SS-195 Micronesian Cultural Studies

Campus:
National Campus  

Initiator:
Delihna Ehmes  

Date:
November 12, 2014

Course description:
This is a comparative study of Micronesian culture including customs and beliefs, arts and crafts, kinship and language.  The students will familiarize themselves with the islands of the Micronesian region; however, emphasis will be on the main and outlying islands of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). 

PSLO#

Program

4.1, Demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of world geography.

Gen. Ed. Program

4.2, Demonstrate knowledge of the cultural issues of a person’s own culture and other cultures.

Gen. Ed. Program

4.3, Demonstrate knowledge of major historical events affecting one’s culture and other cultures.

Gen. Ed. Program

[X]

1. Effective oral communication: capacity to deliver prepared, purposeful presentations designed to increase knowledge, to foster understanding, or to promote change in the listeners’ attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors.

[X]

2. Effective written communication: development and expression of ideas in writing through work in many genres and styles, utilizing different writing technologies, and mixing texts, data, and images through iterative experiences across the curriculum.

[X]

3. Critical thinking: a habit of mind characterized by the comprehensive exploration of issues, ideas, artifacts, and events before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion.

[   ]

4. Problem solving: capacity to design, evaluate, and implement a strategy to answer an open-ended question or achieve a desired goal.

[X]

5. Intercultural knowledge and competence: a set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts.

[   ]

6. Information literacy: the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively and responsibly use and share that information for the problem at hand.

[   ]

7. Foundations and skills for life-long learning: purposeful learning activity, undertaken on an ongoing basis with the aim of improving knowledge, skills, and competence.

[   ]

8. Quantitative Reasoning: ability to reason and solve quantitative problems from a wide array of authentic contexts and everyday life situations; comprehends and can create sophisticated arguments supported by quantitative evidence and can clearly communicate those arguments in a variety of formats.

CSLO (General) 1: Demonstrate knowledge of the geographic realities and circumstances in the lives of Micronesians.

Student Learning Outcome (specific)

ISLO

PSLO

Assessment Strategies

1.1 Describe migration patterns (island-hopping) in the Pacific, particularly those in Micronesia (and the Kachau Empire).

2,3,5

1,2,3

Mapping exercise and a unit exam to assess understanding of settlement patterns in Micronesia.
A scoring rubric will be used.

A unit exam, scored with a rubric.

1.2 Explain environmental differences between high and low islands.

2

2

A unit exam, scored with a rubric.

CSLO (General) 2: Demonstrate knowledge of the anthropological realities and circumstances in the lives of Micronesians.

Student Learning Outcome (specific)

ISLO

PSLO

Assessment Strategies

2.1 Describe kinship patterns as they apply to the following: (i) matrilineage and partilineage; and (ii) descent, succession; and inheritance.

2,5

2,3

Class exercise on creating a kinship diagram.

A scoring rubric will be used.

2.2 Describe the social and economic organizations as they apply to the following: (i) marriage and childbirth; (ii) death and funerals; and (iii) chants, dances, body adornment, and carvings.

*2,5

1,2,3

Written assignment on one’s own culture to describe the functions of social organizations as seen in one’s own culture.

A scoring rubric will be used.

2.3 Explain political organizations as they apply to government and leadership, and role of women.

2,5

1,2,3

Small group work on creating an organizational chart to explain how they apply to different organizations.

A scoring rubric will be used.

2.4 Identify language and other linguistic phenomena as they apply in the following ways: (i) glottochronology; (ii) lexicostatistics and vocabulary; and (iii) grammar

2,5

1,2,3

Classwork on identifying languages in the Micronesian region.

2.5 Describe religious systems as they apply to the following: (i) gods; and (ii) totems.

2,5

2,3

Reflection paper on traditional religion in Micronesia. A scoring rubric will be used.

A unit exam, scored with a rubric.

CSLO (General) 3: Demonstrate knowledge of the sociological realities and circumstances in the lives of Micronesians.

Student Learning Outcome (specific)

ISLO

PSLO

Assessment Strategies

3.1 Identify different kinds of technology in Micronesian cultures.

1,2

1,2,3

Written assignment, small group presentation to identify technologies in Micronesia. A scoring rubric will be used.

3.2 Explain and demonstrate various rituals, including dances, chants, carvings, and body adornment; and explain the contents of dances and chants in terms of cultural meaning and significance.

2

1,2,3

Small group work on one’s own culture to explain the significance of rituals. A scoring rubric will be used.

A unit exam, scored with a rubric.

3.3 Describe various values in Micronesian cultures.

2,3

1,2,3

An exam with scoring rubric will be used.

CSLO (General) 4: Demonstrate an understanding of basic themes in the Micronesian culture.

Student Learning Outcome (specific)

ISLO

PSLO

Assessment Strategies

4.1 Describe Micronesian themes such as geography, canoe, navigation, impact of historical determinism, descent groups, language, changes in economy and polity, technology and rituals, and value systems.

1,2,3,5

1,2,3

Oral Presentation and a written essay on a selected theme.

A scoring rubric will be used.