Professor Martinez strut into his classroom on the first day of the new semester, greeted by the disinterested faces of his new students. He taught the university's intro to cultural studies course, known around campus as an easy A. He was well aware that for the past few years student chose his class not because they wanted to learn, but because they wanted to boost their GPA without trying. This year, Dr. Martinez was determined to change that.
"Good morning, everyone" Dr. Martinez addressed. "I am Dr. Martinez, and welcome to Intro to Cultural Studies" he gave a satisfactory nod once a few student left the room, realizing they where in the wrong class. "Now I know a few of you have heard that this class is an easy A, but you will all be pleased to hear that is not the case" a handful of students chuckled with him while others grimaced "In this class you will learn how culture influences an individual's experiences and everyday life. However, before you learn about a culture that is not your own, you should experience it for yourself first hand". Dr. Martinez marched up and down the aisles of desks passing out papers to each student, "You are all receiving your syllabus and first project of the semester. Each of you have been assigned to a cultural organization whose culture is not your own. To complete this project, you must join the organization and complete all of the tasks I have listed on your project form. This will include attending their meetings and participating in their events. I hope you will find this project transformative, and open your mind to accept the rest of the semester's material. You may even make friends and want to become a permanent member. However, I should warn you that this project is worth a large portion of your final grade, so do take it seriously". Dr. Martinez beamed at the betrayed faces of his student who now knew they actually had to earn their grade this semester.
"You may now look at your project form to see what cultural organization you will be joining and the full list of tasks you must complete".