FN228- Food and Culture Individual Country Project~ 70 Points

The instructor will randomly assign a cultural group to the student after the class drop period. Please check the due date for the project in the Syllabus.

Submitting this Project:

• Student shall submit this before the due date using Turn-it-in.com. Turn-it-in.com is an Internet-based plagiarism-detection service. Students with a similarity index of 50% or more will receive a 0. Students with a similarity index of 25-49% will get 50% credit.You are encouraged to finish the project early so you can see your similarity index, if it is noted BEFORE the due date and time, you should have time to make some adjustments in order not to lost any credit.

GOALS:

• To learn and communicate the history, common foods, how to prepare a cultural dish, major religions, health beliefs, and social challenges about a specific culture
• To explain how foods are used by the culture
• To find credible, timely and relevant source material
• To demonstrate your own thinking
• To write captivating, energetic sentences and link them in paragraphs that unfold in a dynamic way
• To learn how to use valid reference materials in a report
• To make your essay interesting to readers and share the information you have learned with the instructor and your cyber-classmates

REQUIREMENTS:

You will be writing a report on a specific country and culture. Below are the design/grammatical requirements

FORMAT

• The report should be at least 4-6 pages in length (not including works cited or title page), double-spaced, numbered, with one-inch margins and 12-point font saved as a Microsoft Word or PDF document and submitted on Turn it In (link available on Blackboard under Country Report tab). Reports going over suggested length will not be marked down (however try to keep it less than 8 pages).
• Follow APA or MLA format for in-text citation and a Works Cited page. An abstract is not necessary.
• Make clear and accurate use of source material, and cite all source material, whether the material is quoted, paraphrased or summarized.
• References MUST accompany statements of fact. This is an academic paper, and you are expected to use your own words to reflect on your research (see more details below and posts on Country Report). If you struggle with these please contact instructor.
• Follow sample essay format on page 4

Grading  andContent Guide

Each subheading should be 1-3 paragraphs depending on required information, detail and relevance to your thesis. The introduction and conclusion should be one paragraph each, as standard. Basic grammar, quality of academic writing and proper citation method is assessed.

Introduction (5 points)

• Begin with an attention grabber and end the paragraph with your thesis statement

History of the Culture (5 points)

• Describe general history of the country (political, geographical, cultural…etc.). This should be concise, relevant, and precise.

Uniqueness of the Culture (5 points)

• What makes this culture different?
• How are they different than their neighbors?
• Does geography, climate, and/or political conditions influence this culture?
• What did you find most unique about the culture?

Common Foods Used by the Culture (5 points)

• Discuss ingredients and Common Foods. Make sure to include staples from major food groups (grains, protein, fruits, vegetables…etc).
• Discuss national dishes, foods eaten during national holidays, celebrations, etc.
• TIP: Cookbooks from specific cultures are wonderful resources for this information.

Meal Patterns and Etiquette(5 points)

• Discuss general daily meal patterns. For example, how often and when do they typically eat? What are some common food items for breakfast, lunch, dinner…etc.? Is snacking common?
• Discuss the role of food and etiquette in your assigned country’s society. For example, table matters and importance of family.

Cultural Food Tasting Experience(10 points)

• Obtain an authentic recipe from your assigned country (or region) then prepare the recipe.The recipe should be somewhat of a challenge to make and part of a meal. No beverages or single ingredient recipes. Include recipe in your report (either within the report or as an appendix).Consider inserting a jpeg of recipe in order to keep similarity index low.
• Describe the cooking methods, taste, textures, colors and aroma of the food in at least two paragraphs (~100 words)
• Insert at least TWO pictures of YOURfinished food product into the report. One picture should be of you preparing the dish. The other picture should include a picture of the dish with an index card containing the following information: Class, Name, Date and Name of Dish. Pictures of other prepared recipes not made form you are unacceptable.
• Make sure to reference where you obtained the recipe (into the Works Cited pagefollowing proper reference format)

Major Religions of the Culture (5 points)

• Discuss basic religion demographics and statistics. Make mention of all religions practiced.
• Choose one of the religions and discuss how food is used as: symbols of the religions, how the food is used in ceremonies, and how is food used by the culture during religious events.

Health Beliefs (5 points)

• Discuss how yourassigned culture uses foods, herbs or supplements in healing.
• Discuss how the food or herb is used and give two examples and their uses.
• Must use at least one peer review reference for this section.

History and Cultural Challenges in the United States(5 points)

• Discuss current demographics and socioeconomic status of your assigned cultural group in the United States.
• Describe the potential or current cultural challenges and some of the problems your assigned culture might have/has in the US.

Conclusion(s) About the Culture (5 points)

·         Please write a concluding paragraph about the culture.  This should highlight and summarize the major conclusions in your paper.

Works Cited/References (5 points for listing valid references; 5 points for correct in-text citations) PLEASE review links on BlackBoard under Country Report that detail how to find references and references that are valid:

• Use a minimum of:
  1. (2) Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles (These must be from journals that are peer-reviewed and relevant to the culture)
  2. (2) Book references (One of these can be a cookbook)
  3. (1) Valid Internet source (If you are not sure as to the validity of the site, send me a message in Blackboard)
• If you don’t cite information under each section, you will receive a ‘0’ for the section without substantiation of your statement.
• Additionally, you may use interviews, lectures, more than the above references, & personal experiences in addition to the requirements above-but they must be properly referenced.
• Be consistent in your referencing of facts. Use MLA or APA format for your citations.

Spelling and Grammar: (5 points)

• Spelling, grammar, timeliness, proper use of references, completeness in the above relative contents and subject matter are grade considerations.