WLAC Most Native Americans Ideology Boils Down to A Common Ground Discussion

This week’s Discussion Board assignment has two parts. Part 1 should be ~400-600 words in length and should be completed no later than 5pm on Thursday of Week 12. Part 2 should be ~100-150 words in length per response post and must be posted by the final deadline of 11:59pm on Saturday of Week 12.

Part 1: Compose a 400-600 word response to the following question:

• As Native American Studies scholar Paula Gunn Allen argues, one of the critical differences between mainstream American culture and Native cultures relates to the “place of the individual.” In most tribal cultures, the individual is perceived as being fundamentally integrated both with the community and with the overarching natural cosmos. Mainstream American culture, by contrast, tends to exalt the individual, valuing independence, separateness, and control over nature. For this week’s discussion board assignment, compose an essay in which you analyze the details of Tayo’s Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with this important cultural difference in mind. How does this view help to explain the key hallucination that Tayo suffers in the Philippine jungle (about seeing his Uncle Josiah)? Which strategies of healing (medical, ceremonial) seem to work, and which ones don’t? Building on your response, what does the novel say more broadly about the importance of culture and tradition to Native American identity? Be sure to cite specific examples and incorporate supporting quotations from the text to support your answer.
  Structure:Your primary post should include an introduction that introduces the topic and ends with a clearly worded, 1-2 sentence thesis statement. Each supporting paragraph (there should be at least 3) should begin with a strong topic sentence and should incorporate evidence, including direct quotations from the short stories as needed to support your argument. Direct quotations should be incorporated using the quotation sandwich method and proper MLA in-text citations. The post should also contain a strong conclusion. Please post Part 1 by 5pm on Thursday.

Part 2: Respond to at least two classmates in posts of at least 100-150 words each. This week, you’ll be engaging your classmates’ responses to the question(s) posed. Do you agree with his/her argument? Why or why not? Does the text offer evidence to the contrary? Please post Part 2 to the Discussion Board by 11:59pm on Saturday.