Write two papers (5-7 pages each). These will allow you to delve more deeply into topics and issues raised in discussion. You will be asked to choose a specific and focused topic, construct a strong thesis that argues for a particular position, and use evidence from the texts to support your argument. One of the papers will take the form of a hypertext essay, with links to online resources uncovered by your group webwork. This essay must be submitted in print and digital form (on a new, virus-free diskette) so that it can be published on the course website.

1. Discuss the way Native American identity is defined in the text (individually, tribally, and/or in relation to the dominant culture). In what ways do specific social forces work to construct or deconstruct a coherent sense of identity? How is this identity expressed or represented in the book?
   
   
2. Analyze the author's use of history in his or her work. Show how specific historical moments or events are represented in the text and how they add to our understanding of the narrative events in the book. In what ways is "History" (the dominant culture's view of events) rewritten from a tribal perspective?
   
   
3. Examine how oral traditions are inscribed in the text. How do particular stories (creation stories or myths) included or referred to by the author help the reader understand important themes of the work? In what ways is the structure of the text informed by elements of the oral tradition (participation, performance, repetition, fragmentation)?
   
   
4. Explore the types of journeys (physical, spiritual, psychological) undertaken in the text. How do Native American understandings of time and space inform the representations of movement through time and space in the book? What role does the land play in these narrative journeys?
   
   
5. Analyze the role of religion (native, Christian, or syncretic) in the text. What forms do religious beliefs and practices take? What purposes do they serve?
   
   
6. Discuss the process of cultural adaptation as represented in the text. What changes occur as part of an elective process of acculturation? What changes occur as part of a forced process of assimilation? In what ways is cultural adaptation represented as a means of survival or resistance?
   
   
7. Examine the use of information technologies and media (print, radio, video, film) in and by the text. How are changes in information technologies (from oral to written to electronic) represented in the text? In what ways are new technologies and media used to represent tribal values?
   
   
8. Choose a topic of your own, but clear it with me first.

• Paper #1 (on Sundown, Way to Rainy Mountain, Winter in the Blood, or Ceremony) is due Monday, Feb. 14, in class.
• Paper # 2 (on Tracks, Grand Avenue, Lone Ranger and Tonto, or Smoke Signals) is due Monday, March 20, in my office or mailbox by noon. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you'd like your final paper and grades mailed to you. Otherwise you can pick up your paper during Spring quarter.
• Late papers without prior approval will be marked down 1/3 of a letter grade for each day late.
• I assume that all work turned in bearing your name will be your work. Quotations and ideas taken from other sources need to be fully acknowledged; otherwise, you are liable to the charge of plagiarism, which may result in punishments ranging from a failing grade for the paper and course to probation and expulsion from the university.
• The body of the paper must be 5-7 pages double-spaced and typed in 12 point font. If this will be your one required hypertext essay, submit the paper in print and digital form (on a new, virus-free diskette labeled with your name, the name of the file, the word-processing program used, and the computer platform) so that it can be published on the course website. If possible, save the file as html with links to online sources in your word-processing program, or underline links and type out URLs and I will convert to html when I publish it.
• You should consult at least 5 sources (online and in print) to gain the necessary cultural and historical context for the work you are writing on. If you are writing on the same text you presented on, you may use some or all of the sources you found for your presentation. If you did not present on the text you are writing about, use the linkbase to find online sources recorded by your peers.
• Use MLA style documentation for in-text citations and the Works Cited list included at the end of the paper. Follow this guide to citing online resources in a paper.
• The main focus of your paper must be a precise yet varied literary interpretation of your primary text. This means that you will need to perform close textual readings of specific "moments" from the text.
• Your paper must have a strong (i.e., focussed, clear, and non-obvious) thesis. You need not attempt a comprehensive analysis of the text, but rather pose a specific and provocative question or argument that will allow you to explore ground beyond that which was covered in class.
• Write your paper with a specific reader in mind, namely me. Assume I have read the text you're discussing but have forgotten the key passages that support your argument. Try to convince me of your way of looking at the text. Assume that I do not agree with you but can be persuaded.
• You will be graded on the strength of your thesis, the coherence and clarity of your argument, the accuracy of your use of textual evidence (i.e., quotes), and the overall polish of your paper. The paper should be free of spelling and grammar errors. This means proofread and use spellcheck!
• CLAS (Campus Learning Assistance Services) provides drop-in tutoring and appointments through their Writing Lab. You can get help there at any time during the process of writing your paper (from the idea to the draft stage).
• I'm happy to see you during my office hours or by appointment to discuss your paper. I encourage you to come by sooner rather than later.