Category: American Studies

Option 1 – Watch either The Great Gatsby or The Color Purple and relate it to “The Way to Wealth”
The American Dream lecture in Week 1 points out that Poor Richard’s Almanac was an annual publication that included calendar lists, home recipes, weather forecasts, etc. What made Franklin’s almanac unlike other almanacs was the inclusion of Franklin’s witty parables and humorous writings. The maxims below relate to Franklin’s ideas of working hard, avoiding debt, and working toward attaining a virtuous character. Choose three maxims and align them with a character or characters in either The Color Purple or The Great Gatsby. For example, you might choose Celie from The Color Purple and discuss maxims 1, 4, and 6; or, you might choose The Great Gatsby and align Daisy with maxim 4, Tom with maxim 5, and Nick with maxim 6. You will be providing quotes from the film you select to support your observations about each character/maxim in your essay.
use this resource https://www.gutenberg.org/files/43855/43855-h/4385…
Choose Three of These Maxims from “The Way to Wealth”
1. “There are no gains without pains”
2. “Do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life made of”
3. “Fools make feasts, and wise men eat them”
4. “He that lives upon hope will die fasting”
5. “The second vice is lying, the first is running in debt”
6. “If you will not hear reason, she’ll surely rap your knuckles”

Pick two North American Indigenous nations that are in the same cultural-geographic area. You cannot choose Indigenous nations that have been covered by the Sutton text or a lecture as a case study. 5-7 pages plus works cited page. (5 points will be deducted if the works cited/bibliography is missing).
Your paper will include the following topics for the two Indigenous nations you choose:
Origin – select an origin or other mythology story from the tribe or area you choose that illustrates the world view or belief system of that tribe or area.
Subsistence – this area should include a description of the geography of the land the tribe inhabits, their seasonal patterns, foods, housing, clothing, etc.
Social/Political – describe the tribal government, their kinship patterns, societies, child-rearing practices, warfare issues.
Religion and Language – describe the tribe’s ceremonial medicine and healing practices, art, and language use.
Current status of the tribe today – Describe how they are doing and what they are doing. Where do the people live in relation to their traditional homeland? What is their population? What is their political status and/or their economic status?
Compare and Contrast: What are some common features the two tribes share? What are the major differences?
AMIND 110 Contrast and Comparison Grading Rubric-1.docx
Compare and Contrast Culture Area List of Case Studies-1.docx

AMIND 110 Contrast and Comparison Grading Rubric
Pick two North American Indigenous nations that are in the same cultural-geographic
area. You cannot choose Indigenous nations that have been covered by the Sutton text
or a lecture as a case study. 5-7 pages plus works cited page.
Your paper will include the following topics for the two Indigenous nations you choose:
1. Origin – select an origin or other mythology story from the tribe or area you choose
that illustrates the world view or belief system of that tribe or area.
(5 points per tribe, total 10 points)
2. Subsistence – this area should include a description of the geography of the land
the tribe inhabits, their seasonal patterns, foods, housing, clothing, etc.
(5 points per tribe, total 10 points)
3. Social/Political – describe the tribal government, their kinship patterns, societies,
child-rearing practices, warfare issues.
(5 points for Social and 5 points for the Political information per tribe, total 20 points)
4. Religion and Language – describe the tribe’s ceremonials medicine and healing
practices, art, and language use.
(5 points for Religion and 5 points for Language per tribe, total 20 points)
5. Current status of the tribe today – Describe how they are doing and what they are
doing. Where do the people live in relation to their traditional homeland? What is
their population? What is their political status and/or their economic status?
(10 points per tribe)
6. Compare and Contrast: What are some common features the two tribes share?
What are the major differences? (10 points per tribes)

Creative writing in response to literature is a way for students to respond to literature in a personal way. Creative writing provides a way for students to practice critical thinking and develop a stronger understanding of literary criticism while showing creativity and a bit of their own personalities. For this creative writing assignment, you will do a character analysis to allow you to get inside the mind of one of the characters.
“Rip Van Winkle” and “Young Goodman Brown” are told as third-person narratives, not as first-person narratives. The difference is that a third-person narrative presents the characters to us in the words of a narrator rather than from the words of the characters themselves. The story contains descriptions such as “Rip Van Winkle did this” or “Young Goodman Brown said that,” but it’s not as if the characters themselves are telling everything from their perspective. Of course, sometimes they speak in the story, but they do not get to tell the story or what they thinking or feeling. It is up to the reader to determine what the characters might be thinking or feeling.
For this assignment, choose one of the following options:
(A) Imagine you are Rip Van Winkle’s daughter, Judith, writing a journal entry after her father reappears after 20 years. Try to get into the mind of Judith. Be imaginative and creative. Pretend you are Judith and have just seen your father after he has been missing for 20 years. You will not be retelling the plot of the story; you will be Judith reflecting on the events of the day. In this journal entry you can put down whatever thoughts she might have using absolute frankness and honesty. 
OR
(B) Imagine you are Young Goodman Brown writing a journal entry the day after the events described in the story. Try to get into the mind of Goodman Brown. Be imaginative and creative. Pretend you are Goodman Brown and have just experienced the events described in the story. You will not be retelling the plot of the story; you will be Goodman Brown interpreting and reflecting on the events of the day. In this journal entry you can put down whatever thoughts Goodman Brown might have using absolute frankness and honesty. 
Criteria: Write a minimum 400 words in paragraph form, using Times New Roman 12-point font (or similar) with double spacing. A title page is not required.
Submit as a Microsoft Word attachment on the submission page (click title above). Assignments not submitted in this way may be returned to you ungraded.
use this resource https://www.ibiblio.org/ebooks/Irving/Winkle/Irving_Winkle.pdf

You learned the definition of the American Dream in this week’s lecture. You also learned about the American identity. Traits often associated with the American identity include boldness, confidence, perseverance, and integrity. These traits are often demonstrated through a character’s words or actions. This week, we’ll focus on boldness. How is boldness reflected in the characters of Rebecca Harding Davis’s story? Choose two characters from “Life in the Iron Mills” and explain how boldness applies to them in the story.
Criteria:
300 words minimum (excluding quotations and citations)
Include two properly integrated and cited direct quotations (one related to each character) to support your claims. See the Literary Analysis Tools Module from this week’s activities for information about integrating and citing direct quotations.
use this resource https://www.gutenberg.org/files/876/876-h/876-h.ht…

An explanation (in at least 100) words of how the song lyrics or an image or two from the video compares with your concept of the American Dream.
When you think of the American Dream, what do you think of? For some, John Mellencamp’s “Little Pink Houses” exemplifies many of the ideals related to the American Dream. As you watch the video below, think about the images presented both in the song lyrics and the video. How do these images relate to your understanding of the American Dream?

An explanation (in at least 100) words of how the song lyrics or an image or two from the video compares with your concept of the American Dream.
When you think of the American Dream, what do you think of? For some, John Mellencamp’s “Little Pink Houses” exemplifies many of the ideals related to the American Dream. As you watch the video below, think about the images presented both in the song lyrics and the video. How do these images relate to your understanding of the American Dream?

Write a 3 page monograph from this book using the rubrics I have provided. Follow the rubrics I have attached. Make the font and size and style exactly how the rubric says, and answer every question. Cite the sources exactly how the prompt says, and create footnote as the rubric says.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20203/20203-h/2020…

This week you will examine the history of the American Civil War as well as the ways in which the war has been interpreted and remembered. In addition to reading Chapter 15 in the textbook, you will view a lecture by historian Gary Gallagher as you prepare to contribute to this forum. I am leaving things pretty open this week, with the hope that you will be able to creatively and productively explore the ways in which the Civil War has been characterized. Please share your thoughts with others in the class regarding the importance of considering how Americans have thought about the war. While you may choose to take the discussion in a direction of your choosing, some topics we might probe include: The idea of the “Lost Cause,” differences between the North and South in understandings of the war, the impact of historical understandings on society, and the ongoing challenges of achieving a common understanding of the past.
The Civil War in American Memory
Submit your original response to this forum by the deadline. You must also read and respond to the postings submitted by at least two other students by this same deadline.

OVERVIEW OF LESSON
Having read the assigned selections, students will compose and edit draft of Mini Research essay.
STUDENTS’ LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Write a five-page mini research essay (1250+ words double-spaced), excluding the Works Cited page; must use MLA format (Refer to the Sample Paper in Purdue Owl as a model.)
• Demonstrate ability to analyze and synthesize primary and secondary sources effectively.
• Use in-text citations effectively; must use citations from the primary and secondary sources throughout the entire paper, but only one (1) long quote.
• Demonstrate an awareness of plagiarism by not exceeding over 10% of plagiarism being detected; this does not include quotes.
SPECIFIC ACTIVITY OF LESSON
1) Compose research essay. Review previous lessons for guidelines and peer reviewed articles.
ASSESSMENT
Students will be evaluated based upon the reading of the play. Note: The youtube video is designed to provide another medium for understanding aspects of the play. It does NOT substitute for reading. All quizzes, responses, and writings must be support from actual reading of the play. The play is REQUIRED READING!