Assignment:
An essay on a theme of your choice of at least 6 pages (and no
more than 12) is due at the beginning of lecture on Monday,
March 13, 2000 or at any time earlier.
Guidelines: : You have already selected
one of the following books for your written assignment,
and hopefully have begun to read the novel:
Ella Cara Deloria, Waterlily.
Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine.
Linda Hogan, Mean Spirit.
Louis Owens, Bone Game
Frank Waters, The Man Who Killed the Deer.
Think of this assignment as an interpretive effort to link a theme or themes that you find interesting and relevant in the work that you read, to other readings, peoples, or circumstances that we have dealt with elsewhere in the course. Your essay should not be a book report. Assume that your reader has already read the book and knows the plot. You are writing to interpret the central ideas or views that the author seeks to communicate in the work, and to make connections between this material and topics that we have encountered in Native American history.
You are encouraged to meet with me individually (small groups are okay) to discuss your focus for the assignment. Please begin to think about themes that you have identified in your novel 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.
Think of this assignment as an interpretive effort to link a theme or themes that you find interesting and relevant in the work that you read, to other readings, peoples, or circumstances that we have dealt with elsewhere in the course.
Please read carefully through the accompanying Checklist for Better Writing.
Meet with me in my office hours (Tues. 3-5, Wed. 4-6) or by making an appointment at another mutually convenient time.
Important 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.