Border Analysis Assignment

 In class and on paper, we have practiced cultural analysis—in magazines, in media, in toys, and in essays. In this paper, I want you to analyze the border of your choosing. Although you may choose a physical border (such as a national border, for example), I would urge you to consider the wide variety of borders that we have identified and discussed in class as you select your topic.

In your analysis, you are going to want to describe or define your border, analyze its constituent parts, and explore the meaning that border has in our culture. Your essay should have a central thesis that you defend throughout the paper, using examples from a text in our book, your experience, the media, or class discussions. Do not consult sources outside of your Beyond Borders textbook.

Regardless of what border you analyze, your analysis should also critique, that is, speculate about the cultural values inherent in the thing you are analyzing. What cultural myths or realities does the border reproduce or challenge? What cultural values does its existence suggest?

Get creative. Write about something you find fascinating. Analysis is a means of learning more about a topic, so be ready to ask questions and teach yourself a thing or two.

Paper Requirements:

            1) Length: 4-5 pages, or 1200-1600 words (you should get on to the fifth page)

            2) Quotations: You are required to have at least one quotation from the essay of your choosing in our Beyond Borders text. Choose an essay that supports or refutes either your (central) thesis or one or more of your claims.

3) Citation: You must use proper MLA documentation for your quotations. You will need a Works Cited page in the proper format (article or essay from an anthology), which you can find in your Keys for Writers handbook.

 DUE DATES:

First draft:         Section HE: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 (two paper copies for peer review)

                        Sections HJ and HM: Thursday, February 19, 2004 (two paper copies for peer review)

Final draft:        Section HE: Wednesday, February 25, 2004

                        Sections HJ and HM: Thursday, February 26, 2004

This paper is worth 25% of your final grade and should be thoroughly rewritten and/or revised several times before you turn it in. Students who fail to turn in this assignment cannot pass the course.