Grammar question

[barackmyworld]

I am trying to figure out which article fits in the title of my paper. In the phrase:
"Culture Matters ____ American and Japanese Mental Health Policy"

Should the article be "for" "to" "in" or something else?

[demnan]

1. to

but I think it should be "policies".

[mcscajun]

2. And shouldn't it be "Cultural Matters"? n/t

the preposition (not article) will depend on the thrust of your paper.

[democracyindanger]

3. in

[nickgutierrez]

4. Sounds like it should be 'in'

It might be more clearly phrased as "Matters (or Issues) of Culture in American and Japanese Mental Health Policy", unless the play on words was intentional.

[Worst Username Ever]

5. What is the subject?

Are you writing about culture or mental health? If the subject is "culture," then it is "in." If the subject is "american and japanese mental health," then it is "to."

But I've been wrong before.

[Jeebo]

6. Is "Matters" a noun or a verb?

In matters such as these, it matters which part of speech "Matters" is. If it's a noun, use "in." If it's a verb, use "to."

Ron

[democracyindanger]

7. Best answer ^^^

[barackmyworld]

10. ah this sounds pretty good n/t

[Tafiti]

12. Yes, Jeebo's got it.

I wasn't sure how "Matters" was intended either, which makes it tricky. I was thinking of maybe changing the phrase altogether, to "Culture Figures Prominently in..." or something like that.

[nickgutierrez]

13. If I'm right, it appears to be both.

It sounds like 'Culture Matters' is intended to be a play on words, meaning both 'matters of culture' and making the assertion that culture does indeed matter in the formation of Mental Health policy.

What happens then?

[barackmyworld]

8. It's hard..here are some clarifications

One of my prof's books is "Culture Matters" and the other is "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order" I don't know why, but I feel like I should make fun of at least one of those titles.

I wanted to title it "The Clash of Medications: Why Culture Matters in American and Japanese Mental Health Policy"

Would it be "in," considering the whole title?

edit: Maybe I could sidestep the issue by making the subtitle something else

[Midlodemocrat]

11. Why Culture Matters in American and Japanese Mental Health Policies.

[barackmyworld]

14. I think this is a winner

[BurtWorm]

15. Your prof is Huntington? (Or Huntingdon?)

I like that title. "In" does work there, because, while culture may matter TO policy-makers, it doesn't matter TO policy. (And it's a preposition, not an article.)

[barackmyworld]

16. Yep, Samuel Huntington

ok, I think the subtitle part is too confusing. I will probably change it to something like "A cross-cultural analysis of mental illness"

[BurtWorm]

17. Is he a good teacher?

That clash of civilizations bullshit is for the birds.

[barackmyworld]

18. It was more of a discussion class

So he wasn't doing a lot of lecture-type teaching. He clarified a lot of things about his books though, and explained why he actually is not racist.

[Midlodemocrat]

9. Cultural matters in American and Japanese Mental Health Policies.