Assignment Page

Could you all double check the following debates for your partiicpation.  I think we are all set except for the final debates with regard to immigration and globalization.  Feel free to rework and recombine these so that (if necessary) we can drop the number of debates by one if you wish.  Talk to your potential partner(s) and let me know.

Take Home Final Exam Questions

You must do at least one of the following questions.  If you only did one question from the midterm, you must do two for the final, in which case you must choose one from Group C and one from Group D.  If you did two questions on the midterm, you may choose any option below except Group D, Question 2.

Group C. 

Question 1: Student meets curator

Revisit one of the two museums that we have visited (or, with instructor's approval, visit another museum that you think might be appropriate).  Write a paper that pieces together the major exhibits of the museum into a coherent narrative of identity.  In other words, what is the museum saying about identity, and in particular, what does it seem to be saying about the identity of the group in question?  How does the museum's implicit narrative fit into the context of the definitions and controversies that we have discussed?

Question 2: Student meets novelist

With instructor's approval, choose a quality work of fiction (novel or short story) that addresses topics related to the course.  What claims do particular characters and/or the author appear to be making about a particular nation or nations in general.  How do these claims relate to scholarly definitions and controversies regarding the same or analogous issues.

Group D. 

Question 1: Student debates self

Address one of the eight debate topics we are dealing with in this course (or, with instructor's prior approval, introduce yet another).  As with the debates in class, be sure to identify a specific issue on which scholars disagree, present at least two sides and offer your own assessment of the merits of the various sides.

A few caveats:

1) Please use this paper to address a different debate than the one in which you have participated (or will participate).

2) If you are also answering question C1 above.  Please do not choose the debate that is related to the same group as your museum visit (i.e. if you are revisiting the Arab American National Museum for C1, please do not deal with controversies about Arab American or Arab identity here; an analogous restriction applies for the African American History museum).

Question 2: Student looks back

If (and only if) you only did one question on the midterm, you may choose from any question below in Group A or Group B.

Take Home Midterm Exam Questions

You must do at least one of the following questions.  If you only do one now, you must do two for the final.  If you do two, you must choose one from Group A and one from Group B.  Let me know if that is not clear.  As we discussed, the due date of the paper(s) is midnight on Thursday, November 1.  Please follow all formatting rules discussed at the bottom of this page and submit your work via the digital dropbox.

Group A. 

Question 1: Academic meets journalist

Find an article about (preferably a long one) from a serious and reputable news source (New York Times, Guardian, Economist, Wall Street Journal or the like) that touches on questions of ethnicity, the nation, or nationalism and analyze it from a scholarly perspective.  With reference to our readings on definitions and controversies, write a paper that analyzes the positions taken by various individuals cited in the article as well as the position taken (explicitly or implicitly) by the author of the article and assesses how particular scholars (or scholarly perspectives) might support or oppose the positions cited in the story.

Question 2: Academic meets nationalist

Find a website or other source of nationalist political writing (try http://www.hercegbosna.org/engleski/dummies.html, for example, or http://www.tamilnation.org/index.htm, or another of your choosing--though if you have any question about whether it is appropriate, please check with me.) and analyze it from a scholarly perspective.  With reference to our readings on definitions and controversies, write a paper that asses which perspectives the author(s of the materials represent and suggest how alternate definitions or alternative perspectives might be used to challenge the positions taken by the author(s). 

Group B.

Question 3: Academic meets student

Read Michael Ignatieff's essay on "The Narcissism of Small Differences" (larger, but perhaps easier to read file here).  Briefly summarize Ignatieff's key argument, construct the strongest possible counteragument, and then assess which (if any) portions of Ignatieff's argument survive the critique.

Question 4: Student meets academic (and student's own self)

"If I knew then what I know now..."  Rewrite your diagnostic paper on the topic "what is a nation?" being careful to provide a precise and specific definition and defending all of the key elements of that definition against alternative definitions (including those of your younger self).

Webquest: Due Wednesday, October 3:

Instead of coming to Cohn at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 26, go to the Teaching Resource Center of the Purdy-Kresge library (see http://www.otl.wayne.edu/location.html or  http://www.campusmap.wayne.edu/location/PURD for a map) for a presentation on research materials by Cindy Krolikowski, one of the research librarians.  On the basis of Ms. Krolikowski's presentation, complete the following two tasks and submit them to the Digital Dropbox by midnight on October 5:

1) Find and list the 10 articles/books/other texts that would be most useful for researching a particular topic, in this case the topic question depends on the groups you have formed.  For those who were not there and could not form groups, I have assigned a question, but this need not be the question you pursue in your debates:

2) In one paragraph identify which of the various databases, websites, or other portals was the most useful for the assignment and explain why.

Due September 19: Map Test (in-class)

Map Test.  See the syllabus (http://www.la.wayne.edu/polisci/nationalism/index.htm#maps) for maps from which to study.

Due September 12: Initial Contact Email

Send me an email (you can find my email address at www.la.wayne.edu/polisci/kdk) containing the email address you use most often, and (if you wish) any sites, blogs or pages that you maintain.  What is the best address for me to reach you quickly if something changes with regard to class readings or the like?  I promise not to use the information for any other purpose.

Due September 12: Diagnostic Paper

Topic: In two pages, respond to the following question: What is a nation?

Format for All Papers

• normal 1 inch margins
• 10 or 12 point type
• double-spaced
• spell-checked
• your name is on it

Examples:

• For examples of papers with nearly-perfect thesis statements, see: well-written student essays
• For more specific information on thesis statements and outlines, you can see a variety of on-line resources.  The best I have found is:

  The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing" which is a companion to Michael Harvey's book of the same name, or check Jo Guldi's del.icio.us page on writing

Submission procedure:

• Log on to blackboard (http://blackboard.wayne.edu)
• Click on the listing for this course
• Click on the digital drop box link in blue (clicking on the green button will just take you to the same page over and over again)
• Click on the button that says "Send file" (not the one that says "Add File")
• Press the Browse button to search for the file that you have written and want to send.
• Click "open" once you've found the right file.
• Assign it a name.
• Press "Submit".
• You will receive a receipt for your security.
• Submit it by 11:59:59 p.m. on the due date.  Papers submitted after this date and time automatically lose 1/3 of a grade from the final assessment.  Papers lose additional thirds of a grade for each 24 hour period that elapses until the paper arrives in the drop box.

Contact:

• If you have any questions or difficulties with either of these questions pleasecall me at 248-336-2538, visit me at 2053 FAB or email me at: