Need help with paper for Minority studies class

HUMA-2319

American Minority Studies

Summer 2015

Auto-Ethnography Project

Source List Due (typed and printed) by Tuesday, July 21st in class

Final Paper Due by 11:59PM Monday, August 3rd via Blackboard or email attachment

This assignment requires you to write an auto-ethnographic report incorporating the principles of group membership we have covered in this course. This paper needs to be between three (3) and six (6) pages, double-spaced, TYPED . Less than three (3) pages is not enough to adequately cover the subject of your life and more than six (6) pages is too long. And remember, three pages means you are doing the BARE MINIMUM (which would equate to approximately a 70% grade).

1) This project needs to begin with an exploration of your cultural heritage. Include the following: a) meaning of your name, b) nation(s) of origin or indigenous status, c) time of immigration, d) reasons for immigration, e) language(s) spoken, and f) the place where your family first settled in the U.S. If you cannot trace your family history back to entry into the United States you must research and discuss how people who belong to the same ethnic category(ies) as you have entered the United States. If your background is 100% indigenous, discuss any migration within the United States.

2) Include any stories of your ancestors that you think are important. If you have many stories, try to choose ones that you think have had long lasting effects on your family and/or you. In other words, what are the stories, experiences, traditions of your ancestors which shape your life today? If you cannot find stories of your relatives, research people with the same last name as you if possible.

3) You need to examine some of the values, behaviors, beliefs, and customs identified with your heritage. Start by discussing the values associated with your ethnic origin. If you have Anglo-European roots, describe specific characteristics of Germans, Irish, or whatever your heritage happens to be. If you have Native American, African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and/or Middle Eastern roots, describe the specific characteristics of these groups. It is in your interest to go beyond simply stating “Work ethic” or “family” as a value. You may need to do additional research on your ethnic group(s).

4) Finally, you will examine the IMPACT these forces have had on YOUR LIFE. You will need to describe how you have been influenced by these values and beliefs and in what ways you have been impacted. This is the LIVED EXPERIENCE of ethnicity. We all have this lived experience even if we do not know our ancestors. If you do not know your ancestors then you should discuss the forces which are particular to the shaping of your life (i.e. how did you become who you are now?). For this section you will be required to do some critical examination of your own beliefs and those of the various ethnic groups you may belong to. If you need to discuss this with me please feel free to do so.

5) You MUST include a reference/source page for this paper AND cite any information you get from a source other than your own brain. This also means you MUST put quotation marks around direct quotes. Even if you do paraphrase the source (put it entirely in your own words) you STILL MUST cite the source of the information, but it would not be appropriate to use quotation marks.

*Some of you may be of mixed heritage. If so, choose the roots that you think most apply to your upbringing. Similarly, some of you may be adopted. If so, describe what you know about your genetic heritage (nature) and your adopted heritage (nurture), and then highlight how both of these influences have interacted to create the person you are today.

Be organized and use subheadings in your paper. I am assuming you will use proper grammar and spelling and that you will turn in a well-written paper. Please ask me if you have any questions regarding this project.

The goal of this assignment is for you to examine your own life in relation to cultural and ethnic principles that affect groups in our society. To further this goal, with very few exceptions (e.g. an accusation of plagiarism or your paper being selected as one that will be reviewed in order to assess my meeting of the Core, etc.) I will be the only person to read this and will keep what you have stated in your paper confidential.

ALL FINAL PAPERS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY

Failure to submit your FINAL paper as an attachment on Blackboard or as an email attachment to the instructor in this format will be considered as not following the instructions and the PAPER WILL RECEIVE CONSIDERABLE DEDUCTIONS!

WRITTEN WORK GUIDELINES

Proofread your paper! Try reading your paper out loud, slowly. Listen to the “flow” of your work. If it sounds “wrong”, try rewording. This is an important step, do not omit it! It is surprising how many papers with good content receive low grades due to poor proofreading. Please come to me with any questions or concerns you have regarding this project.

The grading sheet for this assignment is attached. Please read over the grade sheet and the first section of this assignment sheet to make sure you have completed all required content areas.

WRITTEN WORK:

All written work for this course must adhere to South Plains College rules on academic integrity. In addition to the South Plains College criteria, the following requirements must be adhered to.

1) All work MUST BE typed.

2) All work MUST BE proofread for both spelling and grammar.

3) All work MUST BE original – not plagiarized – if information is not original (your own thoughts) it must have a FULL citation including original publication date, author’s name(s), publication, and title.

4) All work MUST BE formatted as follows: 1 inch margins, 12 point font, Times New Roman font, double spaced and in paragraph format.

5) MUST INCLUDE CITATIONS OF OUTSIDE MATERIAL. Do this by numbering your sources in your reference page. In the text you should use the citation number at the end of each sentence which contains information obtained from outside sources.

To submit your paper:

1) Your final draft MUST BE sent through the assignment on Blackboard as an attached file or as an e-mail attachment to [email protected]

2) All work MUST BE submitted with your NAME at the top of your first page. Failure to do so may result in a ten point deduction from your paper.

Standard American English IS NOT THE SAME AS TEXT LANGAUGE! This is not an acceptable format for written work at the college level. The following are just SOME examples of inappropriate language in collegiate written work:

1) “lol” or other text speak is NOT ACCEPTABLE

2) “u” is NOT the same as “you”

3) “ok” is NOT the same as “okay” 4) “till” is a money drawer, NOT the same as “until” 5) “cause” is the reason for something, NOT the same as “because”. 6) When some dies, they “pass on” or “have passed on”, NOT “past on”.

7) The pronoun “I” must ALWAYS be capitalized

8) Appropriately use terms such as “where/were”, “sense/since”, “then/than”, “there/their/they’re”, passed/past, your/you’re, etc.

If you are unclear regarding grammar, please ask.

The following is an example of the grade sheet which you will receive when your paper is returned to you with your grade. Underdeveloped sections will receive partial credit. Do note that the most important sections have the most points allotted to them (i.e. “personal impact” is the single most important section of this paper so spend the most time on this section).

HUMA-2319

American Minority Studies

Auto-Ethnography Project

Source List Due (typed and printed) by Tuesday, July 21st in class

Final Draft Due by 11:59PM Monday, August 3rd via Blackboard or email attachment

Grading Categories

NAME: _____________________________________ Section #_______________

________ 1. (20 points) Cultural and ethnic emphasis (how well do you cover your family’s entry into the U.S., where your family originates from, and what challenges did your family face during immigration and settlement).

________ 2. (20 points) Depth of insight/introspection (did you just state the facts or did you also relate family stories, your ancestors’ thoughts, feelings, and insights).

________ 3. (30 points) Personal impact on your life (do you make connections between what your family experienced in their homeland, their immigration experiences, and their acculturation experiences and how you were raised, what you believe, and how you view the world around you).

________ 4. (10 points) Inclusion of a reference/source page in your paper.

________ 5. (15 points) Use of language and grammar (check for spelling, correct word usage, run-on sentences, sentence and paragraph construction).

________ 6. (5 points) Submission of Source List

___________ TOTAL (out of 100 points)

(PAPERS WITH INCORRECT FORMATTING WILL RECEIVE A REDUCTION IN POINTS)

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