What assumptions and arguments do the primary sources make in regards to race? To what extent do the primary sources accept or reject race as a marker of superiority and inferiority? What positions do the primary sources ask you to take in regards to race, and how are these positions related to colonization? 


Write an essay on at least two primary sources from classes that come from different disciplines. You must draw from at least two scholarly sources from class in the process of analyzing your primary sources, as well as two scholarly sources from your research . This essay will serve as the foundation for your final paper.

Possible Topics. There is some overlap between some of the topics, so you can write a paper that synthesizes these topics if you wish . If you would like to write about a topic different from those listed below, come talk to me.

The representation of race. What assumptions and arguments do the primary sources make in regards to race? To what extent do the primary sources accept or reject race as a marker of superiority and inferiority? What positions do the primary sources ask you to take in regards to race, and how are these positions related to colonization?
The representation of “savagery” and “civilization.” How do the primary sources characterize savagery and civilization? What value judgments do the primary sources make when talking about what is savage and what is civilized? What positions do the primary sources take in regards to the hierarchy civilization over savagery, and how is this related to colonization?
The representation of progress. What counts as progress in the primary sources? How do the primary sources characterize progress, and what positions do they take in regards to this progress? How do the representations of progress relate to colonization?
The representation of science and technology. How do the primary sources represent science and technology? What is the importance or significance of science and technology in the primary sources, and how do the sources ask you to feel about science and technology?
How do the primary sources represent gendered behavior and aptitudes? What are seen as the “essential” characteristics of men and women? How does gender interact and overlap with other issues such as race, progress, technology, and sexuality?
Primary Source Checklist:

Primary Sources

Year

Discipline

Darwin, The Decent of man

1871

Natural Science

Turner, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History”

1893

History

Whale, Bride of Frankenstein

1935

TV/Film

Last Completed Projects