Cultures Meet in the Americas: An Integrative Essay
Web Resources for This Assignment
A collection of texts: religious, creation stories, and mythology from traditional Native American cultures.
Jackson, Second Annual Message
George Catlin, The Story of Wijinjon
Native American Resource Center
This assignment requires you to consider the
interaction between European American and Native American cultures.
Specifically, you will try to determine whether these two very different
cultures are compatible.
Now, in retrospect we know the consequences
of this interaction, based on the historical record. One interpretation of that
record suggests that Native American cultures were completely overwhelmed by
European cultures. However, this interpretation is certainly an
over-simplification. A visit to any reservation in the United States or to an
urban Native American community--or a virtual visit to a Native American
website, for that matter--would reveal that Native American cultures have not
disappeared. In fact, many of these cultures are vibrant.
At the same time, however, any study of the
power dynamics between Native American and European cultures would reveal that
the Europeans have frequently dominated, at least on the large scale. The
movement of the frontier line through the North American colonies and later
across the nation was often determined by the ability of European Americans to
overwhelm Native American opposition.
Whatever the reality of the interaction, the
question remains: Given the proper circumstances, could traditional Native
American cultures have co-existed alongside European American cultures, with
both remaining relatively intact and viable?
As you respond to this question, you will
want to address some of the fundamental characteristics of the two cultures,
especially related to such basic issues as the relationship between the
individual and the group, authority, economic systems, religious beliefs, and
attitudes towards the natural environment.
Your Assignment: Write an essay of at least five paragraphs that
presents your position on the above question in addition to your argument
supporting that position. Be sure to build your argument using concrete
examples taken from the online text, the online reader, and internet resources
on contemporary Native American groups. Don't, for example, simply say that
Native Americans respected the environment. Support this assertion with an
example or two from a particular Native American culture. Your use of examples
will help you to develop otherwise vague and nearly meaningless generalizations
(such as "Native Americans respected the environment.")
You will need to deal in roughly equal
proportion with both European and Native American cultures in order to build an
effective argument to support your position.
ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF AN ESSAY
- An introduction, a body, and a conclusion: In a short essay such as this your introduction
and conclusion should be one paragraph each. The body should consist of at
least 3 paragraphs. As a general rule, a sufficiently developed paragraph
in an academic essay should consist of at least 5 sentences.
- A thesis statement: Your thesis statement is one sentence that
clearly and concisely states your position. The rest of the paper is the
argument that you construct to support the thesis statement. A thesis
statement should not simply be a statement of fact, because there is no
need to construct an argument to support a simple statement of fact. A
thesis statement should represent a position that others could conceivably
argue with. A thesis statement typically appears in the introduction of
the essay, though it is not often the first sentence in the introduction.
A good thesis statement is vital to your essay's success because it
defines the focus and purpose of your essay. If you are unable to write a
good thesis statement, you are probably not very sure of what you want to
say. Perhaps more important, the thesis statement determines the structure
and content of your argument.
- Documentation: In
your two integrative essays, you will be using sources that are not
required reading for the course.
In that case, you will need to document your use of those sources,
with in-text citations as well as a Works Cited. If you need to brush up on documentation, visit the
DDLS (Distance Degree Library Services) style guides page at http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/electric/library/tutorial.html
This site offers
links to a variety of guides. I
would suggest using the MLA system due to its simplicity. Essentially, you must document your use
of any source apart from our required readings. You ’Äúuse’Äù a source in two types of situations:
1) when you quote from it, in which case you will use
quotation marks
2) when you paraphrase the ideas in it, in which case you
use your own words
In both instances you should use a parenthetical citation.
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You should submit your assignment directly to the Distance Degree Program |
©1996, Washington State University
For information contact: Richard Hines
Updated 6-6-1999