[Essay Question]
Choose one topic and write a complete essay. Think of yourself as a communication studies scholar and analyze a specific communication situation. It should be a full five-paragraph essay, with an introduction that contains a clear thesis statement, followed by supporting details and a conclusion. [30 points]
Topic 1. Intercultural Communication
Food conveys more than flavor and nourishment. Food often teaches us about other cultures, and we can teach others about our culture through our food. However, learning about other culture through food can mean many different things. It can lead to deeper learning about other culture, but it can also be very superficial and sometimes, even exploitative.
1) Listen to the following podcast (http://www.racistsandwich.com/episodes/2016/3/21/e1-bertony-faustin) and read the article (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/why-everyone-should-stop-calling-immigrant-food-ethnic/2015/07/20/07927100-266f-11e5-b77f-eb13a215f593_story.html?utm_term=.74f733218a04).
Choose one of the following options to develop your essay:
2-1) Based on what you’ve read and listened to, think about your own intercultural communication experience that involved food. Did the food change your perception about a certain culture? How was it transformed and why?
2-2) In relation to what you’ve read and listened to, introduce a particular dish from your own culture and discuss how it is perceived and consumed in the United States. What social and cultural meaning does the cooking and consuming that food convey? Why is the social and cultural context in which the dish is produced and consumed important?
3) IMPORTANT: In your essay, discuss what our attitudes toward certain foods reveal about our assumptions about the culture they come from and how food can help us become competent intercultural communicators. Use specific examples, and make sure to cite the podcast, the article or a third source to strengthen your argument.
Topic 2. Communication Technology
https://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_soghoian_your_smartphone_is_a_civil_rights_issue
https://www.ted.com/talks/aleph_molinari_let_s_bridge_the_digital_divide
In our class discussion, we spoke about how development of communication technology always pushed the boundaries of citizenship so more and more people could participate in the political process. Do you think the Internet and smartphones have expanded the scope of inclusion and empowered people unprecedentedly? How did these technologies change your life? Watch the speakers talk about accessibility to the latest communication technologies. Then, in your essay, define digital divide and discuss how it may impact people’s lives and why it is crucial to address its existence.
Topic 3. Media Literacy
In our class discussion about media literacy, we spoke about the ways parents intervene in the children’s media consumption. In your essay, define media literacy using your own words and discuss why and how media literacy relates to the questions of identity formation and democratic citizenship.
State a clear position, and use concrete examples to support your claim.