If. . .

One of the best ways to learn is experience; another is a changed perspective. Your first assignment isa personal essay, involving observing/remembering techniques from chapter 3, that describes your experience in changing your perspective.

This paper requires you to do some field work. Choose one of the following experiences (or something similar—see me if you have another idea). Whatever you choose should be something that forces you to experiencean unfamiliar perspective. This project should make you a bit uncomfortable.

Option 1: For a minimum of 24 hours, do without something that you use frequently every day. Whatever you choose should significantly affect the way you go about, or feel about, your life. Some suggestions: electronics, music, eyesight, hearing, speech, mobility, food. Do not choose something that will cause you harm (ie. don’t choose food if you have hypoglycemia) or put you in trouble with authorities (no public nudity, please). Whatever you choose should allow you to still fulfill all your daily obligations—don’t fail a class, get fired, or lose a significant other. You may need to make prior arrangements, or choose a day when you are not responsible for certain tasks (ie. If you give up electronics for a day, let your boss know he/she won’t be able to contact you that day; or don’t choose a day when you are on call). If you slip up, the 24 hours starts over.

Option 2: For one full day, live in someone else’s shoes. Find out what it is like to be part of a different culture, socioeconomic status, age, or even just a significantly different peer group. Choose a group or status that you find confusing or strange. This may involve wearing different clothes, eating different food, attending some sort of event, or associating with different people. Some suggestions: Spend the day with some Sudanese or Karen refugees, dressing and eating as they do, and watching how they interact with each other and with the larger culture. Or spend the day at a homeless shelter or crisis center—preferably as a client, but ask the director of the facility first! A nursing home, hospice center, or assisted living would be another option. Doing something that makes you part of the group for a day will be best, but volunteering for a day will be acceptable IF the job you choose allows constant interaction with the group you are serving/learning about. Do not choose a group with which you already have experience. Caveat—be safe and legal. Don’t join a gang for a day.

This paper should do the following things:

  1. Have a creative title.
  2. Have a thesis—it should communicate a message/point/insight.
  3. Clearly target a specific audience and purpose through your choice of structure, content, and vocabulary.
  4. Include lots of details that recreate the experience (think the WH-questions the 5 senses, and dialogue). The details you choose should create a dominant impression (translation—leave your readers with a specific sense, specific feelings, that you want them to have about your experience).
  5. Show, don’t tell. This paper should not preach or teach, but rather invite the reader to learn by sharing in your experience.
  6. Focus on the parts of your experience or the conversations that helped you gain your insights; the paper should not be a summary or report of everything that happened.
  7. Follow an identifiable structure—introduction, body, and conclusion, with a clear, logical progression in the body.
  8. Be approximately 1000 words.

Steps (check your syllabus for the due dates):

  1. Proposal: I must approve your project, so I need an informal report of your plan. Your proposal should include all these things:
  • What you plan to do. Give specifics.
  • When you plan to do it.
  • If you are going somewhere for your project, where?
  • Why you chose this particular project (what challenge will it pose to you, and what do you hope or expect to gain from it? What issue or group of people are you trying to understand better, and why is that important to you?)
  • Any other pertinent details (such as any needed prior arrangements).
  1. Rough draft, including your thesis, a clear structure, and details. You need at least 2 full pages at this stage. Bring four copies of your draft to class on the rough draft due date, on paper. Printing in class will not be allowed. If you do not walk into class with 2 full pages, already printed out, you will not be able to earn more than half credit for workshopping. You’ll have the opportunity to participate by giving your group feedback, but you won’t be able to receive feedback yourself. **Turn in your rough draft on turnitin.com by 11:59 p.m., and watch for feedback from me.
  1. Final draft: Turn in your final draft on turnitin.com. No hard copy required. The paper will not be considered turned in unless it is submitted to turnitin.com, even if you hand me a paper copy or e-mail me your paper.