Cultural College Assignment
(150 points)
Remember in sociology, culture refers to the beliefs, values, behaviors, material objects, and
knowledge shared by a particular people. Culture can be divided into two categories: material
and nonmaterial. Material cultural objects include all physical items that represent culture.
Examples include: art, housing, clothing, jewelry, furniture, written materials, cars and other
forms of technology. Nonmaterial culture includes intangible creations such as beliefs, values,
behavior, and relationships. Nonmaterial culture is often represented by symbols.
Your assignment is to create a collage of at least 20 different cultural items that represent your
life. You will earn full points by having at least 20 different representations from a wide variety
of cultural elements. Include both material and nonmaterial cultural items. You must also
include at least 5 symbols to represent beliefs and values. Your collage should be neat,
organized, informative, and creative. You should also prepare a summary that addresses the
meaning of each cultural element and why it was included.
This collage may be made of paper or it could be a digital collage of images. Your collage could
also be a collection of drawings of cultural elements. If you use paper, the collage should be a
poster size which could be made by taping together pieces of standard paper (8.5 x 11 inches). If
you chose to create a digital collage, you could use several screens to represent your symbols. Or
you may use the PowerPoint program or Open Office Presentation software to create a digital
presentation. This is a flexible assignment, but what is important is that you represent the cultural
elements of your life in a creative and informative format; then explain the items and their
relevance.
In addition to the collage, you must present an explanation or summary of the collage details.
This may be a written summary submitted with the collage. Or if you prefer, you may explain the
collage details by a verbal explanation either in person or by digital video.
The collage should include representations of culture (group membership, civic or belief symbols
that impact your life, technology that impacts your life, products you use or need, famous people
you identify with, your family, your career goals, music/musicians that reflect your interests and
values, food that eat or that reflects your culture, your gender, your ethnicity or race, and art or
other media that influences you). Remember your name is also a cultural symbol. The list
provided is intended to start your thought process about items to include; it is not a list of all
cultural elements you could include. You may use words or symbols to represent nonmaterial
culture.
Scoring Rubric for the Collage and Summary
Overall effect is neat and organized, 15 points
Collage is creative and informative, 15 points
At least 20 different items representing culture, 2 points per symbol for a total of 40 points
Include at least 5 symbols, 10 points
Use a variety of representations from a wide range of areas, 20 points
Summary explains the cultural element, why it was included, and how it is representative of
culture, 50 points