PAPER #2 PREWRITING

Review the requirements for the paper and then do the following:

• Using MS Word, write a paragraph that does the following:
  • Identify the texts and authors you are specifically interested in writing about.
  • Write several sentences about why you are interested in this text. If you are looking at multiple texts, what specifically ties them together beyond them being on the same syllabus in terms of issues or themes?
  • What is the overall topic you want to write about concerning these texts? Examples might be religion, slavery, conquest, indigenous people, a specific "American" value, etc.
  • Transform that general topic into a specific thesis that you will need to prove. For example, you could take the topic of "indigenous people" and craft a thesis that specifically argues that "While Europeans often saw Native Americans as 'savages,' several white European writers sought common cultural ground with the indigenous populations, providing a tantalizing alternative to the racist persecution of the Native Americans that ultimately drove them from their lands."
  • Are there topics/issues related to your topic that might not deal directly with your text (like a psychological theory, an economic issue, a sociological perspective, etc.) that might enhance your argument?
    
    
• Post this response on the "Paper #2: Prewriting" discussion board forum
  • Give a specific topic description beyond the name of the author in the subject line so that people will have a more specific understanding of what you are going to write about.
  • Copy and paste your paragraph into the message.
  • Attach a copy of the MS Word file as well.