Discussion Paper #2 is designed to help you achieve key Hum 211 course Learning Outcomes (see Hum 211 Syllabus for complete list):

A. Build knowledge of language arts and cultures different from one’s own . . .
B. Apply this knowledge to cross-cultural comparative analysis . . . [and]
C. Construct and communicate persuasive cross-cultural interpretations . . . .

Discussion Paper #2 . . . :

has two parts, and you must address both Part I Topic and Part II Topic, given below;

must be typed/word processed and double spaced, and follow standard Manuscript Form (e.g. for MLA-style heading and running page headers, etc.) - See Manuscript Form & Source Citation handout for some advice & models

should demonstrate that you have prepared thoroughly and participated actively in HUM 211, by your ability to integrate into your Discussion Paper #2 and discuss knowledgeably relevant primary and secondary HUM 211 sources;

must avoid plagiarism by citing primary and secondary sources in-text and in Works Cited, following MLA style - See Manuscript Form & Source Citation handout - upon request, more models and advice will be given in class on Tues., Feb. 18;

must be written to communicate clearly and effectively with targeted readers--especially present and future HUM 211 students--who seriously engage in study of Africa and the African Diaspora, who sincerely desire to better understand and appreciate creative works of Africa and the African Diaspora, and who probably hold diverse opinions and interpretations that may differ from your own.

HUM 211 Resources: Develop your Discussion Paper #2 using Hum 211 paper handouts, class & seminar discussion, and/or relevant resources linked to:

		HUM 211 Online Course Pack: Index: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/coursepack.htm
		Cora's Online Reserve (password-protected/access restricted to current Hum 211 students) Index: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci_articles/

Part I - Understanding African/African-Caribbean Creative Work/s in Context
Suggested length: 250-400 words
(1 1/2 to 2 1/2 typed/wordprocessed and double-spaced pages)

Part I Topic:  Explain and demonstrate how/why study of background ["context"] information about African and/or African-Caribbean creative work/s, can promote better understanding and appreciation of the selected work/s by readers/viewers (like you) from a different culture.

Focus your Part I discussion on one or two of the following African/African-Caribbean creative works:
Keita: The Heritage of the Griot; I Is a Long Memoried Woman; and/or Things Fall Apart;

Introduce one or two points drawn from African/African-Caribbean "context" information--e.g. by/about the author/director, and/or about the literary, historical, or cultural background--that you have learned in HUM 211 and deem significant to understanding / appreciating key aspect/s of the selected African/African-Caribbean creative work/s--especially for a reader/viewer like you from a different culture;

Explain how/why you believe the selected "context" point/s are important to better understanding / appreciating key aspect/s of the selected African/African-Caribbean creative work/s;

Support your main points by applying the selected "context" information to interpretation of relevant aspect/s and specific examples from the selected African/African-Caribbean creative work/s;

Be sure to avoid plagiarism by citing all summaries, quotations, and/or paraphrases from primary and secondary sources, in-text of your Part I discussion and in a Works Cited page (giving complete bibliographical entries in alphabetical order for all sources cited in-text) placed at the end of your Discussion Paper #2, using acceptable MLA documentation style.

Part II - Your Interpretation of
Selected African/African-Caribbean Creative Work/s
Suggested length: 250-400 words
(1 1/2 to 2 1/2 typed/wordprocessed and double-spaced pages)

Part II Topic:  Identify, illustrate, and interpret in some depth one or two significant *theme/s, *dramatic question/s, character/s, *conflict/s *and/or *key plot event/s dramatized in Keita: The Heritage of the Griot, I Is a Long Memoried Woman, and/or Things Fall Apart.  In so doing, be sure to  . . .

Explain how/why you believe the selected aspect/s to be "significant" to understanding the selected African/African-Caribbean work/s;

Support and illustrate your main points by citing and analyzing specific examples from the selected African/African-Caribbean creative work/s;

Remember to explain and develop your interpretation clearly and effectively for targeted HUM 211 readers--including diverse readers/viewers who may well have developed interpretations different from your own. 

Avoid plagiarism by citing all summaries, quotations, and/or paraphrases from primary and secondary sources, in-text of your Part II discussion and in a Works Cited page (giving complete bibliographical entries in alphabetical order for all sources cited in-text) placed at the end of your Discussion Paper #2, using acceptable MLA documentation style.

*Examples . . .

Theme/s (i.e. repeated motif, central message and/or purpose):
Tradition vs. Modernization in Keita: Heritage of the Griot
Birth and Re-Birth in I Is A Long Memoried Woman
Achebe Writes Back: Correcting Our Racist Stereotypes in Things Fall Apart
Proverb Wisdom in Things Fall Apart and Keita: The Heritage of the Griot
Dramatic Question/s:
Who is the "Long Memoried Woman"?  And Why Must She Remember Her Painful Past?
Why Djeliba Leaves at the End of Keita: The Heritage of the Griot
Why Does Okonkwo Commit Suicide at the End of Things Fall Apart?
Mr. Smith and Mr. Brown: Good vs. Bad Missionaries in Things Fall Apart
Character/s
Understanding Mabo through the Parallel Story of his Ancestor Sunjiata Keita
The Role of the Griot/te in Keita and/or I Is a Long Memoried Woman
The Depiction of White Characters in I Is a Long Memoried Woman
Strength as Weakness in the Character of Okonkwo
The Role of Obierika, a man "who thinks about things," in Things Fall Apart
Conflicts and Key Plot Event/s: 
Tradition vs. Modernization in Keita: Heritage of the Griot
Enter the Mysterious Hunter of Do at Key Moments in Keita: The Heritage of the Griot
Djeliba vs. Mr. Fofano: Competing Ideas of Education in Keita: The Heritage of the Griot
Birth of the "Bloodling" as Turning Point in I Is a Long Memoried Woman
Mr. Smith and Mr. Brown: Good vs. Bad Missionaries in Things Fall Apart
Understanding the story of Ikemefuna