3 Culture Symbols Project

The goal of this project is to examine and understand the application and manifestation of acculturation as well as cultural construal of self

• The relevant topic readings: The Self  for this assignments:
  • The Self
  • Acculturation
• Select an object/item that has cultural significance for a specific immigrant group in Canada; e.g., Iranians, Chinese, Syrian. The object/item may be clothing, jewelry, home decoration, ritual-related, food, etc.
  • You may choose an item from your own culture or from a different culture
  • The item must have a cultural relevance for the group, not just for an individual or a family. So a family picture or family Bible or a ring from your grandmother, which have relevance only to the individual or to the family are NOT considered Cultural Symbols.
  • Examples of cultural Symbols: Japanese Sushi, First Nations’ Eagle feather.

The On-line Class Presentation: Show & Tell (5 minutes)

Option A: Use your microphone and camera: Hold the item in your hands so everyone can see and hear you.

Option B:  Take a video of yourself before class and  email it to the instructor at least FOUR  hours before the class time in the day so it can be loaded up for on-line session

Option C: Take a photo of yourself holding the item, create one powerpoint slide showing just the photo, and email it to the instructor. You will use your microphone to speak when the instructor loads up your photo slide during the on-line session.

Include the following in your “Show & Tell” presentation

• A general description
  What the symbol is about, which culture it symbolizes, the geographic region/nation/groups where it comes from, a very brief history of the origin
• Psychological implications
  Using psychological concepts and explanations from the assigned readings, explain how the public display of a cultural symbol define an individual’s sense of self, acculturation, and group identification.
  Focus on the psychological implications of the symbol for the individuals who “display” it.  For example, some people have the Symbol as part of their living room décor. What does it say about their acculturation status?  Some people will not be seen in public without their cultural symbol clearly displayed. What does it say about their sense of self?
  Essentially, you must discuss the following:
  • How important it is for a cultural group to “display” it and why?
  • What relevance does it have to a cultural group’s “Acculturation” process?
    For example, not all Sikh men wear a turban.
• Write a short 2-page report and submit it.

An A+ assignment

• is scholarly using psychological concepts, terms, and explanations
• is presented clearly and in a lively manner
• integrates and cites research studies
• avoids commonsensical Google-based information