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My Own Mixtape: Analyzing the Role of Self and Society

High School, ELA & Reading

Description of Unit

In this task, students will begin by exploring various patterns that arise within a society. Thought leader Carl Jung defined these patterns as archetypes. Using a comparative lens, the students will examine their own culture to see if classic archetypal patterns exist or if new patterns need to be defined. Students will then select one or two archetypes from their culture and make inferences about what those archetypes will look like in a generation (15–25 years). Based on their findings, they will develop a plan for either changing or promoting the future of the selected archetype through some expressive form (e.g., narrative, poetry, painting, speech). Students may choose the most effective medium to express the plan to either change or promote their identified archetype.

This guide links the My Own Mixtape: Analyzing the Role of Self and Society unit to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for high school students. My Own Mixtape: Analyzing the Role of Self and Society is a sociology and English language arts unit that allows students to use the study of patterns (archetypes) within their own subculture to explore their role in the larger picture of U.S. culture. For example, students will explore their own family structure and the family structures of their peers in order to find similarities and patterns. In doing so, they will come to understand concepts about human personalities and relationships. The following document includes the applicable TEKS and the details of the My Own Mixtape: Analyzing the Role of Self and Society unit. The final section of this document presents the applicable Texas College and Career Readiness Standards adopted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) on January 24, 2008. 

Phase I. Learning Experiences

  1. To begin this task, students will consider and reflect upon the events and experiences that shape who they are. They might begin this exploration with a class discussion, small group discussions, or one-to-one sharing with a partner. Since this topic is sensitive, the teacher will need to use his or her professional judgment to decide how to broach the topic. 
  2. Students will analyze their own worldview and cultural experience by filling out the “Culture Questionnaire” handout. 
    The class will share and synthesize their answers, and the teacher will facilitate a discussion about similarities, differences, and any general patterns that emerge. 
  3. As an introduction to Carl Jung’s archetypes, students will find and take an online Jungian Archetype Test. (It should be stressed that this test is not a psychological assessment, but rather an interesting way for students to begin exploring the concept of Jungian archetypes.

    After taking the online test, students will conduct further research about Jungian archetypes. The teacher may opt to guide students through the archetypes with a class or small group activity. He or she may choose to use a jigsaw strategy and have each group study a particular archetype. 
  4. Using a comparative lens, each student will examine his or her own culture to see if classic archetypal patterns exist or if new patterns need to be defined. 
  5. The student will present his or her findings in the form of a piece of writing that compares existing archetypes to current or new archetypes. This product will help explain the individual student’s worldview. 

Phase II. Independent Research

A. Research process 

  1. Selecting a topic. Each student will select one or two archetypes that he or she has identified within his or her own subculture.
  2. Asking guiding questions. The teacher will ask guiding questions to help the student choose appropriate and relevant archetypes that align to the goals of the research project. Guiding questions could include the following: 
    1. Does the archetype you selected promote a high degree of cultural sensitivity?
    2. Would research in this area foster a multicultural climate?
    3. Have you avoided archetypes that are simply caricatures or vague generalizations intended to make fun of any person or group of people?
    4. Does your archetype take into account multiple perspectives?
  3. Designing a research proposal. Each student will develop a hypothesis about what the selected cultural archetypes will look like in a generation (15–25 years). The student will need to provide as much relevant research as possible, including historical data and current perspectives (e.g., statistical models that predict growth trends of a subpopulation).
  4. Conducting the research. After the teacher has approved the proposal, the student will begin to use the resources he or she has identified and others he or she may encounter. During this stage, the student will need to keep a research log as a record of research activities. The categories of information to be logged include: thesis, key words, questions about the topic, questions for further research, questions for the teacher, thoughts about the topic, sources, relevant information, to-do lists, and analysis of the research process. 
  5. Developing conclusions. Based on the research, each student will develop a theory about the future of his or her subculture. The focus should be on the archetype(s) he or she selected. The student will discuss the current implications of such an archetype and potential implications for the future. 


B. The product 

  1. The student will develop a plan to promote the future of a selected archetype or change the current trajectory of perceptions about that archetype. This plan might include a cultural awareness project for the community, a piece of fiction writing intended to express a theme, a documentary film, a strategic plan for a city, designing a community center, or some other product of the student’s choosing.
  2. The student will deliver a formal presentation in which he or she propagates a positive vision of the future of his or her subculture.  


C. Communication  

The student will present their research and proposal, engage the audience, and field unscripted questions. The length of the proposal is dependent on the selected media or format of presentation. 


D. A completed project consists of: 

  1. Research on archetypes within the student’s subculture 
  2. Research on classic cultural archetypes 
  3. A written, comparative analysis of archetypes 
  4. A theory about one of his or her subculture’s archetypes 
  5. A presentation that propagates a positive vision of the future of his or her culture 
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