Essay 1: Nineteenth Century Social and Cultural Histories Due: Friday, March 18 by 5:00 pm via Moodle upload Friendly reminder: Paper deadlines have a 48-hour grace period so you can submit up to 5:00 pm on Sunday, March 20 without penalty. Review late paper policies on the syllabus. Choose ONE of the following options:

1. Social Relations How did military and political leaders of the independence and early postcolonial periods perceive the role of Indigenous and Black communities in the nation building process?

2. Cultural Representation How did travel writers and novelists of the independence and early postcolonial periods represent gender, race and/or class in everyday life?

• PAGE/WORD LIMIT: o 5 pages typed and double spaced, 12-point font o 1250 words minimum, 1500 words maximum

• EXPECTATIONS: o Define your paper topic, central thesis, and supporting arguments with precision: Who are your

subjects? What are your subtopics? What is your periodization? What are your key analytical points/interpretations?

o Organize your thoughts logically and systematically around subarguments that support the central thesis

o Engage both primary and secondary sources rigorously to provide sufficient context and evidence for your analysis

o Be attentive to various periods within the nineteenth century in order to identify change, or lack of it, and to avoid generalizations

o Use the Writing Checklist posted on Moodle to develop your writing and proofread your essay • REQUIRED SOURCES:

o A selection of at least 4 primary sources in chapters 3-5 of LAV (A Taste of Independence, Creating National Identities, The Perils of Progress)

o Relevant contextual information in chapters 4-6 BBF (Independence, Postcolonial Blues, Progress)

• OPTIONAL SUPPLEMENTARY SOURCES o lecture and discussion notes o Moodle Forums

• CITATIONS o CMS citations required (either footnotes or endnotes are fine) o CMS bibliography required (does not count towards page/word limit) o Paper title required, but no separate title page necessary o Chicago Manual of Style Online: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html o Be selective with source selection, but rigorous with source engagement; BOTH primary and

secondary sources must be engaged; seek a balance between the two • SUBMISSION:

o Submit your essays in WORD format ONLY. ITS provides Word software for free to all Oxy students. Conversely, you can create a Google doc and save it in Word OR use a campus computer. Do not submit the paper in RTP, PDF, and other formats as I use Word track changes for feedback.