Final Assignment

Here is the general outline for the assignment. To get the files mentioned, email me. Choose one of the following:

PAPER:
This is a research paper that uses at least three different academic sources to better understand how Canadian youth interact with culture. This could take the general form of Lynch’s case study chapters or something entirely different. The possibilities of combining descriptive, evaluative and normative sources are near endless. Pick some aspect of youth culture that captivates you and explore it in a disciplined, persuasive manner.

CURRICULUM:
Using the template given (Curriculum Template.wpd) design a 2 or 3 session curriculum aimed at youth or aimed at adults who must understand youth e.g. parents. You may address culture in two ways. First, you may directly address youth culture. A seminar for parents that explains how they might evaluate the music their kids listen to fits into this category. Second, you may use popular culture to teach about something else. Using the Lord of the Rings as a theme to talk about friendship, vocation and evil would be an example of this category. Since this is not a course focused on the pragmatic, the majority of your marks are for understanding the evaluative and normative assumptions you make about culture.

CREATIVE PROJECT:
Create some sort of cultural artifact that Canadian youth would reasonably be expected to use. The sky is the limit although you must have approval of the instructor. Expect to spend between 15 and 30 hours creating your object and writing your proposal. Use the Youth Specialties book proposal template supplied (YS proposal guidelines.wpd) to think about your new cultural artifact. Do not worry about completing Section I (biography) or areas that clearly have no relevance to your project such as its value as an academic source. Use the template as a guide to figure out how your object fits in the overall scheme of things.