American Culture Research Essay
Purpose: The purpose of this essay is twofold: to engage in research and to explore an area of
American culture that you are interested in. Part of learning a learning a new language is learning
a new culture. Oftentimes, lack of knowledge of cultural references makes it difficult to follow
and participate in conversations with native speakers.
When it comes to research, humans engage in all kinds of research to find answers to
their questions. These answers, even in science, are never just “data,” though. The answers must
be woven together to tell a story, or a narrative, so that you and your audience can make sense
of your findings.
Audience: For your paper, you have a potential of two audiences to choose from. Choose 1:
1. A friend at home who is thinking about coming to the US but has never traveled outside of
your home country
2. An American reader who has never learned another language or traveled outside of the US
who has to interact with people from other countries who are not native speakers of English
Process: Before you begin writing, you might find it beneficial to begin by completing some
preliminary research on your area of interest. Choose your topic from the list on the second page
first and then begin searching both on the internet and on MTSU databases for information that
you might find helpful for your paper. You will need at least 1 academic journal for your paper
and a total of 7 sources for your paper.
For this paper, think of your paper as having 3 main parts (*keep in mind, this doesn’t
necessarily mean 3 paragraphs*)
Part 1: Why it’s important to know the cultural reference you’re examining
• The goal of this part is to convince your audience that there is a problem: people often
don’t understand the link between language and culture.
o Being a top English student in one’s home country is often not enough because
English grammar alone is not sufficient to live successfully in the US
o Cultural knowledge is a necessity and oftentimes is not taught in English
classrooms in other countries
• Describe instances (tells some stories) where you, your parents, or a friend’s lack of
knowledge of cultural references has inhibited you/them from participating in a
conversation
Part 2: A Case Study
• The goal: narrow down the focus and provide a case study in one particular area where
misunderstandings/confusion could arise due to lack of cultural knowledge
• Pick a specific part of American culture that you want to better understand and provide
information about that aspect of America culture so that either your friend at home
would not be confused by this aspect of culture OR your American reader would
understand what is confusing/new about this aspect of American culture to someone
with your cultural background.
o Why is this part of American culture important for participating in life in the US?
Or, explain why if you do not know it you will have difficulties.
o Explanation of this part of American culture
What elements are surprising/different from your cultural perspective
• This will potentially be your most source heavy part of the paper.
Part 3: Implementation of strategies to fix the problem
• Start this part with a recap of the essay so far and then link your suggestions with
particular examples you have referenced in the first two parts of the essay. You want to
focus on the abstract/general problems represented by the examples you have already
given. Your strategies should address way these general/abstract problems might be
overcome of mediated.
• What are some strategies that a language learner can use as they try to navigate a new
culture?
• What are some suggestions for friends and teachers interacting with non-American
students? Ho can Americans help non-Americans feel more included in their
conversations
Possible topics:
o American films: famous actors, classic films (ET, Princess Bride, Lord of the Rings, Disney
movies, etc.)
o American TV shows: famous actors, classic tv shows (I Love Lucy, Friends, Big Bang
Theory, Arthur, Sesame Street, etc.)
o American music: famous singers, classic songs
o English books: classic children’s books, best-selling fiction
o American sports: sports culture, rules of particular sports, sports teams
o American chain restaurants or stores: famous stores/restaurants, shopping/eating
culture, why no bargaining in stores
o Common high school activities: homecoming, prom, typical activities
o American holidays like Thanksgiving, 4th of July, etc. history, modes of celebration, role in
creating American identity
o Notions of private property
o Use of apologies
o Use of body language
o Use of affirmations
o What counts as profanity/harsh language
o How you politely address people
o US regional differences
