Assessment 3

Essay 2

Essay worth 40%

Due June 22, 2022

Choose one essay question and write an essay of 2000 words. Answer one question only.

FAQ

1. You may use any recognised referencing style.

2. There is no set number of references required, but it is expected that your essay will demonstrate

clearly that you have engaged with the subject readings and lectures.

3. You may cite the lectures. It should be referenced as follows, Buchanan Lecture X.

Your essay will be evaluated against the following criteria:

(1)Thesis statement: Clearly and concisely states the essay’s purpose and demonstrates the relevance of

the content of the essay to the question. Contains a declarative sentence that is engaging and thought

provoking.

(2)Using evidence: uses externally sourced academic material, such as research findings, facts, quotations,

or other forms of information to support a more general claim, idea or argument.

(3)Developing argument: constructs a coherent and convincing set of reasons for holding a particular point

of view.

(4)Critical evaluation: contains evaluative assertions or descriptive points about the value, significance,

strengths and/or weaknesses of elements referred to in the essay.

(5)Structuring: formal arrangement of the essay that supports the development of ideas within the essay.

Has clearly recognisable introductory and concluding paragraphs, and paragraphs in the main body of the

essay each have a clear, single concept or point as their main focus.

(6)Use of Language: adheres to conventions of written English (word choice, grammar, punctuation and

spelling) and is appropriate to the purpose and context.

(7)Referencing: correct and consistent referencing and full bibliography.

Question 1

Tsing argues that frontiers appear to be highly localised, but the financial incentives and imperatives

that underpin them are highly globalised (see p 58 of Friction: An Ethnography of Global Capitalism).

Discuss.

Question 2

Macarena Gómez-Barris claims that experimental art (of all varieties, including film, literature, and

visual arts) cam open a window into the Mapuche people’s ‘worldview’ (see p 69 The Extractive

Zone).

Question 3

It is not clear whether the Standing Rock protests captured global media attention because

Indigenous people’s rights were at stake or because of a more general anti-oil sentiment. Discuss.

Question 4

According to Michael L. Cepek’s account of the concept of the Cofán people’s encounter with oil

companies shows that it is highly ambivalent: on the one hand, the oil companies bring jobs,

consumer goods, contact with the outside world, and so on, but on the other hand, they bring

destruction of the natural environment, sickness, and loss of cultural heritage. Discuss.

Question 5

A key theme of this subject has been the observation that Indigenous peoples – specifically the

Indigenous people of Australia, the Yanomami of Brazil, the Mapuche of Chile, the Dakota peoples of

the U.S., and the Cofán of Ecuador) – can teach non-indigenous peoples to understand western

values in a different way. Discuss with reference to at least 2 of the case studies we have covered.