Midterm Intercultural Projects HUN/SSN 180

For your midterm project you may choose either item (1) or (2):

1.       Select a novel, novel excerpt, or short story by an author from a culture other than your own. Preferably, the action of the novel or short story should be set in that culture as well. Study the communication that occurs between the characters in the novel and identify the effects of cultural patterns, perception, verbal codes, nonverbal codes, social episodes, and roles on interpersonal communication. In other words, you are to come up with a short description of the communication that occurs within the culture, but from the vantage point of your own cultural point of view. Some questions you might want to ask yourself are:

• What does the writer indicate about the cultural patterns of this culture?
• How do the cultural patterns affect interpersonal communication?
• What clues and descriptions are presented in the stories that describe appropriate nonverbal communication in the culture?
• Do the characters use any special verbal codes?
• Are there any distinct social episodes that seem to be governed by specific cultural rules?
• What differences do you notice between the interpersonal communication portrayed in this piece of fiction and what you might find in a similar setting in your culture?

Be sure to select a work with a fair amount of interaction between the characters. Some sample authors: Nagib Mahfouz, Alice Walker, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Margaret Atwood, Reinaldo Arenas, Mario Varga Llosa, Nadine Gordimer, Milovan Djilas, Terry McMillan, Linda Hogan, Amy Tan, Maya Angelou.

2. Same as above, but select a feature‑length film about a culture other than your own, preferably set in the United States. The requirements focus and questions are the same as for the novel, short story. Some film suggestions: Mississippi Masala, Come See the Paradise, El Norte, China Girt, The Wedding Banquet, Nueba Yol, Witness, Green Card, My Family, Someone Else's America, I like It Like That.

In either case, please present your findings in the form of a paper, typewritten, double spaced, 5‑7 pages, and your own work. You will be asked to discuss your work in front of the class using examples of the novel or film chosen. Good luck.