REQUIRED WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT – HI 27, SPR2019 ONLINE
For the paper assignment, you will read and write about ONE of the following articles found in the Delta College library databases and answer the questions for the article you have chosen:
1. Genna Rae McNeil, “The Body, Sexuality, and Self-Defense in State v. Joan Little, 1974-1975”, The Journal of African American History, Vol. 93, No. 2, Discourses on Race, Sex and African American Citizenship (Spring, 2008), pp. 235-261
Address the following question in your paper: According to the article, what assumptions about sex and race did Joan Little have to overcome in order to win her legal case in 1975? Why was it significant that Little testified on her own behalf at the trial?
Warning: The McNeil article is about a sexual assault case.
2. Elizabeth R. Escobedo, “The Pachuca Panic: Sexual and Cultural Battlegrounds in World War II Los Angeles”, The Western Historical Quarterly, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Summer, 2007), pp. 133-156
Address the following question in your paper: According to the article, who were “pachucas” in the context of World War II-era Los Angeles and why did they “panic” both Anglo and Mexican immigrant communities?
3. Andrea Tone, “Black Market Birth Control: Contraceptive Entrepreneurship and Criminality in the Gilded Age”, The Journal of American History, Vol. 87, No. 2 (Sep., 2000), pp. 435-459
Address the following question in your paper: According to the article, why did Americans continue to purchase and produce birth control after it became illegal and how did they get away with it?
At the end of the paper, after the Works Cited Page, you will also include a short paragraph on your writing. In this paragraph, comment on what you think you did well with your writing and writing skills you would like to improve. This is about your writing process – not whether you liked the article or not! Twenty point deductions from papers that do not have this reflection paragraph.
How to Get the Articles for the Paper Assignment
You can get the articles from the online databases at the Delta library website. Here’s how you do it:
1. Click on Library Resources on the left hand menu in the Canvas course. This allows you to search the library database right from the class site.
2. Along the top of the Library Resources screen, click on “Individual Periodical Titles”
3. When the next screen pops up, type in the title of the journal that you want to search, such as Journal of American History. Click on the green Search button.
4. You will then get a list of journals with the one you want at the top with a search box underneath it. In the search box, type in the beginning of the article you are searching for (for example Nurse Gordon on Trial or Pachuca Panic). Hit the search symbol (magnifying glass icon) next to the search box or just hit “return”.
5. Your article will then show up – it is easier just to download the pdf and then you can print it out and mark it up as you are reading it.
THAT’S IT! J
Writing and Turning in Final Paper Guidelines
• No hard copy papers accepted – must be turned in electronically in Canvas (instructions below).
• About 80% of your paper should be in your words. You will use some quotes from your source but they should not make up the bulk of your paper.
• You can use other sources, such as your textbook, but the assignment is about how well you read the article and answered the paper prompt question – this is NOT a research paper, but a close analysis of one source. Using other sources is not encouraged or required – in fact, it can count against you. The vast majority of students will only use the article they chose from the list as their source.
• No ‘recycling’ from other papers you may have done. This must be an original submission for this class session.
• Must use at least one cited quote from your article of choice. You must use either MLA or Chicago Style citation format. You will include a Works Cited page or Bibliography with a full citation of the article at the end of the paper.
• Essay must be 900-1200 words in length, double-spaced, one inch margins all around with a 10 or 12 size font that is clear and easily readable (no fancy fonts, italics, all bold). Ten point automatic deduction if paper is not double-spaced!
• Underline your thesis! Your paper needs a thesis and it should be located in the first paragraph, typically located at the end of the first paragraph
• Keep personal comments/reactions about the article out of the paper. Maintain academic tone — no slang unless it is quoted from a source, use formal English throughout the paper, no conversational tone.
A note on Plagiarism: This paper needs to be in your own words – plagiarism (passing off someone else’s work as your own) will not be tolerated. This is not a group assignment. Consequences range from a 0 grade on the assignment all the way to suspension from school. All cases of plagiarism and cheating will be referred to the Vice President’s office!