Minority Culture Essay

A. Write a statement of purpose for your research project on minority cultures living in Arizona. • A statement of purpose is a sentence that defines what you want to learn about in your research project and acts as a guide for your research. Note: Your statement of purpose will go into the introduction of your paper. (See D1 below) B. Locate and gather sources of information from the library, the Internet, interlibrary loan, or from organizations that directly represent the cultures you wish to study. 1. Secondary sources: Locate at least two non-Internet sources on each culture (four sources total). Seek various types of sources (e.g., textbook, library monograph, brochure, etc.). Do not include encyclopedias as part of the four required sources. 2. Primary sources: Locate at least three sources for each culture (six sources total). Seek various types of materials (e.g., pictures, documents from authoritative bodies, poetry from members of that culture, etc.). a. Include at least one primary source for either culture from the Internet. b. Include at least one primary source for either culture from an official government or public policy source (e.g., U.S. Supreme Court or U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division), which are available on the Internet at sites indicated by *.gov rather than *.com or *.edu. Note: Make sure that you identify your sources as either primary or secondary. C. Create a concept map or an outline for each culture (two maps or outlines total) and upload them with your research paper. Each concept map or outline should represent at least three common themes, concepts, and ideas (e.g., beliefs, foods, arts and entertainment, educational aspirations, political tendencies, traditions, family life, holidays, languages spoken). • You can find explanations of concept mapping and outlining on the Internet by entering "concept map" into a search engine. • If you create the concept maps by hand, scan a copy of each map and save the images as JPEG files. If you use software, such as Inspiration, save the file in either Rich Text Format (*.rtf) or in JPEG format (*.jpg). D. Write an introduction (suggested length of 1-2 paragraphs). 1. Place your statement of purpose at the beginning of your introduction. 2. Identify the cultures you researched. 3. Briefly describe the common themes, concepts, and ideas of each culture you will address. E. Write a results section to describe each culture (suggested length of 1-2 pages per culture). 1. Present the information you found on each culture. 2. Cite any information you include using APA in-text citations. F. Write a discussion and conclusions section (suggested length of 1-2 pages). 1. Discuss how the two cultures are similar (at least two similarities). 2. Discuss how the two cultures are different (at least three differences). 3. Explain at least three ways the information from this project could be applied in a classroom. G. Create a reference list in APA format. H. Clearly describe the materials and methods you employed (suggested length of 1-2 paragraphs). 1. Briefly describe the methods you used to find your resources. 2. Explain which sources were most important and why. 3. Describe how you reviewed and synthesized the information you found in the sources. 4. Describe why the report is important to you personally and as a teaching professional. Explore your feelings and make connections between the information you learned and your future as a teacher.