Field Trip Reflection Paper

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HUM370 Cultural Pluralism John Zurovchak, PhD, Instructor (designed by J. Walter and Dr. Patrick Durkee, PhD)

Virtual Field Trip INSTRUCTIONS DETAILS/PROCESS

The Signature Assignment for our course involves taking a class “field trip”. You will visit one of the websites listed below in the possible locations. You have two choices for your field trip:

1. You can take a VIRTUAL field trip online 2. You can visit one of the museums listed below IN PERSON if you live nearby and choose to do so.

Treat the virtual field trip just like you would take a trip to the museum in person. Wander through the website by clicking on the different tabs and reading the material, looking at photos and even viewing videos if they have them. You should be able to simply “wander” through the website by clicking on the available links and visiting the different pages. Then, you should record your reaction to the field trip with a series of written responses to the topics and questions listed below. Working individually (and occasionally in groups), you will need to focus on the ways in which you can develop critical perspectives that address these topics based upon your own unique experiences of the online exhibit, using various concepts and ideas that you have learned throughout the term related to diversity and cultural pluralism. Please note that the topics and questions include suggestions on how to develop critical perspectives aligned with assignment/assessment rubric. Your work will be evaluated and assessed (graded) according to the five criteria of the rubric. You can contact me to discuss writing tactics and strategies that will allow you to attain the highest levels of achievement notated on the rubric.

POSSIBLE LOCATIONS

THE UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM: CENTER FOR THE PREVENTION OF GENOCIDE at http://www.ushmm.org/genocide/ The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center –http://apa.si.edu/

The Smithsonian Latino Center –http://latino.si.edu/

POINT VALUES AND DUE DATES

There are 260 term points available for this assignment (20% your grade in the course).

Due (via eCollege Drop Box) NO LATER THAN SUNDAY WEEK by 12:00 MIDNIGHT PST.

Late submissions receive an immediate 25% reduction in points. SUBMISSION PROCESS and REQUIREMENTS

1. Submit electronically, via eCollege DROP BOX

2. ALL submissions MUST be word-processed in either Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), Open Office (.odt), or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats – NO OTHER FORMATS ACCEPTED!

3. Answer the questions completely, in paragraph format, following APA style guidelines. Be sure to craft a single paper with a beginning, middle and an end. Most submissions that follow the guidelines and instructions below will be app. 2,000 words in length.

4. DOUBLE spaced, 12 point common font (Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia, Verdana, Tahoma)

http://www.ushmm.org/genocide/

http://apa.si.edu/

http://latino.si.edu/

5. You MUST include a BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCE LIST, appropriately citing the source of your information (the specific online location of the site/museum/exhibit visited), as well as any additional sources you may choose to use. It is NOT necessary to provide formal in-text citations for this assignment. Reference page citations MUST follow APA style guidelines (6th edition).

6. Create a separate heading in your essay for each of the five required topics/questions (below).

ASSESSMENT As the “Signature Assignment” of our course, your work will be evaluated and graded using the “WCU Rubric [for] Critical Thinking and Cultural Diversity,” which has been developed for all students at all campuses of the University (California and Dallas). You may download and review it from the Doc Sharing area of eCollege. To successfully meet these requirements, your responses must:

o Identify and explain the central issues raised by the site/exhibit/museum.

o Formulate a distinct, individual point of view (personal reflection) that engages critically with

various perspectives offered by the site/exhibit/museum.

o Evaluate the evidence that the site/exhibit/museum offers for its point of view.

o Consider how the site/exhibit/museum uses cultural, political, and(or) historical contexts to

present its issues and purposes.

o Exhibit your knowledge of how the site/exhibit/museum presents and uses cultural worldview

frameworks, and also how you use your own knowledge of those frameworks to engage the site/exhibit/museum. Please note that each answer or topic does not have to address every one of these modes of critical analysis. Employ them in ways that make sense for each topic, but keep in mind that overall, your response should exhibit all of these characteristics.

TOPICS/QUESTIONS

Construct thoughtful, specific, and detailed responses to the following topics and questions, integrating critical perspectives about cultural pluralism drawn from your work in this course.

Remember, your response to each of the topics/questions should be approximately two paragraphs in length, where each paragraph is approximately 4-5 sentences in length. This may vary. Some topics may be best addressed with more content. Also, in general, one of the most important keys to success (and a good grade) is the inclusion of details and specific examples from your site/museum/exhibit. Applying details – using specific examples in your responses – is one of the key elements of obvious success in critical thinking demonstrations.

You may choose to incorporate other reference material in your responses. This might entail referencing an informational or news-related website or digital source, a monograph or periodical source, or other academic, scholarly and research-oriented materials. The use of supplemental resources is not a requirement of the assignment, but may be an integral element for demonstrating your critical thinking skills related to the elements of the assessment rubric.

Please note that following each topic/question below there are suggestions of rubric elements to which you can align your response. These are only suggestions for how you might focus your response to align with the criteria of the rubric. You should feel free to integrate the modes of critical analysis outlined by the rubric in whatever ways make most sense to you. STUDY THE RUBRIC in order to understand how to receive the highest possible score through your response.

TOPIC 1 - OVERVIEW. How would you describe what you saw at the museum? Give a general description of the experience, providing examples from the site/exhibit/museum that you feel best describe the nature of the experience you had during your visit.

Rubric Alignment Opportunities Identify and explain the central issues raised by the site/exhibit/museum.

Formulate a distinct, individual point of view (personal reflection) that engages critically with various perspectives offered by the site/exhibit/museum.

Evaluate the evidence the site/exhibit/museum offers for its point of view. As you explore and interpret the ideas presented by the exhibition, examine specifically how the site/exhibit/museum supports or illustrates its own perspectives. TOPIC 2 - CULTURAL DIVERSITY. What did this place tell you about cultural diversity? Consider all of the aspects of the exhibition and relate them to the context of the issues we have discussed and studied in our course. In other words, how does the focus and purpose of the site/exhibit “fit” within the various subjects and issues we’ve considered in our course?

Rubric Alignment Opportunities Consider how the site/exhibit/museum uses cultural, political, and historical contexts to present its issues and purposes. Think carefully about the site’s perspective on how such factors shape the problems, issues, opportunities, and current activities presented through the site/museum/exhibit.

Exhibit knowledge of cultural worldview frameworks. Think carefully about how the site/exhibit/museum explores this topic. How does the site connect to cultural perspectives? How do you use your knowledge of cultural frameworks (acquired through our course) to engage the site? TOPIC 3 - NEW IDEAS. What did you learn that you did not know before visiting? Give specific examples of historical events, contemporary situations, cultural practices, or community issues that form new knowledge for you. Make sure to be detailed in your answer, and cite specific “locations” from the site/exhibit/museum whenever possible.

Rubric Alignment Opportunities Formulate a distinct, individual point of view (personal reflection) that engages critically with various perspectives offered by the site/exhibit/museum.

TOPIC 4 - PERSPECTIVE. Did the visit change your feelings and perception in any way? Focus your answer to this topic/question on the concept of Perspectives as we have defined that term in our course, and whether or not you feel this excursion provides for an experience of true Tolerance. Did your excursion on this virtual field trip serve as an opportunity to develop a truly Tolerant perspective that you might apply in the future to different, diverse and/or pluralistic cultures? Do you feel that you are engaging a truly Tolerant connection to other people of the world through this experience, or do you remain more or less Ethnocentric or Relativistic in your Perspective? Be both candid and detail-oriented in your response.

Rubric Alignment Opportunities Formulate a distinct, individual point of view (personal reflection) that engages critically with various perspectives offered by the site/exhibit/museum.

Consider how the site/exhibit/museum uses cultural, political, and historical contexts to present its issues and purposes. Think carefully about the site’s perspective on how such factors shape the problems, issues, opportunities, and current activities presented through the site/museum/exhibit. TOPIC 5 - EVALUATION. Would you recommend this place to other students? Explain why. Reflect on the value of this site/exhibit/museum. If you were to introduce this site to a friend or another student, what issues would you recommend that he or she should think about while viewing the site/exhibit/museum? What parts of the site would you particularly recommend for careful consideration? Provide detailed examples and reasoning to support your evaluation.

Rubric Alignment Opportunities Identify and explain the central issues raises by the site/exhibit/museum.

Formulate a distinct, individual point of view (personal reflection) that engages critically with various perspectives offered by the site/exhibit/museum.

RECAP

sponses.

addressed in approximately two (complete) paragraphs each: TOPIC 1 - OVERVIEW. How would you describe what you saw at the museum?

TOPIC 2 - CULTURAL DIVERSITY. What did this place tell you about cultural diversity?

TOPIC 3 - NEW IDEAS. What did you learn that you did not know before visiting?

TOPIC 4 - PERSPECTIVE. Did the visit change your feelings and perception in any way?

TOPIC 5 - EVALUATION. Would you recommend this place to other students? Explain why. -process your response in one of the required formats, following general APA style (6th ed.)

te and any supplemental resources you use for your response.