For the
final project of the semester, students will compose a critical research essay
of approximately 2000 words. Essays must be formatted using MLA guidelines and include
a works cited page and internal documentation for all referenced works. Essays
should be thesis driven, and all body paragraphs must quote from at least
two different texts. Refer to the semester’s first essay requirements for more
in-depth guidelines and expectations—all those lessons from the first half of
the course still apply!
PROMPT
In Essay
1, we looked at occupying public space and what that means for different
people. For Essay 2, we’ll read about occupation of public space as protest,
and we’ll use King’s ideas on effective nonviolent resistance campaigns,
particularly those detailed in his “Letter…,” as our lens to look at other
protest movements, from the past or present.
Begin with
a research question of some kind:
ü
How
are King’s ideas on nonviolent protest still applicable today?
ü
How
are King’s philosophies useful in creating an effective protest?
ü
What
protest movement might accomplish more by more strictly adhering to King’s
process and commitment to nonviolent resistance?
ü
How
are King’s four steps applicable to a particular protest?
ü
Have
there been times in history when nonviolent protest is not enough and when
violence is justified?
ü
Would
King ever concede that violence is justified?
ü
Are
there gaps in King’s process?
ü
How
might we change King’s process to make a protest more effective?
Students should
then begin research. Begin with Google; also consider search certain
publications—Atlantic, Harper’s, The Economist, The New Yorker, The New York
Times, The Wallstreet Journal, The Los Angeles Times, and other reputable
news sources. Search Google Scholar and our library databases as well.
Once you find a protest movement and a corresponding article or two that you
believe is worthy of this research project, dive deeper: search for other
articles that are connected to your source(s), perform research on the key
players in whatever protest movement you’ve chosen, and especially consider how
King’s ideas illuminate your subject(s) in new and meaningful ways.
You might,
for example, search for articles about the January 6, 2021 insurrection, the Black
Lives Matter movement, Colin Kaepernick’s protests during the National Anthem, or
the Dakota Access standoff. You might also research some lighter-hearted
protests. Google “Starbucks Vegan Protest” and you’ll see what I mean. You
might also go into the past, examining protestors and philosophers such as
Henry David Thoreau or Mahatma Gandhi.
In any
direction you take, the real mission is this:
Make a connection between our major text (King’s “Letter . . .”) and another
protest; then, in an essay of approximately 1500 words, explore how the protest
movement you’ve chosen does or does not follow King’s four steps to nonviolent
resistance. Then articulate a meaningful conclusion about civil disobedience,
protest movements, and/or the experience of oppressed/marginalized/underprivileged
populations.
This
prompt is very open-ended. So have
some fun with it, and prove to me that you’ve learned how to write an effective
essay this semester. Take care and good luck.
REQUIREMENTS
All
essays must . . .
ü
Show
an understanding of both King’s “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” (Letter from a Birmingham Jail (Martin Luther King, Jr.) | Natural Law, Natural Rights, and American Constitutionalism (nlnrac.org) and at least two secondary
sources of a student’s own choosing. No more than four sources should be cited
in this essay.
ü
Employ
an introduction that summarizes whatever protest you’ve chosen and King’s ideas
about nonviolent protest, as detailed in “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
ü
Present
a thesis that applies King’s theories to your chosen protest movement.
ü
Use
four to six paragraphs that defend your thesis with specific topic sentences and
concrete evidence. Each paragraph should quote and/or paraphrase at least two
different texts in each body paragraph: King’s “Letter” and at least one researched
source.
ü
Conclude
with at least one paragraph that articulates the student’s findings, answering
the So What?-question raised by
essay’s contents.
ü
Use
clear language that conveys meaning and contains few errors. Students should
budget no fewer than three (3) hours to proofread their essays.
ü
Ethically
and accurately employ MLA format and in-text citations.
ü
Include
a properly formatted work cited page that includes citations for all sources.
ü
Be
at least 2000 words in length. Essays should be typed and double-spaced in
Times New Roman Font, and grammatically sound, free of typographical and/or
spelling errors.
ü
Be
submitted on time (7 May at 11:59 pm) via Blackboard.
