Final Paper Assignment Sheet
Final Paper Assignment Sheet
Description:
Find a text (novel, comic, movie, play, poem, etc.,) that we have not discussed in class and discuss how the ideas of colonialism/post-colonialism are enacted through it. Some major questions to ask:
Is there an indigenous population being colonized?
To what end?
What are some of the methods of colonization that are being employed? Economics,
education, ideology, culture, etc.
How is resistance enacted, if at all?
This paper will require additional research; you will need to track down sources that discuss the ways colonialism/postcolonialism functions in literature and the physical world. You may note specific methods of oppression in the text you’re using, and you’d then need to argue how it fits into a colonial framework (it usually does, though.)
Key Points:
- What instances in the text show colonial oppression/post-colonial resistance? Be sure to cite the text.
- What is the theoretical backing for your reading? (this will require additional research. Great places to start include Edward Said’s Orientalism, and the essay collections Reweaving the World and The Empire Writes Back.)
- Why does this reading of the text matter? Is it substantially different from current
readings? Is there not much research done on your text, so you’re hoping to increase the body of knowledge? Does it undermine colonial norms or culturally imperialistic systems? In short, why should other people care about this paper?
1750-2500 words, 4+ sources including your source text
Essay Format, MLA style, 12 pt. Times New Roman, Single-Spaced, submitted on eLearn
