SOAN 309: Colonialism & Development
TuTh 1:20-2:35, Alumni 207
Colgate University
 Fall 2004 Professor Thomas Hall
 Office:  408 Alumni, x7083, email:  tdhall@mail.colgate.edu
 OFFICE HOURS:  Tu 2:45-4; W 1:30-2:30 & 5:20-6, Th 12-1, & by appt
Last Updated 10-13-04
First Reaction Paper
DUE IN CLASS TUESDAY 9/28

Write a 4 to 5 page (1200-1800 word), typed, double-spaced, essay on  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
SOAN 309
RP 1, 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...." (Wolf, p. 133)]. For references to material OUTSIDE OF COURSE TEXTS use " blah, blah, blah,....." (Smith & Wesson 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: Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is a novel about what Bodley would call a "tribal" society in west Africa, the Ibo (sometimes spelled Igbo). It describes their life and the disruption of their society due to the arrival of British colonial powers in the late nineteenth century, specifically in the form of missionaries. The novel is somewhat vague about the time because Achebe sought to convey the tremendous impact of colonization on African societies and wanted his novel to be general enough to apply to more than the Igbo case. The following topics ask you to reflect on the sociology of what happened and why.  Do NOT repeat the above information. Start right in on your answer.

Topic A: Some people argue that while colonization may have been harmful at times, it generally benefits people in the long run. If you accept that the portrayal of events in Things Fall Apart is accurate, how would you respond to this argument? Is it appropriate for members of a more complex society to decide what is good "in the long run" for members of less complex societies and force them to accept change? Or, is all the religion and "good for them in the long run" merely a rationalization for some other agenda?
 
Topic B:   Analyze the events portrayed in Things Fall Apart in terms of colonization. How do Umuofians resist colonization? Do any forms work?  Which ones?  WHY? Given that most theories of colonial expansion argue that trade (markets and raw materials are the goal), why did the British not simply engage them in palm oil, or other goods, trade and leave their religion alone? Would the end result have been any different if trade rather than religion had been the first type of contact and colonization? Why or why NOT?

Topic C:   Analyze the role of religion, a type of information, in the colonization of Umuofia into the British dominated world-system. Are the events that happen a result of the content or the form of the religion? [One way to think about this is, would the story have been different if the missionaries had been Islamic or Buddhist?]. Why are missionaries able to work in Umuofia? Couldthe harm done to Umuofians [define and explain what you mean by harm] have been avoided? How & Why or Why NOT?

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 tdhall@mail.colgate.edu
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