Cultural Experience Report #1 Instructions Your assignment this week is to hand in the FIRST of the two "cultural experience" visits you will make
during this term. You will hand in this first one during week 4 and the other during week 7. After each of
the two visits, write a 500-800 word report about the visit and what you learned.
Instructions For Cultural Experience Report #1
For your two reports, attend two different venues from this list. (One venue for Report One and a different
venue for Report Two, not two venues in the same report).
art museum or sculpture garden
significant or notable architectural site (if there is explanatory material there to help you
understand it)
music concert
theater play
poetry reading or spoken word performance
dance performance
religious service, ceremony or ritual for a religion very different from yours, if you practice (for
instance, if you are Christian, you may not go to another Christian denomination’s service)
other displays or performances may be acceptable. Check with your instructor for approval
beforehand.
Restrictions: The experience should be done in person. If this is impossible, contact me to arrange for
alternatives like a virtual museum. You may not report on a cultural experience from prior to this class,
unless it is 1 May 2017 or later and then only with prior permission.
Write a report after each cultural experience (Cultural Experience Report #1 and #2).
Each report should include the following information. Include photos or links that help convey the
information. As always, be sure to document all sources you consult in preparing your work.
READ THIS CAREFULLY THIS IS WHAT YOU GET GRADED ON DOING IN THE REPORT
Name and location of the museum, site, or performance event. If there is on-line information
about the site or performance, include a link.
Type of museum, site or event. For example, is it a portrait museum, a poetry slam, an outdoor
Shakespeare festival performance? If you attended a performance, name the performer or the piece. Be
specific about what you attended, when, and where.
Briefly describe the general setting.
Describe at least one aspect of the experience that you found especially interesting. For example,
you might write about a particular work of art, cultural artifact, song, dance section, scene in a play,
costumes or lighting, a particular actor or vocalist, etc. Explain what impressed you, and why. Your
reaction can be positive or negative, as long as you offer an explanation.
Identify and use at least two things you’ve learned in our class in your essay. For example, if you
visit a museum, you might point out the architectural style, discuss an artist you’ve learned about in the
course, or tie your experience to a class discussion. This needs to be specific like, "In week x we viewed
a video or read an article that taught me about y and that made me appreciate z that I observed in this
visit." TIE IT TO THE CLASS WITH SPECIFIC QUOTES AND PROPER CITATION.
Reflect on the relevance–if any–of your experience to your everyday life. How did the
experience engage your feelings or emotions, if at all? What does this tell you about human culture, or
about yourself?
