Please write a 7-10 (double-spaced) page research paper that makes an original, refutable, critical claim, and engages at least 2-3 secondary sources in addition to at least one of the primary texts we have covered in class. You may use any of the prompts/suggestions provided to assist you in choosing a paper topic/argument, or you may use your own original argument. NB: The prompts that follow are only suggestions, and are purposely broad – choose any part of any question (or any combination of a couple) as a springboard for your own original topic.
I have posted the two prompts to help you:
1. Discuss the portrayal of violence, suffering, and/or “normalcy” in one of the novels or texts we have read together and discuss how this depiction works to either create or discourage a sense of community and solidarity. What, in particular, about this depiction or presentation of violence, suffering, and/or “normalcy” informs your answer? Consider, for example, stories like that of Walter McMillan, the Central Park Five, the depictions of trans youth we watched, or the microaggressions shared by Rankine in Citizen.
2. Scholars Patricia Hill Collins & Sirma Bilge define intersectionality as an analytical tool that puts people and communities in charge of responding to neoliberal policies. They argue that, through the powers of assembly and organized protest, and through a deep understanding and commitment to relationality (i.e., how race, gender, and class, for example, are intertwined), people can take action, resist, and reclaim participatory democracy. Present and discuss one or two examples – both from our reading as well as from our current political and cultural landscape – in which an intersectional lens is crucial to understanding and responding to social challenges (whether around questions of immigration and refugee policies, policing and incarceration, transgender rights, housing, or representative leadership).
These were the Required Texts for this class. You can use one or any to help you:
Charlene A. Carruthers, Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements (2018)
Joy Harjo, Crazy Brave (2013)
Julie Otsuka, Buddha in the Attic (2012)
Claudia Rankine, Citizen: An American Lyric (2014)
Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (2015)
lastly: Use 12 pt Times New Roman font or similar, and 1-in margins all around.
0 comments