Posted: August 3rd, 2015

view the virtual museum and write an essay about experience.

view the virtual museum and  write an essay about experience.

TOPIC 1: OVERVIEW. How would you describe what you saw at the museum? Give a general description of the experience, providing examples from the site/exhibit/museum that you feel best describe the nature of the experience you had during your visit.

TOPIC 2: CULTURAL DIVERSITY. What did this place tell you about cultural diversity? Consider all of the aspects of the exhibition and relate them to the context of the issues we have discussed and studied in our course. In other words, how does the focus and purpose of the site/exhibit fit within the various subjects and issues weve considered in our course?

TOPIC 3: NEW IDEAS. What did you learn that you did not know before visiting? Give specific examples of historical events, contemporary situations, cultural practices, or community issues that form new knowledge for you. Make sure to be detailed in your answer, and cite specific locations from the site/exhibit/museum whenever possible.

TOPIC 4: PERSPECTIVE. Did the visit change your feelings and perception in any way? Focus your answer to this topic/question on the concept of Perspectives as we have defined that term in our course, and whether or not you feel this excursion provides for an experience of true Tolerance. Did your excursion on this virtual field trip serve as an opportunity to develop a truly Tolerant perspective that you might apply in the future to different, diverse and/or pluralistic cultures? Do you feel that you are engaging a truly Tolerant connection to other people of the world through this experience, or do you remain more or less Ethnocentric or Relativistic in your Perspective? Be both candid and detail-oriented in your response.

TOPIC 5: EVALUATION. Would you recommend this place to other students? Explain why. Reflect on the value of this site/exhibit/museum. If you were to introduce this site to a friend or another student, what issues would you recommend that he or she should think about while viewing the site/exhibit/museum? What parts of the site would you particularly recommend for careful consideration? Provide detailed examples and reasoning to support your evaluation.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Assignment Overview:
The Signature Assignment for our course involves taking a class field trip. You will visit one of the websites listed below in the possible locations.

You have two choices for your field trip:
1. You can take a VIRTUAL field trip online
2. You can visit one of the museums listed below IN PERSON if you live nearby and choose to do so.

Treat the virtual field trip just like you would take a trip to the museum in person. Wander through the website by clicking on the different tabs and reading the material, looking at photos and even viewing videos if they have them. You should be able to simply wander through the website by clicking on the available links and visiting the different pages. Then, you should record your reaction to the field trip with a series of written responses to the topics and questions listed below. Working individually (and occasionally in groups), you will need to focus on the ways in which you can develop critical perspectives that address these topics based upon your own unique experiences of the online exhibit, using various concepts and ideas that you have learned throughout the term related to diversity and cultural pluralism.

Please note that the topics and questions include suggestions on how to develop critical perspectives aligned with assignment/assessment rubric. Your work will be evaluated and assessed (graded) according to the five criteria of the rubric. You can contact me to discuss writing tactics and strategies that will allow you to attain the highest levels of achievement notated on the rubric.

Possible Locations:

The United Stated Holocaust Memorial Museum: Center for the Prevention of Genocide: http://www.ushmm.org/genocide
The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center: http://apa.si.edu
The Smithsonian Latino Center: http://latino.si.edu