Amst 301
AMERICAN STUDIES 301 MIDTERM
Please include a title for the midterm, TA name, and staple
Description of assignment: Compose an anthology of thirteen quotations drawn from the materials assigned for the first three sections of this course (Parts I, II and III). The anthology will consist of a preface, short commentaries on each quotation, and a conclusion. The anthology should be governed by a theme (or a set of two topics aligned to the concerns of the first four sections of the syllabus) that offer a way to unite together the diverse materials for this course. The best anthologies (those that will receive an A or A- grade) will be ones where the theme enables the student to inquire into the complexities of American culture and where both the structure and content of the midterm manifest democratic thinking (i.e., examining an issue by looking at it from multiple points of view) and integrative thinking (i.e, finding similarities or making syntheses between separate, diverse voices).
Texts for the assignment: Draw one quotation from each of the following texts or set of texts. Present the quotation and cite the text and page number of the quote (if the page number is available). Then provide your analysis of the quotation.
Note: You should feel free and encouraged to arrange the quotes and commentaries in whatever order you find most appropriate and compelling. It’s best not to arrange the quotes in the order presented in the list of texts that follows. Compose an arrangement that allows you to create the most interesting and revealing conversation—or dialogue and debate--among the texts.
1. Carroll, ed., Letters from a Nation
2. Katz, ed., Why Freedom Matters
3. Smith, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
4. Cumings, Dominion from Sea to Sea, chapters 2, 10 or 11
5. O'Hearn, ed., Half + Half: Writers on Growing Up Biracial and Bicultural
6. Essays on Los Angeles by Christopher Isherwood, Sonora McKeller, Wanda Coleman, Jimmy Santiago
Please include a title for the midterm, TA name, and staple
Description of assignment: Compose an anthology of thirteen quotations drawn from the materials assigned for the first three sections of this course (Parts I, II and III). The anthology will consist of a preface, short commentaries on each quotation, and a conclusion. The anthology should be governed by a theme (or a set of two topics aligned to the concerns of the first four sections of the syllabus) that offer a way to unite together the diverse materials for this course. The best anthologies (those that will receive an A or A- grade) will be ones where the theme enables the student to inquire into the complexities of American culture and where both the structure and content of the midterm manifest democratic thinking (i.e., examining an issue by looking at it from multiple points of view) and integrative thinking (i.e, finding similarities or making syntheses between separate, diverse voices).
Texts for the assignment: Draw one quotation from each of the following texts or set of texts. Present the quotation and cite the text and page number of the quote (if the page number is available). Then provide your analysis of the quotation.
Note: You should feel free and encouraged to arrange the quotes and commentaries in whatever order you find most appropriate and compelling. It’s best not to arrange the quotes in the order presented in the list of texts that follows. Compose an arrangement that allows you to create the most interesting and revealing conversation—or dialogue and debate--among the texts.
1. Carroll, ed., Letters from a Nation
2. Katz, ed., Why Freedom Matters
3. Smith, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
4. Cumings, Dominion from Sea to Sea, chapters 2, 10 or 11
5. O'Hearn, ed., Half + Half: Writers on Growing Up Biracial and Bicultural
6. Essays on Los Angeles by Christopher Isherwood, Sonora McKeller, Wanda Coleman, Jimmy Santiago