Different Global Cultures

FINAL Research Project (200 total points)

For the Final Research Project you will pick TWO different global cultures to research separately
and also compare and contrast with each other. Create a PowerPoint Presentation of at least 12
slides per culture, plus 2-3 concluding slides comparing and contrasting the two.

The global cultures you pick should not be from the same socio-cultural systems (Tribal,
Imperial, Commercial—described in Chapters 2, 7, 8, and 9 of The Visible Self).

• Tribal societies would be lower in population and typically reside in villages of 500 or less. Their lifestyles are more nomadic and they rely on very primitive technologies, and probably also partake in different kinds of rituals–like manhood or womanhood types of inductions, for example. An example could be the Australian Aborigines.
• When comparing imperial and commercial societies, there are certainly some similarities that may make them difficult to distinguish but the main differences are the type of governments, population size, and economies. With imperial societies, you’d typically see a singular leading power like a king or queen, and royalty or ascribed status as a norm, they’re also usually made up of kingdoms or city-states and may believe in many Gods. So while England does have a queen, they would actually still be considered a commercial society based on their population, modern economy and that they don’t worship many Gods. Rome, especially ancient Rome, could be considered an imperial society.
• Commercial societies would maybe be thought of as a bit more modern in comparison. There’s typically a democratic type of government with some type of constitution andcapitalism or socialism is favored. The U.S. and Japan (and pretty much any developed country in the Western world) would be considered commercial systems. Commercial systems are typically densely populated areas that run on capitalist or socialist economies and partake in global markets.

*Note: When deciding on Global cultures, I often suggest you start by looking at your own
genealogy first, and research into that region. For example, perhaps you have Easter European heritage which you can narrow down to Romania. Your cultural research would then direct to
Romania and Romanian culture and dress. This gives you an opportunity to learn more about your own roots. Your second culture should then be of a different society type (commercial, imperial, tribal) and could be a culture that you don’t have a background in but would like to learn more about.

PowerPoint
The PowerPoint should include a total of 24-26 slides (at least 12 per culture) that compile all of
the information you gathered from research and that conclude with a compare and contrast. Your
slides should bullet-point all of the important points of your research and should include images
and citations with the images (may be included as URL links).

Slide layout per culture:

• Title Slide: Name of culture, your name, date, class
• Slide 1: Intro to culture and indicate which socio-cultural system it is a part of. Bullet point the reasons it fits into that system.
• Slide 2: Pick 1-2 image examples of dress. Using the terminology of the Classification
• System (Chpt. 1-The Visible Self), indicate which parts of the dress are considered what according to the Classification System.
• Slide 3-6: Cultural information:

1. Geography—What country is the culture located? Where is the country located?
2. What is the landscape like? Climate? What is the population, demographics, language(s)?
3. History—How long has the culture been established? When did they first inhabit the geographic location? Did they have any prominent wars? Are they an independent country, if so, when did they gain independence?…etc.
4. Government—What type of society and government do they have? Do they have a
5. democratic society with an elected President or a monarchy with a King or Queen? Etc…
6. Prominent Industries/Economies—What is the culture known for? Do they produce anything specific? What do they export? What are their technologies? Etc…

• Slide 7: Cultural Traditions: Include research on areas such as education, visual arts and architecture, literature, cinema and music, sports, museums, libraries. Also research cultural traditions like festivals or rituals, food and drink, holidays, etc.
• Slide 8-9: Relation to Dress: Norms and traditional dress, influence FROM or ON other cultures
• Slide 10: Relation to Readings: How does any of your research relate to the readings from throughout the semester?
• Slide 11-12: Bibliography slide—includes your sources formatted in APA. Consider using sources other than just online—use books, magazines, newspaper articles, videos, in-person interviews, etc. NO Wikipedia please.