Cultural Experience Field Report #2
Note: This assignment has been adapted to adhere to the current guidance from the CDC for social distancing because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For this assignment, you will choose a virtual cultural venue from the instructions below to visit online and write a short 500-800 word report about your visit.
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to introduce you to the process of engaging with the cultural venues and communities. This will inform you personally of the Humanities and groups that support it.
Skills
This assignment will help you practice the following skills that will be useful to you in your professional and personal life beyond school.
Identify cultural venues and inform you with deeper knowledge about the cultural form chosen.
Organize reflections about engaging with a cultural experience and community
Use concepts and skills learned in class to describe and interpret cultural experiences and communities
Use appropriate and proper grammar, organization, and academic-style formatting in order to communicate
Knowledge
This assignment will help you become familiar with the following important content knowledge in the Humanities.
Available virtual cultural venues and communities
Methods of interpretation within the Humanities
Instructions
For your report, choose one virtual venue from this pre-approved list that most interests you, or contact your professor for approval of your own online choice. If your choice below has both a website and a video, make sure you examine both. If you need special accommodations to complete this assignment, please inform your instructor and contact the Accessibility Accommodations office for guidance.
Please watch the entire performance or thoroughly explore the venue you choose.
THEATER PLAY
Shakespeare
First Encounter: King Lear (adapted for children)
The Tragedy of Richard II
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Importance of being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
NEW MA by Dora Dee Hunter
Watch a full performance of one of the plays on this list of full length plays available on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4UvHdqgzgxyW8nqcnS5NU1FhIkL3NRyC
Watch a full performance of a Broadway musical that is available for streaming on various paid services. A list is available here: https://www.playbill.com/article/15-broadway-plays-and-musicals-you-can-watch-on-stage-from-home
POETRY OR BOOK READING, AUTHOR EVENT, OR SPOKEN WORD PERFORMANCE
Author interviews
Toni Morrison on “The Bluest Eye” and “Paradise”
Inside the Imagination with China Miéville
William Gibson: Technology, Science Fiction & the Apolcalypse
A conversation with Ursula K. Le Guin
George R.R. Martin On Strombo: Extended Interview
Salman Rushdie on Storytelling
Alice Walker
Poetry Readings
Joy Harjo
Leslie Marmon Silko
Rita Dove
Naomi Shihab Nye
Arthur Sze
Heather McHugh
Juan Felipe Herrera
An Evening with Robert Pinsky
Poetry Festivals, Slams and Spoken Word
The BreakBeat Poets
The Last Word Festival- Poetry Slam Final 2018
The Last Word Festival –Poetry Slam Final 2017
Louder than a Bomb (Millennial Stage)
Henry Rollins “Up for It” spoken word performance (includes some obscenities)
Kate Tempest spoken word performance on KEXP
FILM COMMENTARY BY A DIRECTOR OR CINEMA EXPERT
Watch an entire DVD/Blue Ray film with the “audio commentary” special feature as long as the commentary is by or includes the director or a film historian/expert, not just the actors/actresses or commercial film critics.
Examples of a few films on DVD/Blue Ray with director’s commentary:
Get Out, commentary by Jordan Peele
Lord of the Rings films, commentary by Peter Jackson
Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, GoodFellas, commentary by Martin Scorsese
Pan’s Labyrinth, commentary by Guillermo Del Toro
Das Boot, commentary by Stephen Spielberg
National Treasure: Book of Secrets, commentary by Jon Turteltaub
A list of older films with DVD/Audio commentary is available here, just make sure you are listening to directors and film experts: http://www.ratethatcommentary.com/top100.php
Listen to a director’s commentary on a film on this podcast: Watching With…..by NetFlix: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1464225558
RELIGIOUS SERVICE, CEREMONY OR RITUAL
Your choice should be different from one’s own religion, if practiced. Please view all videos under the ritual, service, or ceremony you choose.
JUDAISM
Passover Seder Meal
The Passover Seder: What to Expect
Model Passover Seder
Yom Kippur
What is Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur Neilah (Concluding) Service
Yom Kippur Ritual: Kaparot in Israel
CHRISTIANITY
Baptism rituals
Catholic Baptism
Evangelical Full Immersion Baptism
Baptists in India
Baptist Ceremony
https://youtu.be/e5Pqfz0Xew0
Rituals of the Eucharist
Catholic Sacrament of the Eucharist 101
Orthodox Communion
Baptist Communion Service
Evangelical Communion Service
ISLAM
Ramadan
The Adhan: Call to Prayer during Ramadan
What is Ramadan?
Welcoming Ramadan: Shaykh Abdul Moez Nafti
Hajj
Hajj: BBC News
Hajj: real footage from Mecca to Medina
Bosnian Hajj Pilgrims (transcriipt/translation of speakers in video notes)
HINDUISM
Upanayana Ceremony
Upanayana Adhar: A Rite of Passage
Upanayana: Thread Ceremony example 1
Upanayanam ceremony example 2
Puja
Why is Puja necessary to maintain Hinduism?
Daily Puja ritual example
Puja Temple Service
BUDDHISM
Heart Sutra Ritual
Heart Sutra Chanting
How to Chant the Heart Sutra Mantra: Robert A.F. Thurman
Heart Sutra Translation
Ordination Rite
Ordination and Closing Ceremony
Becoming a Buddhist Monk
Ordination Procedure in the Theraveda Tradition
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/ordination1.htm
Restrictions: The experience should be viewed during the current semester. If this is impossible, contact the instructor to arrange for alternatives. You may not report on a cultural experience viewed prior to this class.
Write a report after you have explored or viewed the online resource.
Your report should include the following information. Include photos or links that help convey the information. As always, be sure to document all sources you consult in preparing your work. This includes any learning resources from the class, or information from the websites that informed you about the particular item you explored.
Name and location of event or name and director of the film, writer’s name etc. If there is on-line information about what you viewed, be sure to include a link to it within the text of your essay in an appropriate place.
Type of event. For example is it a film, ritual, service, ceremony, poetry reading, festival, author interview etc. Make sure to include the name of the authors, directors, producers, speakers, author of your favorite poem (if poetry festival or event).
Briefly describe the general setting by talking a bit about the location (you can research the location online) and the general overall “vibe” of the place or places viewed.
Describe at least one aspect of what you viewed that you found especially interesting. For example, you might write about the different ways the same ritual is conducted by different groups, a poem you really liked from the reading or poetry festival, something an author or direct said that really struck you. Explain what impressed or affected you, and why. Your reaction can be positive or negative, as long as you offer an explanation.
Identify and use at least two tools, concepts or methods that you have learned about in this class in the Learning Resources to talk about your viewing. For example, if you view a director’s commentary, you might point out what the director says about lighting or the set, or if you view to a ritual, talk about the myth the ritual is based on, or if you watch a spoken word or poetry reading, you can talk about specific literary language or imagery. Make sure you are explicit in identifying the tools/concept/methods you are using and the specific learning resources they come from. Be sure to inform the reader about the tool/concept/method through a quote or paraphrase from the learning resource. Then, make sure to tell the reader how you interpret and/or analyze some elements of what you experience with the tools.
Be sure to cite the learning resources you have used in MLA format. Please see http://sites.umgc.edu/library/libhow/mla_examples.cfm
Reflect on the relevance–if any–of your viewing to your everyday life. How did the experience engage your feelings or emotions, if at all? What does this tell you about human culture, and/or about yourself?
STOP: Before you hand in your assignment, ask yourself the following questions:
Have I clearly provided identifying information about what I viewed in terms of who was involved and where it took place and provided the URL, if applicable? Have I done what I could to describe the setting and/or vibe?
Have I identified and explained an especially interesting aspect of the experience and used examples to illustrate reflections and to explain why this aspect was interesting?
Have I identified and applied two tools, concepts or methods of interpretation from learning resources to concrete and specific examples from visit?
Have I used examples to clearly explain the relevance of my visit to at least one of the following: 1) emotion 2) human culture 3) self-identity 4) cultural identity?
Have I used Learning Resources from the class and provided a list of resources, and do all of my citations conform to MLA 8th edition guidelines?
Have I proofread this assignment for grammatical, structural, and spelling errors that might impede someone from understanding what I am trying to say?
