American Culture 399

Matthew J. Countryman

Paper Assignment #1

September 17, 2001

Please write a three-page autobiographical essay about the development of your own racial and ethnic identity. The purpose of this exercise is to encourage you to think about the personal and social context from which racial and ethnic identities emerge. What were the most important factors in the development of your racial and ethnic identity: your family? the community or communities in which you grew up? the history you learned in school or elsewhere? your awareness of and participation in popular culture? Does your sense of racial and ethnic identity conform to the most important people and institutions in your life or has it developed in reaction to those people and institutions? At this point, do you think that your racial and ethnic identity is fixed or do you expect that it will continue in flux.

The above questions are designed to help you think about how to tell your personal story. They should not be treated as an outline. Also, this assignment does NOT require that you do any historical research, though you MAY want to talk to your parents or other family members in order to compare your sense of these issues with your own.

The paper is due on Sept. 24 in class. Your essay should be 3 pages double-spaced. Please come see me or Jason during office hours or by appointment if you have any questions or concerns.