Description
Goal
Develop your understanding of our current ten terms.
Connect vocab terms to additional content regarding eugenics.
Analyze two poems.
Summarize the history of eugenics in America.
Essay Introduction
Believe it or not, we have traveled some distance in our class, especially conceptually. I would like to put some of these concepts to use in our first essay. This essay is a Definition and Reflection essay. Using the material from:
Adam Cohen’s introductory paragraph from Imbeciles.
The Hidden Brain podcast, “Emma, Carrie, and Vivian: How a Family Became a Test Case for Forced Sterilization
(Links to an external site.)
.”
Molly McCully Brown’s two poems
in The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded.
I would like you to identify moments from at least TWO texts where you can identify our vocabulary as useful.
It is incredibly important in this essay that you EXPLICITLY discuss how our vocabulary connects to any of the texts that you decide to use. This will fulfill the DEFINITION side of your essay. To help with this, let’s review:
Review
First, let’s revisit what vocab we have covered: Othering, The Other, Exclusion, Inclusion, De-humanization, Humanization, Hierarchy, Marginalize, Access, and Privilege.
Ask yourself, are these terms comfortable enough for you to utilize in analyzing these texts?
Where can you go to review these terms, so you do feel like you can connect them to our study on eugenics in American history?
If you are still feeling uncertain and need a boost, please go to the Q&A Cafe and post a question, or come to my office hour over Zoom, or message me on Canvas, or email me.
General Questions to Help Jump Start Your Thoughts
For the REFLECTION portion of the essay, ask yourself:
Where do I see these ideas apply inside any of three texts mentioned?
In what way do they connect to these texts? What specific word or concept link them together?
Does the material from which we read open up the word more clearly for me? How so?
Is there a remainder in this connection that deserves addressing? What might be left over or unacknowledged?
Why does this connecting word mean so much to me? Why does it feel so significant? Does it lead to another connection, a bigger, or more comprehensive observations about Othering in general?
How is my understanding of Othering growing and changing?
NOTE: The important thing for this essay is that you find the connection between vocabulary and text. The next is to explain that connection using quotes or paraphrasing as well as analysis. It is too easy to leave it at a page number, but remember that offering your reasoning as to why these things are connected is incredibly important.
To quote: to use word-for-word the spoken or written language of someone else within a quote set and proper citation.
To paraphrase: to use your own vocabulary or wording to express the ideas or thoughts of someone else.
To analyze: to break down larger ideas into the smaller pieces to see how they fit together.
Important Requirements
Please attend to these particular requirements while creating your essay:
Word Count: 1,000-1,250
Offer a definition of each term that you employ, using their own words or the words from our previous modules.
Make sure to EXPLAIN why a vocab word connects to the a particular part of the each text.
Be sure to choose AT LEAST TWO texts from this list above.
Please be sure to use EXAMPLES from these texts to help your explanations,
Check our MLA Formatting requirements below.
NOTE: You do not have to use all ten vocab terms, but I do recommend using at least 2-4 per text.
MLA Formatting Requirements
MLA formatting requirements can seem overwhelming at first. I do understand. For the purposes of this essay, let’s do an informal introduction. Before I begin, consider checking out EasyBib’s MLA Formatting guide
(Links to an external site.)
.
Here is another list to consider when setting up MLA Formatting:
1” Margins
12 pt Font
Times New Roman
Header
Heading
Title
Indent new Paragraphs