CORE 176: North American Indians
Spring 2000 T-Th 1:00-2:30, Alumni 209
Professor Thomas D. Hall
A. Lindsay O'Connor Professor of American Institutions
417 Alumni Hall, x7545, email:thall; web: people.colgate.edu/thall
OFFICE HOURS:  Tu 6-7; Th 3-5, & by appointment
SECOND REACTION PAPER
Due in Class, Thursday March 23rd
Last Updated 3-7-00

Write a 4 to 5 page (1200-1800 word), typed, double-spaced, essay on ONE of the topics below. Be sure to consult the general instructions, How to Write Essays for Professor Hall.
Paper form: NO Cover pages or binders Name, course, paper, & topic in the upper LEFT-hand corner:

Your Name
Core 176
RP 2, TOPIC X, where X = topic letter
Page 1

If you do not know how to set running headers, you may write it in by hand!

References:  For references to class texts you need only put author and page in parentheses [e.g., "blah, blah, blah...." (Margolin, p. 133)]. For references to material OUTSIDE OF COURSE TEXTS use " blah, blah, blah,....." (Smith & Weson 1938, p. 45) and a bibliography at the end (NOT on a separate page).

Remember:   Essays are FORMAL exercises, no slang, no contractions, correct spelling and grammar are required.  In your FIRST draft, work at getting your ideas on paper. In your SECOND draft, work on getting the argument in order. In your THIRD draft work on grammar, spelling etc. Keep the introduction, BRIEF, get right to the point.  Write it last!

*** NO Bibliography for course books ***
** Label Your Topic**

General: This essay should draw on both Bright's A Coyote Reader and Ortiz and Erdoes's Trickster Tales.   You do not need other sources from outside the course texts, but you may use them if they are helpful to your essay.

TOPIC A:  Find four trickster stories, or story types, that appear in both A Coyote Reader and Trickster Tales.  Explain what you learn about each from Bright's analyses and interpretations.  How does Bright explain each story?  Why is his approach useful?  Why, how, and to what extent would similar explanation of the stories in Trickster Tales help readers understand the stories better?

TOPIC B: In their essays on ecology, both Waller and Wolfley argue that Native American culture, and hence stories, need to be understood in context if one is to make sense of various practices and uses.  How does Bright do this for coyote stories?  In your view, what are some of his most important contributions?  Why are they important.  Conversely, how might  Trickster Tales harmful because they do not have such contextual information?  Is the harm done by lack of contextual information outweighed by the compilation of these stories for wider consumption?  Why or why not?  NOTE:   you should address and assess how useful the introduction to Trickster Tales is in this regard.

Note: the answer to "WHY" is the heart of each essay. That is, logic and evidence, not position on the issue, is the key factor. Try to think of arguments FOR & AGAINST your position, and state why those FOR it are more persuasive.

Send comments or questions to thall@mail.colgate.edu