Social Practices of Cultural Beliefs?

Question

I have to write a two page essay describing and analyzing a social practice or cultural belief in my culture but I am stumped. It has to be something I've experienced and then i have to compare or contrast it to a similar practice in a different country. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

I suppose a little background info about me would be helpful. I'm 19, female, bi, freshman in state college. Grew up in the midwest, played sports, not into the greek life or big party scene. Good grades, haven't traveled much. Yadda yadda.

Answer 1

You could write about dating, or relationships.  In the U.S. there are very ritualized practices that constitute an appropriate or "inappropriate" dating practice. So you could talk about what dating is like in middle school, how it changes in HS, then college or later.  What are the "rites of passage" young people go through throughout these stages?  What are the understood "rules", and what happens when those rules are broken?  How are rules about dating socially regulated?  Some rules are explicit, others are just implied or understood.  A cheerleader might date an athlete, that is understood.  But when she dates a "band geek" are her friends critical?  Do they impose social pressures on her dating life?  How do these pressures change over time and where do they come from?  How are peer pressures different from family pressures and personal pressures?  This would be an easy topic to compare to regions with arranged marriages, or regions where women cannot ask a man on a date, for example.

I hope that is helpful!