TIP 1: Read each question carefully and outline your essays before beginning to write. Make sure you answer each part of the prompt and carefully proofread your exam.
TIP 2: When relevant, refer to specific course readings and concepts (include author and page number in parentheses). The more your essay demonstrates your familiarity with course readings, terms, and themes, the higher your grade will be.
TIP 3: Do not use ANY sources outside of this course for your essays.
TIP 4: You do not need to cite my lectures. The information I present is now part of our shared body of knowledge, so there's no need to say things like "As Professor Lane said," or "In your lecture..." Just present the information in your own words.
SHORT ESSAY (100 points each): Short essays should be approximately 2 pages long. You must answer either question 1a or 1b, and everyone must answer question 2.
1. Choose to answer either A or B below.
A. Please explain, in your own words, what "intersectionality" is and why it is important to the study of American culture. I would like you to then explain how the concept of intersectionality helps us understand the experiences of African American domestic workers in the mid-20th century, using at least three specific examples from The Maid Narratives, with page numbers.
B. What is paternalism (define in your own words)? How did this concept shape the relationship between white employers and black domestics in the Jim Crow south? What were some of the negative results of this paternalistic way of thinking and behaving? Please use at least three specific examples from The Maid Narratives, with page numbers.
2. The second-wave feminist movement was actually comprised of many different groups using different methods to fight for different forms of gender equality. Choose three feminist issues discussed in the readings and/or film and for each issue explain: 1) what feminists were fighting for or against; 2) what steps they took to advance their cause; and 3) how successful their efforts were.
You must cite both the documentary Makers and at least two course readings from the section on feminism (use page numbers for all quotations from readings; when quoting the documentary just include the film's name in your sentence or in parentheses after the quotation). At some point in your essay make sure you define feminism or what it means to be a feminist in your own words. (Note: The question asks you to discuss three feminist issues, not three individual feminists.)
AMST 301
Summer 2015
Professor Lane
2-
LONG ESSAY: This essay should be approximately 3-4 pages.
Resistance is a tricky concept; it can take many forms, some subtle and some direct. What different forms of resistance have the groups we've discussed employed over American history? (Remember, sometimes different members of the same group resist in different ways, so be specific and don't overgeneralize.) Discuss at least three examples of resistance from this course, each from a different time period we studied. (If you choose to discuss an example from the second-wave feminist movement you must cover different topics than you did in essay #2.)
For each example, be sure to explain: 1) What time period you are discussing; 2) Who was doing the resisting; 3) What they were resisting; 4) What form their resistance took (e.g., what they did or did not do); and 5) How effective their resistance was. In your conclusion, please discuss which form or forms of resistance you believe have been the most effective or significant in shaping American culture. You need to cite at least three different course readings or videos in this essay (with page numbers, unless you're discussing a film or video).