7 pages, double-spaced, proofread, polished
MLA format including parenthetical citations and works cited list
100 points
RESEARCH PAPER SOURCE REQUIREMENTS–
at least 5 sources total following these formats:
At least 1 “text” used in our course (textual or non-textual—anything I provided to you) Sources from class are attached.
At least 2 peer-reviewed journal articles found through independent research (in other words, you did not get them from ME)
At least 1 additional textual (written) source (of any kind) found through independent research (in other words, it has to be a written text but does not have to be peer-reviewed, though it may be)
At least 1 non-textual source (video, interview, music, documentary, TED talk) found through independent research
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
You may incorporate material from one of the essays you previously wrote for this class.
You do not need in this essay to reference our course terminology by describing types of arguments or argumentative techniques, though you may do so if this seems appropriate for your argument.
the Assignment:
At the root of everything that we’re trying to accomplish is the belief that America has a mission. We are a nation of freedom, living under God, believing all citizens must have the opportunity to grow, create wealth, and build a better life for those who follow.
—President Ronald Reagan
I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.
—James Baldwin
As we have seen together this semester, a survey of American media—news, politics, novels, speeches, activist accounts, documentaries, interviews, TED talks, manifestos, short stories—reveals individuals from all religions, socioeconomic groups, ethnic backgrounds, and national origins anxious to report on their American experience. These experiences show an America—or, rather, Americas—that are diverse, complicated, contradictory, wonderful, and terrifying. America’s inhabitants make grand pronouncements, like President Reagan’s, and call America to account, as James Baldwin does. In describing and envisioning their America, the authors we have seen do not just put forth simple proposals. They also engage with fundamental questions regarding American identity and ask us to consider a more nuanced and less bumper-sticker-friendly definition of American values.
Ehrenreich does not just propose a higher minimum wage. She defines the working class, evaluates employer/employee relations, and criticizes America’s social safety net. Ali does not simply define Islam and Islamophobia, he defines American attitudes toward acceptable appearance and delineates the effects of faith-based hatred. Stevenson proposes changes to the solitary confinement and capital punishment systems, but he also humanizes prisoners and evaluates America’s capacity for true compassion.
In this research paper, make your own argument, as these authors do, about some aspects of American identity or the American experience. You may focus on positive and/or less positive characteristics, you may measure known American ideals against real American struggles, you may fold together related issues, such as economics and education; incarceration, drug addiction, and homelessness; slavery, structural racism, and affirmative action; or many other combinations of American issues.
You are not limited in your scope or your focus. Only please, remember the following:
Do not rely on clichés like an over-emphasis on trite phrases like “melting pot” or “American Dream.”
Present complex and nuanced ideas; let them evolve and gain in significance as your essay develops.
Be sure your essay is cohesive and coherent; it should not feel like a piecemeal approach but rather a blending of related ideas.
Organize your essay by IDEAS, not by source. You should not simply summarize many sources. Make them talk to each other. Let your initial idea gain in complexity as your essay develops. Your conclusion should not merely restate your introduction. You have 7 pages—explore many related ideas.
Analyze and interrogate your sources; don’t just report on them.
Write something that matters and that interests you and your reader
MY TOPIC/ARGUMENT ON AMERICAN IDENTITY PROPOSAL
Topic: Immigrant Asylum in America
Why: My friends are here on Asylum and their experience of America is much different than mines. My parents came here and had to earn their citizenship, so immigration specifically for asylum is near to me.
Possible these: The American identity is embedded in immigrants.
Sources: I’ll be using sources that shows improved lives of immigrants.
Importance of topic: I think it is important to understand and know how immigration for a better life has drastically improved the lives who search for hope and that when they do achieve a better life, it has only improved America as a country. Immigration by grit has created a superpower. Go America.
This topic is important to American Identity: Even though many Americans were brought here because of England and by force, they somehow still managed to survive and fight back a superpower of that time. There is no feeling above the feeling of earned reward. Regardless of how many push-backs there are that went against this country to begin, the early pilgrams still did it. Regardless of the push-backs that are presented to anyone who physically touches this land, they still do it. There is no barrier at the root of American identity and that means that all who are rising above the push-backs are the reason why Americans are Americans, even if they have papers or not. Grit, til the end, is the root of all American identity and that is what all immigrants have.
