Assignment: Research Paper
Week 8 Signature Assignment: Research Paper
Week 8 Signature Assignment: Research Paper
Content
1. Introduction with a thesis statement
2. Provide a brief history of your culture
3. Explain how your chosen culture is represented in the United States
4. Is your culture individualistic or collectivistic? Provide at least one example
5. What are some of the artistic (art, music, architecture, dance) contributions of your culture?
6. What are some values of your culture? Provide at least three examples
7. Discuss your culture’s religion(s)? Include name and basic belief system of at least one of the major faiths
8. What are some of the sex and gender role differences in your culture? Provide at least three examples
9. Discuss what we would need to know to acculturate into your culture (if a past one, what would we need to do for preparing for our time machine to fit in). Provide at least one concrete suggestion
10. Conclusion
Specific Paper Requirements:
Four page minimum: six page maximum (Times New Roman; One inch margins;
Font 12; Double-spaced) Quality of writing: must contain in-text citations in APA format Spelling & Grammar Correct APA format http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ Minimal Four credible sources (books, journal articles, magazine/newspaper articles, etc.) (4 points)
Native American cultures across the United States are notable for their wide variety and diversity of lifestyles, customs, art forms and beliefs. The culture of indigenous North America is usually defined by the concept of the Pre-Columbian culture area, namely a geographical region where shared cultural traits occur. The northwest culture area, for example shared common traits such as salmon fishing, woodworking, large villages or towns and a hierarchical social structure.[1]
Though cultural features, language, clothing, and customs vary enormously from one tribe to another, there are certain elements which are encountered frequently and shared by many tribes. Early European American scholars described the Native Americans as having a society dominated by clans.[2]
European colonization of the Americas had a major impact on Native American culture through what is known as the Columbian exchange. The Columbian exchange, also known as the Columbian interchange, was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World in the 15th and 16th centuries, following Christopher Columbus‘s 1492 voyage.[3] The Columbian exchange generally had a destructive impact on Native American culture through disease, and a ‘clash of cultures’,[4] whereby European values of private property, the family, and labor led to conflict, appropriation of traditional communal lands and slavery.[5]
The impact of the Columbian exchange was not entirely negative however. For example, the re-introduction of the horse to North America allowed the Plains Indian to revolutionize their way of life by making hunting, trading, and warfare far more effective, and to greatly improve their ability to transport possessions and move their settlements.[6]
In the early years, as these native peoples encountered European explorers and settlers and engaged in trade, they exchanged food, crafts, and furs for blankets, iron and steel implements, horses, trinkets, firearms, and alcoholic beverages. Today, while remaining faithful to their traditions, Native American cultures continue to evolve and adapt to changing circumstances.
