HW18:
Essay on Adanggaman
WORTH: 3% of semester grade
CAN THIS BE TURNED IN LATE?: Yes, but with certain conditions
BE
SURE TO FOLLOW THE FILE-NAMING CONVENTIONS FOR THIS COURSE
(5% penalty if you do not).
All files should be saved on your computeras: your last name, followed by an underscore ("_"),
followed by the first two letters of your first name, followed
by an underscore ("_"), followed
by the assignment number. So if a student named Saddam Hussein
were to submit assignment number 18, the file name would
be:
hussein_sa_18.doc
THIS
IS ASSIGNMENT 18
We
will use a rubric when grading your papers -- looking
at the rubric BEFORE writing your essay will help you to understand
how your paper will be evaluated and, accordingly, help
you write a better paper (and get a better grade). See here. (ms-word document
delivered to your desktop) |
Imagine both that you are a famous historian of the trans-atlantic
slave trade and that Roger Gnoan M'Bala’s film Adanggaman has just been released. The New York Post has asked
you to write a review that assesses the historical accuracy
of the film. Remember, the role of African
elites and leaders (such as king Adanggaman in the film) in
the Trans-Atlantic slave trade is well known; accordingly, you
will have to assess other (but still
significant) aspects of the film's portrayal of the trade.
Historical inaccuracies, in the context of your review, may
include not only aspects of the film that are outright false
but also (and more interestingly) aspects that -- although plausible
-- misrepresent what was typical or common for the slave trade
at the time.
In
short, take as the primary goal for your review answering this
question:
How can the
content of Roger Gnoan M'Bala’s film Adanggaman be interpreted to demonstrate that the film is (or is
not) an historically accurate representation of BOTH the external and internal slave trade in West Africa
in the seventeenth century? |
(By
internal slave trade, we mean the capture and sale of enslaved Africans within Africa for use as slaves within that
continent. Be sure that when discussing the film's
portrayal of the internal
slave trade that you chose a scene that is explicitly
and exclusively about this internal trade. Slaves were captured for both the internal and external slave trade. That a slave was captured within Africa does NOT make that capture part of the internal slave trade; the market to which that slave was sold--or intendeded to be sold--determines whether that capture was part of the internal or external slave trade)
Spend no more than a few sentences summarizing the story; again,
your job here is to tell audiences whether or not what they
are seeing is accurate -- not whether or not the film is good.
For
the purposes of this paper, assume:
A) the
history readings and this chart is accurate
B) The
only history you need to know is contained in the course readings
so far. We neither expect or want you to do outside research.
C) Your
response can argue the film is entirely accurate, entirely inaccurate,
or a mix of accuracies and inaccuracies.
Writing
Requirements:
To
receive full credit for this paper you must:
PAPERS
THAT DO NOT IDENTIFY THE CLAIM/EVIDENCE/WARRANT UNITS
WILL lose 10 points |
1) underline
your thesis
2) label your claim/evidence/warrant units (see below) with some clear system. For example, you might
write (cl) or (ev) in the margins, or include the word (claim)
before your claim. Remember, only paragraphs the present evidence
will have claim/evidence/warrant units.
Others -- your introduction, for example -- will not.
3) cite all references from the course readings. Example: (Tignor,
p. 17)
4) Have three points of
comparison between the film and the readings. For
each point comparing the film to the reading, you must have
at least on piece of evidence from the film and one from the
reading or from the commodities
chart.
5)
Address BOTH the external and internal slave trade
in West Africa. Papers that do not address the film's portrayal
of the internal slave trade in West Africa will lose 15% of the top.
6) Finally, no outside research is necessary, desirable, or even permitted for this paper. DO NOT USE OUTSIDE
SOURCES IN WRITING THIS PAPER. Papers that use outside
sources as the basis either a direct and indirect quotation
will receive an "F".
7) Remember,
your paper is on the film -- not the brief "Historical Viewpoint"
that accompanies it on the DVD.
Writing Tips:
1) you will probably to organize your response around a thesis statement (which you must underline to get credit for the paper).
As we discussed in class, your thesis must answer the "how and
why" questions, rather than simply assert an observation.
2) The
readings do not directly address the internal African slave
trade at any real length, so to answer that part of the question
based of the textbook, you will have to extrapolate. (ex·trap·o·late,
v.: to use known facts as the starting point from which to draw
inferences or draw conclusions about something unknown). Keep
in mind your responses to the short answer
questions on the slave trade.
3) Consider
you homework questions on the slave trade when doing this paper;we
asked specific questions in order to prepare you to write this
essay. You will find it a challenge to do this essay unless
you go back to that homework.
SAMPLE
PARAGRAPH:
(cl)
The film accurately portrayed (phenomenon x). (ev)
The scholar Prof. Fancypants notes that (historical
fact y). This fact finds reflection in the film when
(event y) occurs. (wa)
(event y) accurately portrays (historical fact y) because
(analysis t). |
4) In
those paragraphs in which you present evidence (and
only those paragraphs), be sure to use warrants
to explain how the evidence you supply supports your thesis.
So, one way to organize your paper might be:
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Establish
the context for your argument. What are (briefly) the important
facts your audience must know to read further (No more than
3 sentences)
Example: The historical accuracy of the film Adanggaman’s
depiction of the slave trade in West Africa in the seventeenth
century can be seen in A, B, and C. (where A,B, and
C are aspects of the film that you note) |
B. Thesis
I I. Point A
A. Claim
B. Evidence from film
C. Evidence
from readings or commodities
chart)
D. Warrant
III.
Point B
A. Claim
B. Evidence from film
C. Evidence
from readings or commodities
chart)
D. Warrant
III
Point C
A. Claim
B. Evidence from film
C. Evidence
from readings or commodities
chart)
D. Warrant
V Conclusion
|