Every several weeks you are required to write one 1500 word thought paper on the
previous weeks’ period of readings from A Turbulent Voyage. They should include your
thoughts about the major arguments/themes/theses of the assigned reading(s) using the
questions at the end of the chapter to guide your discussion and which you should
answer. These will be graded on a 0-5 point scale. Thought papers should focus primarily
on at least one of the readings for each week (for a total of 2) from the previous period.
Begin by clearly identifying the issue on which you are going to focus. Discuss how the
different essays approach this issue. If there are differences between the authors, please
highlight these. If you disagree with the authors, please highlight this. The best response
papers will relate each week’s readings to larger issues and themes in the course.
The bulk of the Thought Paper will consist of a critical response to the readings. Please
focus on one CENTRAL issue in each week’s readings that runs across multiple readings.
You should spend some time identifying this topic and thinking about what the authors
say about the topic before you sit down to write your final draft. ALL RESPONSES
MUST INCLUDE SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO THE READINGS.
Each essay should be 1500 words in length. The essay should be written using Times
New Roman, 12 point font, and should be double-spaced. It should also include the
following:
1. Your name, the date, and the course number in the upper left hand corner of the
first page (Africana Studies 101
2. If using direct quotations, citations should be made using the APA-standard
format for non-fiction writing. (see a basic college writing style guide for
directions)
3. At least one direct quotation from each reading (FOR A TOTAL OF TWO).
4. Must discuss at least TWO readings of your choice, one from each week.
These writing assignments are not research papers – you should not have to do additional
reading other than that which has been assigned throughout the course. The purpose of
the assignment is for each student to demonstrate that they have read and analyzed the
course material in a way that pertains to the major themes discussed both in class and in
the reading. Here are some things to ponder as you think/ read/ write:
What is the author’s argument? What evidence does the author provide to prove his/ her
point? What ideas are interesting, valuable or thought provoking in the reading(s)? How
do these readings connect with each other? Do you agree with the author’s assumption? If
not, what is your critique of the argument? Papers should be submitted to the
Brightspace Assignments section as a (MS Word or PDF) file by 11:59 pm on the due
date.
LINK TO BOOK https://archive.org/details/turbulentvoyager0003edunse_n5f2/page/n11/mode/2up
Readings from last weeks:Readings:
Anderson & Stewart, Chapter 5 (183-196); (Hayes) Africanisms in African-American Music, Portia K.
Maultsby; Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues: Blues from the Black Woman’s Perspective, Daphne
Duval Harrison; Black Beauty, Black Confusion (1965-70), Nelson George
Readings:
Anderson & Stewart, Chapter 6; (Hayes) Sister Act, Kathleen Neal Cleaver; All Power to the People: The
Political Thought of Huey P. Newton and the Black Panther Party; Floyd W. Hayes, III and Frances A.
Kiene, III; The Curse of Black Middle Class Leadership: A Cultural Analysis, Maulana Karenga.
Link:https://archive.org/details/isbn_2740240034646/mode/2up#reviews
