Essay #2/Eth 110

Written Assignment Instructions

Ethnic Studies 110
Ross Frank
Spring 2008

Office: SSB 227
Office hrs: Tues. 1:00-2:30; Wed. 1-3, and by appointment by phone or e-mail.

Phone: 858-534-6646
e-mail: rfrank@weber.ucsd.edu

 

You have already chosen one of the following books to read for your written assignment:

The Death of Bernadette Left Hand, essay due 5/22/08
Power, essay due 5/29/08
Watermelon Nights, essay due 6/6/08
Garden in the Dunes, essay due 6/6/08

An original essay of at least 5 pages (no more than 10) is due in lecture on the date shown above, depending on your choice. The length requirement should give you an idea of the level of analysis needed to fulfill this assignment.

Your essay should explore the major themes in your chosen work(s) that make up the world view of the author and the native peoples that form the main subjects of the material. You should relate your discussion in some fashion to the section of the course covering the same area.  For those reading Power, there is an interesting article linked to these instructions on the web site. All of the books take place in the more recent past, so one constant theme is what connection exists between the world views of past and present. You may also find relevant other peoples, historical periods, or ways of looking at Native culture and world view presented in the other sections of the course.

This assignment should involve a creative and interpretive effort on your part. Your essay must not be a book report. Assume that your reader has already read the book and knows the plot. You are writing to interpret elements of an expressed world, and to make connections between the work you have read and topics that we have encountered in our study of Native American history and culture.

You are encouraged to meet with me individually or in small groups to discuss your focus for the assignment during my office hours (see above), or by making an appointment at another mutually convenient time. Please begin to think about your essay content before meeting with me about a topic. The purpose of this meeting is to allow me to answer questions that you might have about the reading or assignment, and perhaps help to define or refine the theme(s) that you will pursue in your essay.

Note: In fairness to the other students in the class, I generally do not accept late essays except in extreme and properly documented circumstances. I am, however, willing to help to resolve difficulties that you might have with the essay or the deadline as long as you speak to me about the matter before the assignment due date.

 

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