Instruction
Students will write a manuscript of no more than 3 pages. Students will write their own cultural story as it pertains to their collective memory. Collective memory refers to the stories, traditions, languages, land base, etc. of extended or nuclear families of origin. The story of students may take any direction to recount, relive, or retell stories:
First Part (2 pages). The following questions are a guide. Students do not answer the questions directly; they use them only as a guide. The professor expects depth, integration, and creativity:
What event/situation/experience/role-model/memory first defined you as to who you are as part of a cultural/racial/gender/social/religious, etc. group? What memories first defined who you are today? What? When? Where? Who? How? Why? Who were the key players in your life who gave you your cultural identity? How did you know you were African American. What place did gender and the socio-political construct of race play in your cultural identity?
Second Part (1 page). This section of the manuscript is a reflection on what students wrote in the first section. It should explain the students’ feelings and thoughts and what they learned from writing their collective memory cultural story. In short, what did you learn about yourself that you had not previously considered, and how are you feeling?