IS182. Print, Literacy and Power in America; To 1900

Spring 2002 Final Paper

Goal: Understanding of the identity of multiple cultures in America through the development of a thesis or case study involving the comparison of printed or oral sources of America before 1900. It should concern at least one of the cultures discussed in this course: Native Americans, African Americans, Spanish-speaking inhabitants of the southwest United States, and Chinese immigrants of the late nineteenth century. The project may focus on an issue, a geographical location, a particular period, a set of printed artifacts, particular individuals, printed genres (such as political cartoons, Bibles, textbooks, photographs), etc.

12-15 page paper utilizing primary print or oral materials. Required: the use of current scholarly books, articles, and Internet material on the subject. Required: a bibliography of sources used and footnotes to indicate sources of material quoted in the paper. Required: a standard style for footnotes and bibliograph,. for example, the style of The Chicago Manual of Style, or of Turabian=s A Manual for Writers of Term Papers.

Opening paragraph should include a statement of the focus of the paper, the particular cultures addressed in the paper, an explanation of the methodology (what primary source material will be used and how), and an outline of the organization of the paper. Ideally a thesis statement will explain the goal of the paper and a conclusion will summarize how that goal has been accomplished in the paper.