participate in the presentation, and all will receive the same group
grade as their Cultural Project grade (25% of your total course grade).
However, non-participatory/supportive members can be “fired” by the group. Such former
members will need to complete an alternative project/assignment.
  The theme of your presentation is limited only by your own imagination and the resources
available to us in our classroom.

 Effective past themes have included:

 Guided bus and river tours
 TV “Magazine” and News Shows from the subject culture
 Live and video “Soap Operas” from the subject culture
 Corporate and University orientations for sojourners about to leave for the
subject culture

 In essence, groups are expected to SHOW us what their subject culture looks and sounds like;
while interpreting the behavior we see in terms of course content, patterns and taxonomies.
The expectation is that you are somehow taking us to that culture, not just telling us about it.

 A TOPIC OUTLINE is a smart first step in identifying the necessary areas to be covered and
assigned to group members.

In essence, the only thing 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. You
need to tell us what your slides don’t say.

*An excellent first step is to WATCH A MOVIE from the subject culture, TOGETHER AS A
GROUP…