Major Project #1 - Personal Narrative

So far in this course, we've established a working understanding of rhetoric, the rhetorical situation, and how our purpose in writing is affected by situational contexts, audiences, and goals. We've also looked at other ideas of genre within music, and using the artifact of food to understand different rhetorical spaces, along with examining ideas of the nation as a site of cultural creation. In this assignment, you'll be asked to apply this knowledge and your own experiences so far towards a personal narrative. 

A personal narrative is a type of writing that involves introspection from the writer, usually sequenced chronologically through the writers' life. As such, this assignment will focus on your own personal experiences with culture and cultural artifacts. It should be a self-reflection of how your definition and understanding of culture has (or hasn't!) changed over these first few weeks, and should include some mention of cultural artifacts you're drawn to most, whether that be food, music, clothing, or a family/cultural tradition you experienced growing up. Additionally, feel free to bring in your own cultural experiences if inclined; different perceptions of connection and consciousness are core to how we navigate culture. 

Specifically, I'm looking for a few things:

1) Distinct moment(s) in your life when you began to understand the concept of culture, and how that understanding has shifted and evolved

2) Experiences in life with cultural artifacts (food, music, film, tradition, beliefs) that shaped how you began to understand the world around you and how those experiences shape your connections with friends, family, and social networks

3) Your experiences with different cultures apart from you own, whether that be trying different foods, listening to different music, or even making connections in different social environments (like trying a new hobby, for example, and being exposed to the culture of that specific hobby). 

4) Ultimately, aim to answer the questions of: what is my cultural identity, and how have my life experiences shaped my understanding and creation of my personal cultural consciousness? 

The goal is focused around Outcome 1: To compose strategically for a variety of audiences and contexts, specifically focused on:

• recognizing how different elements of a rhetorical situation matter for the task at hand
• coordinating and experimenting with various aspects of composing-such as genre, content, and conventions-for rhetorical effects tailored to a given audience

Think of the Ugly Delicious documentary about pizza, and how the pizzeria owners were asked about their previous experiences in life and how that shaped what they do and where they are today, for example. Or, refer back to the Mei reading about learning to cook for one; that piece is a good example of a personal narrative in how it ties together her experience with food but more importantly, how her relationship with food and cooking has changed through her life.

While I understand a personal narrative isn't quite a "traditional" college-type essay you might expect, I often find that reflections of this nature help in understanding your own cultural habits and, coupled with an understanding of different rhetorical situations and writing techniques, can help future writing practices. 

Format

• 4-6 pages
• 12pt. Times New Roman
• MLA format
• Submitted as a PDF or Word Doc