Ethnicity in America| Assignment |
Answer two of the following three
questions; please read them carefully: (1) From the course description for "Ethnicity in America": How have
various human communities participated in the historical development of
the United States, and how have various notions of race and ethnicity
influenced this process?
Write an essay answering these two questions and evaluating the ways in which "historical development" and "notions of race and ethnicity" have been inextricably intertwined in the American West. Illustrate your argument with at least four specific, detailed examples drawn from the White text and/or the Chan text. (2) In the Introduction to Peoples of Color in the American West, Sucheng Chan and her colleagues comment on Richard White's "It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own": A New History of the American West: White has
synthesized a stunning amount of information and integrated the story
of the various nonwhite groups into various topical chapters.
Race and ethnicity form the central themes in White's narrative . . . .
Despite the importance he accords to race and ethnicity, however,
White's account largely depicts peoples of color as victims, as objects
of other people's actions, rather than as subjects or as agents of
historical change. (Chan 6)
How successful have Chan and her colleagues been in addressing this problem? Write an essay evaluating their effort to "reconceptualize western American history" (Chan 8), considering their anthology as a critical response to the White text. Illustrate your argument with specific, detailed examples drawn from at least four different chapters in the Chan text (there are 15 chapters in the Chan text, each consisting of 3-5 selections). (3) In the last segment of the final episode of The West, Richard White concludes: There are
many stories in the West, and there are many stories in the United
States, and none is more American than any other. . . . There is no
single experience in the West or any place else. But we fight so
much about those stories because those stories deeply matter—not
because of what happened in the West, but what happens right now, what
matters right now. That's the important thing.
Write an essay responding to White's comments, exploring the relationship between the Western past and the American present. What is happening "right now" that "stories in the West" do—or should—speak to? Illustrate your argument with at least four specific, detailed examples drawn from the White text. Each essay should be at least 500 words of polished prose; no parenthetical or bibliographic citations are necessary. "Sign" each essay by appending your name and the word count to the end of each essay; for example: Wanda
Goodgrade
587 words Use a word processor to draft your essays, with double-spaced paragraphs. Be sure to save a copy for your own records. |
| Submission | Take your
printed exam to the CASAE office,
Clark Hall C127, which is normally open M-F 7:30-12:00 and 1:00-4:30. |
| Criteria |
A satisfactory final examination meets
the following criteria: Substantive
essay(s) demonstrating your understanding
of the course material.
Polished prose not burdened by distracting errors: each word spelled and used correctly; each sentence built on proper punctuation and grammar; each paragraph addressing a coherent and unified point; the entire essay offering an organized exposition of your subject. Each essay at least 500 words of text, with a signature consisting of your name and the word count. Each essay is worth 50 points; the final examination is worth 100 points. |
| Gradebook |
Prof.
Treat will record your gradebook entry manually. The deadline for this assignment is Monday 12:00 noon. |
© 2005 by James Treat