America’s culture can be described as a melting pot, a combination of many different backgrounds. A result some of those cultures have melted into obscurity. Dr. Stephen Brandon, English III professor, has taken it upon himself to separate the melting pot and spread cultural awareness. Brandon assigned the culture essay for the past two years in the ICC comp II class and thinks that overall it is one of the most important essays given.

The outline for the assignment is pretty straightforward being that it is a 3,000 word informational essay about a culture of the students choice. Because it is a 3,000 word essay compared to the other 1,500 words essays. However, since students are required to do more research than in any other assignment they have a better understanding of their given culture.

Student Nathan Eschete is currently researching the “Greek Culture” where he sees multiple different aspects of ideas that originated in Greece in today American Culture. One thing he learnedbeing that democracy originated in Greece. Identical to how America is run today. 

“Greeks were one of the first holders to bring about freewill [where] leaders and decisions were decided among the people,” Eschete said. 

“[The Greek philosopher Aristotle] was a well known teacher that came up with the two ideas of what a school is, is one believe that any form of education has the ultimate goal of attaining a specific human ideal such as becoming who you want to be and what do you want to do in life,” Eschete said.   

In America, college students major in the subject relating to their future career just as Greeks would.

Junior Miller Mccoy took a different approach and researched the Viking culture.

“I chose it because I think it’s really interesting. And there’s a lot of misconceptions about it. And I wanted to explore see if those are actually true. And if there’s more to the culture,” McCoy said. 

As he dove into the history of the viking culture, McCoy found that “There’s a lot taken from Viking culture with the fishing techniques and cuisines and that in contrary to popular belief Vikings only attack once a year as a tradition.”

Students believe the more Dr. Stephan Brandon assigns this essay in is Comp ll English class the more students can dissect their American culture. 

“I feel like it really helps you to see how certain cultures have influenced the world today,” McCoy said.