Essay

Required length: 5-7 pages not including the Works Cited

This assignment requires students to use the ideas from our readings to develop a research project on the contributions of certain ethnic markets or communities in America. Your purpose in Assignment #3 is to devise your own argument about your chosen subject and to support your argument using your ethnographic research and library research in developing your arguments. You must use your observational and interview data and direct citations from at least one (1) course reading and at least three (3) sources from the library databases. In your essay, you should formulate a clear and focused thesis and provide a detailed account of your evidence.

For Assignment #3, you are required to submit a one-page research outline describing your research project and preliminary findings. Once again, your outline must include a working thesis, your major points (or what you think will be your points), and as evidence relevant ethnographic data and three (3) sources—at least one (1) course reading and at least two (2) outside source—you plan to use in your paper. You should also include a Works Cited page. The purpose of this outline is to give you a chance to see your argument on paper to be sure it makes sense and seems appropriate before writing the first draft. It will also give me a chance to intervene if you are on the wrong track or if I can be helpful in some way.

As mentioned earlier, this assignment is to be driven largely by your own research and thinking. We had an in-depth discussion on how to conduct and use ethnographic research for Assignment #2, so we focus on library research here. You should be doing library research before and as you write, not after you have completed the first draft.

As Paley Librarians will certainly tell you, research is NOT a process in which you try to find the perfect source to back up your argument. Such a source will not exist and you’ll only find yourself frustrated if you go searching for it. Instead, you should focus on finding sources that are adjacent to your topic, and then use your own analytical skills to create the connection between your argument and the arguments or evidence of others.

Research and writing are thoroughly connected. Your research process will involve you reading, thinking, taking notes, and exploring the databases and our readings to figure out what you want to write. Then, as you continue writing, you should go back into the research process again to get new ideas or to find additional sources. Sometimes your argument shifts or changes as you find new sources, and this is a good sign that you are doing research-based writing correctly. Don’t be afraid to change direction in writing the first draft—you can always improve or clarify your draft in your revision process. However, if your first draft is different from your research proposal, you should write a paragraph that explains why.

We will spend a fair amount of time in class identifying interesting topics, developing research questions, and crafting solid arguments. Remember that, in a short paper like this, you cannot write something meaningful about the contributions of all ethnic markets or communities in the country, nor can you write about every contribution that certain ethnic markets or communities have made in America. However, you can make a significant argument about a few major contributions of certain ethnic markets or communities; that should be your goal.

Topics:

1. Ethnic food markets can offer Americans in cities such as Philadelphia many benefits such as access to less expensive, healthier food with fewer additives, as well as intercultural interactions and authentic experiences. In the article “Why Should You Shop at Ethnic Grocery Stores,” Stefan Zajic makes the argument that more Americans should venture into ethnic neighborhoods to experience such markets despite fears they may have of visiting unknown neighborhoods. Similarly, in “Ethnic Market Scout: Mediterranean around D.C.,” Vered Guttman discovers the thrill of exploring a Persian market noting how ethnic markets often give one access to groceries difficult to get elsewhere, while also acknowledging that some of her friends would not want to do the same.

Choose a type of an ethnic market that serves a particular ethnic community (such as Chinese, Indian, Italian, Korean, Middle Eastern, Vietnamese) and develop an argument about its role in the broader society beyond its local community. Should outsiders to communities where ethnic markets are located be encouraged to go to the markets and overcome fears of entering unknown neighborhoods and perceived linguistic or racial barriers? What would make their adventure worth stepping out of their comfort zone?

Use your own observations and interviews to support your claims. For example, you could interview market clerks and ask how many outsiders tend to visit this market and whether their needs/goals for coming to the market seem to differ from locals. You could also interview other Temple students and see if they claim to ever go to ethnic markets that are not in their own communities and their reasons for going or not going.

2. Originally aiming to serve the ethnic population, ethnic communities have played important roles by providing economic and cultural support to residents as well as new immigrants. In the article “The Ninth Street Market and South Philadelphia,” Joan Saverino presents “neighborhood change, gentrification, and interethnic relationship in the past and into cotemporary times.” In the article, “The New Chinatown: An Influx of Entrepreneurs and Diners Is Adding More Diverse Tastes and Vibrancy to the Neighborhood,” Craig Laban also discusses changes in Chinatown which have brought vibrancy as a consequence of the increased populations of new members.

Choose an ethnic community (e.g., Little Italy (Italian market), Chinatown, Mexicantown, Koreatown, Vietnamese town, or Cambodia town), and develop an argument about the complexity of the ethnic community or the contributions that ethnic food markets have made to the ethnic community. How is the ethnic community distinctive from other ethnic communities? What are the main residents and members there? How does the community contribute to the larger society? In what ways have the ethnic markets made the life of the ethnic population better? How have they contributed to the economy of the ethnic community? How do they help the community to recreate their distinct culture? These are some of the questions you can consider while you are exploring your topic.

Research your chosen ethnic community and learn as much as you can about your topic. In addition, visit an ethnic neighborhood and interview some people there about their perceptions and views about the importance of the ethnic markets and restaurants in the community.

The due dates are as follows.

· Outline and Presentation Due: Tuesday, April 10

(Upload Outline to Turnitin on Canvas & bring fifteen copies.)

· Individual conferences: Thursday, April 12

· Draft 1 Due: Thursday, April 19

(Upload Draft 1 to Turnitin on Canvas & bring two copies.)

· Final Draft Due: Thursday, April 26

(Upload the final draft to Turnitin on Canvas.)

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