Quarter Project Topics & Group Assignments Due Feb 7, 2011

Hello everyone! As you all know, every quarter CSI students prepare a quarter project. This quarter's project is named "Living in the United States."  For this project you will get into groups of 3-4 students, choose a topic, and create either an essay and poster, or a PowerPoint Presentation.

Step one:  Form groups. Please post a comment below as to who is in your group by today, February 7th, 2011. If students do not post which students they want to work with, then I will assign students to groups. So, if you will be missing class, I suggest you post to the blog who you'd like to work with.

Step two: Choose a topic. Once you have determined who is in your group, your group must choose a topic. Topics cannot be chosen twice, so any group who chooses a topic first will have that topic. Please see the topics below. Please note, you may choose a different topic not listed as long as you confirm it with me. 

Important: If your group decides to write an essay, the requirements are 2 pages, double spaced, with references. We will be talking about this later in class, but this means getting information from sources and including a references page at the end of the paper.  If your group decides to do a PowerPoint Presentation, the requirements are 20 slides, including a title slide, adequate combination of text and pictures, and a works cited slide at the end showing the sources you used. Please note: Direct quotations should be kept at a minimum. I am limiting the use of direct quotes to 2 per project, so information gained from sources must be changed into your own words.

Project Living in the United States

Topics:

1. First Steps – General Information

1.1  Money and Banks (cash/debit card/credit cards/ATM machines/ local and regional banks, hours of operation, saving and checking accounts)

1.2  Food (typical American meals, burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, pizza, pasta, salads, cole slaw, corn, donuts, bagel, cereal, French toast, Pancakes, waffles, snacks, “junk food”, fast food)

1.3  Restaurants (Family Restaurants, cafeterias, steak houses, cafes, coffee shops, sandwich shops, delis, truck stops) What should you know about the American Restaurants (Smoking rules, menus in the window, “specials”, “doggie bag”, “tips”, meals tax, bus boys, “wait to be seated” signs, question at the restaurants, bar, breweries or pubs, need to be 21 to drink)

1.4  Drinking and Smoking Rules (show ID to prove you are 21, cannot sell tobacco to minors, open bottle in the car, smoking rules, drink and drive rules)

1.5  Hotels (motels, inns, hotels, check in/out, Wi-Fi, smoking/non-smoking rooms, overnight laundry service, telephone usage, “bell-hops’), youth hotels and YMCAs, Hostel Guide and Handbook, Bed and Breakfast or B and B.

1.6  Telephone (Yellow Pages, Cell phones, pay phones, collect calls, phone cards, calling cards, “touch-tone” phone, 800 number, three digit area codes, directory assistance, 911, four time zones)

1.7  Mail, Telegrams, Faxes, and Email (Post offices, red, white, and blue mailboxes, c/o General Delivery, Main Post Office, mailing address, zip code, sending packages, UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL, telegrams, fax, email, Skype, social networking Facebook and Twitter.

1.8  Transportation (Air travel, “shuttle”, make reservations on-line, Amtrak, Grey Hound bus, Interstate Highway System, toll roads, EZ Pass, FastTrack, etc., traffic signs and regulations, rent a car, taxi/cab, subway, Metra, parking meters, public transportation system, hitchhiking)

1.9  Shopping ( retail stores, shopping centers, malls, supermarkets, specialty shops, chain stores, department stores, factory outlets, convenience stores, gas stations, Triple A (AAA), Drug Stores, sales taxes)

1.10          Health, Medical Care, and Safety (medical care and insurance system, outpatient clinics, hospitals, etc.)

1.11          Electricity and Electronics (volts, AC, adaptors)

1.12          Tipping ( rules of tipping, who we need to tip and how much)

1.13          Measures ( Linear Measurements, Liquid Measurements, Dry Measurements, Weights, Formulas for Approximate Conversions, Temperature, Clothing Sizes)

2. Customs and Values

2.1 Greetings and Leave-taking (Hello, Howdy, what’s up, etc.)

2.2 Names and Titles (Ambassador, Senator, Governor, Father, Rabbi, Imam, Mr., Ms., Miss, Mrs.)

2.3 Conversation Topics

2.4 Friendship

2.5 Invitations (what to do if you are invited to the party, R.S.V.P.,

2.6 Personal Space and Privacy

2.7 Time (being on time, etc)

2.8 Equality

2.9 Independence (personal independence and self-reliance, individualism)

2.10 Eating Customs (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack)

2.11 Family Life (Marriage, bring in up children, divorce, single parents, family pet, family values, senior citizens)

2.12 Leisure (Sports, jogging, skateboarding, fishing, exercise groups, sports clubs, television, video games, gardening, etc)

2.13 Holidays (National holidays (New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas), Special holiday celebrations and traditions: Valentine’s Day, Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa)

2.14 Environment (Conscious of the natural environment, recycle, littering, green peace, etc.)

2.15 Business Etiquette (dress code, being on time for meeting, telephone ahead to cancel the meeting, handshake, “small talk”, business lunches)

3. Country Facts

3.1 History (First inhabitants, British colonies, Revolutionary War, declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, US Constitution, slavery, Civil War, Native American Indian Tribes, World War I, The Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, Vietnam War, terrorism, global warming)

3.2 Noteworthy American Presidents (George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin DelanoRoosevelt, John Kennedy)

3.3 Noteworthy American Prophets (Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr)

3.4 Political Map (50 states)

3.5 Land and People (Regions: New England, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Rocky Mountain, Southwest, South, Pacific and West Coast), land (geography), climate, population, largest cities, language, ethnic groups)

3.6 Government (federal government, executive branch, legislative branch, judicial branch, state governments, local government)

3.7 Economy (free enterprise, natural resources, services, manufacturing)

3.8 Religion (freedom of religion)

3.9 Education (public/private/parochial schools, elementary, middle and high schools, undergraduate, graduate schools.