Note: To complete this assignment, you will need to watch and listen to videos. Before starting, I recommend checking the links to make sure you can access and play them on the devices you use, or...

Note:To complete this assignment, you will need to watch and listen to videos. Before starting, I recommend checking the links to make sure you can access and play them on the devices you use, or arrange to use computers with headphones in a library or lab. I cannot solve technical issues for you. However, if you have technical problems, you may select a different assignment from the other options offered.

Background
Geographers are interested in the origins, diffusion and spatial distribution of folk and popular culture. They compare where and why elements of folk and popular culture develop, spread and change. In this assignment, you will explore some of these questions, using examples from around the world.

Alignment with Student LearningOutcomes
1) Recognize and evaluate the spatial patterns and distribution of various human geography attributes.
2) Interpret primary texts.
3) Demonstrate competence with writing processes appropriate for geography.

Alignment with Course Attributes
Global Diversity:Evaluate the spatial patterns and distribution of various human geography attributes.
Writing Intensive:Demonstrate written, verbal, and graphic communication skills appropriate for geography.
Interpretive Studies: Interpret and analyze information from primary sources. (interviews and original music)

Directions
Read/view the materials listed below that illustrate examples of folk and popular culture.
Develop thoughtful, complete answers toallthe questions below. Your responses should refer to and incorporate information and concepts from the videos and other course materials.

Refer toRequirements and Guidelines for All Written Work(Links to an external site.).
Cite sources as directed(Links to an external site.).
Proofread and edit your work carefully. Grammar and spelling count!

Format and How toSubmit
Required:Include the numbers and text of the numbered questionswith your answers. Recommendation: Paste all the questions below into a new word processing document. Type your responses below each question. Always label and save your work elsewhere.

Write in complete sentences in standard English suitable for academic work.

Questions-Paste into a new document and type your responses under each question.

Part 1: Go tothe(Links to an external site.)(Links to an external site.)Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage(Links to an external site.)website(Links to an external site.)
(http://www.folklife.si.edu/(Links to an external site.)).Select and explore (read/view/listen) one or more of the features on the main page. Those features change, so we cannot list specific ones for you to use.
1.For the item(s) you explore, write:
a) The title of the piece, the category descriptors, and URL: (e.g.Afropunk: The Alternative Black Experience(Links to an external site.);Categories: Perspectives, Community; Link: https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/afropunk-alternative-black-experience)

b) In several well-constructed sentences, describe the contents and why you chose to explore it.

c) Discuss how the information presented connects to cultural/human geography.Include:What parts of the world is represented?What aspects of culture are featured? What languages, cultural practices, ways of life? How does this compare to what you are familiar with? What more would you like to know?

d)If you were asked to give a review of this site for others, what would you say about it? What would a person learn from it? To whom would it be of interest? (Such as people working in a particular field, artists, high school or college students, people who like ________, etc.) Would you recommend it? Why, or why not?

Part 2: Go to:Africa’s Legacy in Mexico: Mexico’s Third Root(Links to an external site.)http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/migrations/legacy/almthird.html(Links to an external site.)

2. a. What are the main themes of the corridos songs?
b. Explain how they reflect roots in Africa, the culture and living conditions of the people.
c. In addition to song, describe what other forms of expression are present.
3.True or False: African influence is evident only among Black communities in Mexico. Explain your response.
4. Explain why it is difficult to trace modern day cultural practices to particular cultures or places of origin in Africa. How are geographical factors involved?

Part 3:Video Interviews–Ethiopian Passages: Dialogues in the Diaspora(Links to an external site.)http://africa.si.edu/exhibits/passages/video.html(Links to an external site.)
Watch a video interview with one of the artists. Specify which one you have chosen.
5. a. Which artist did you select?
b. Describe their art form and where they are from (nationality, ethnicity, language and/or religious affiliation). What cultural traditions do they represent?

6. a. Explain: How does the artist see and portray their cultural traditions in their work?
b. To what extent does their work represent a single culture, or does it have elements from more than one cultural tradition?
c. Comment on your reactions to their work. How does it compare to what you are familiar with?