Cultural Identity: Works Cited

This assignment has been created for College Composition II as one of several homework exercises practicing the skills of writing an MLA style Works Cited page. While working on this assignment, students will have an opportunity to explore their cultural self-identity in sounds and images.

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Exploring Cultural Identity in Sounds and Images:
A Works Cited Exercise

ASSIGNMENT
Research a variety of resources to create a representation of your own cultural self-identity and prepare an MLA style Works Cited page of all the sources used.

Focus on any aspects of culture, such as ethnic heritage, religion/belief system, values, traditions, dress, geographic places/space/climate, and attitudes, that have made you who you are today. Your goal is to determine your own "cultural make up" - the perspective from which you experience the world.

From what perspective do you experience the world? What is your cultural context?

Note: remember to distinguish between cultural and personal characteristics. As we have discussed, cultural characteristics refer to what a particular group has in common whereas personal characteristics refer to the ways in which each individual is different from other people.

A soundtrack of your life:
Select 3-5 songs to create a soundtrack of your life, as represented by songs that reflect significant aspects of your culture. You can consult any sound sources, such as CD’s, radio, movie sound tracks, or the Internet, and text-sources of song lyrics. Try to use a different kind of source for each song or musical piece.

Then write an MLA style citation for each source.

An art exhibit of your cultural self-identity:
Select 3-5 visual art works that to create an art exhibit of your cultural self-identity. Feel free to contact any sources that contain visual images, including books, magazines, Internet sources, album covers, advertisements, pamphlets, and posters. Try to use a different kind of source for each image.

Then write an MLA style citation for each source.

Works Cited:
Combine all the 6-10 citations to create a complete MLA style Works Cited page. Consult the documentation material in your textbook. For additional information, consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th ed., 2003). Bring a word-processed Works Cited page to class next time or submit it to the online course supplement.

Presentation:
Before next class period, share one or both of your creations – the soundtrack and/or the art exhibit – using the course online supplement or your own blog. The online course supplement will have more information on how to do this, and we will also review the instructions in class.

*) Image from Free Graphics