LINKS:
What is an Academic paper?
Attending to Grammar
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
Immigration Paper
Due March 11th
Describe the first person in your family who left his or her native country and came to the United States – four months ago or four hundred years ago. Explain when this transit occurred, what the country of origin was, in what circumstances they lived there, and why they came to the U.S. If you are the first member of your family to take this step,
Short Papers
Six Memorable People
Due March 4th
Name three people who were alive and probably well known in 1910 whom we yet all remember today. What is it about them and their accomplishments that has made their names live on for a hundred years? Name three people now alive whom we all probably recognize and whom the people of 2110 will also recognize. Explain why you think each of them and their names will live on for a hundred years.
Rituals
Due March 16th
Describe one ritual that everyone in this room shares, and one that is singular to you or your family or your hometown (not the Fourth of July fireworks or a bar mitzvah or watching TV; something special, something singular). What is the meaning of each ritual? What is the origin of each?
Democracy
Due March 23rd
Explain how the definition of democracy evolved in the United States from its earliest expressions (the Constitution, Jefferson’s address, et al), through the 19th century (DeTocqueville), and into the later 20th and 21st centuries (E.B. White, John F. Kennedy, et al).
Patriotism
Due April 22nd
Like democracy, the definition of patriotism has shifted from the earliest days of the American republic, as expressed in documents such as the Declaration of Independence and Common Sense. How would you characterize it in those early days? How would you characterize it today? What is the place of political dissent within the idea of patriotism?
Manifest Destiny
Due May 4th
“The land was ours before we were the land’s,” says Robert Frost. What does that mean? How have Americans’ expectations for the land under our feet shifted from those described in DeTocqueville (or Thoreau, if you have read him) to Frederick Jackson Turner and up to our present day?
Exams
The midterm exam is distributed April 8th, and is due April 13th. It will consist of three essay questions based on assigned readings, class lectures and film screenings. In answering the questions, you should cite specific passages, images, lines, moments or scenes that support your viewpoint. You should answer the questions thoroughly; how many words, sentences, paragraphs that will require differs with every student. Some people can compress complex ideas into half a page; others require 3 or 4 pages to make the same points. Neither is necessarily better. Write straightforward sentences; be precise, say exactly what you mean; read it over and edit it; finish your thought, as opposed to just stopping – reach a conclusion.
The second part of the exam consists of objective questions, identifying specific people, events or words that featured prominently in assigned course material.
The final exam is distributed on May 13th and is due on May 20th. It consists of two essay questions with the same specifications as the midterm exam questions. Students who have an approved Term Project are exempt from the final exam essay questions.
However everyone must take the final quiz on May 20th. It will have the same type of objective questions as the second part of the midterm exam.
