Art as a form of resistance
Synthesis and Argument:
W.E.B Du Bois makes a strong and persuasive argument about ?double consciousness? and racial struggle in America. Do you agree that ?art??broadly defined?can be an antidote or a form of resistance against certain kinds of discrimination? Take a position on this issue by first exploring at least three of our course texts, starting with Du Bois and leading through several of our other readings (Martin Luther King, Alice Walker, bell hooks, or any of the other writers we?ve read in this unit or the previous unit on disability). Is there, for example, an art to the practice of nonviolence such as King describes, or to the use of language discussed in Linton and Slackjaw? Ultimately, your exploration of these connected ideas should lead to a clear position of your own, and you must demonstrate in this paper that you can synthesize a number of differing ideas in the pursuit of your own argument.

Further, you should discuss whether or not beliefs such as Du Bois? on the power of art as resistance are effective in a contemporary world in which discrimination is still a persistent issue? What kinds of advantages or strategies does art, broadly defined, offer people who are not in positions of power to speak back to a dominant society? In order to answer these questions, you must discuss at least one example in recent history or in contemporary society in which peoples not in a position of power were subjected to discrimination, violence, or unfairness by a dominant force or a people more empowered. Use this example to demonstrate your position on art as resistance. Consider questions such as: would art have helped the less empowered people fight back? Did art play a part in the arguments against discrimination? In what ways does art address discrimination in your example? You may use print or web sources for this example as long as you document these carefully. In addition, you must define what you mean by ?art? in order to construct a strong argument.

Lastly, you must include in your paper an acknowledgement and rebuttal of an opposing or counter-argument. This section of your paper may be short, but it is a vital aspect of your paper, so don?t forget to include it. The purpose of including this acknowledgement is to strengthen your own position; in class, we will discuss strategies for including this aspect of your argument in your paper.

You will need to use at least five sources for this paper, including at least three of which should be from our assigned course texts. The other two sources must be related to your central example of art, and they may be print or web sources; the databases you learned about in the library sessions should be very helpful in identifying useful sources.

When evaluating your papers, I will be looking at how well you are: forming a thesis, showing originality, constructing and organizing your argument, using textual evidence, showing you understand the main themes of the course/unit, meeting stylistic and grammatical standards, and finding and using sources.
Through out the paper you must chose one specific type of art as a form of resistance, not art broadly defined or 2 different types of art. For instance, perhaps choosing the art of writing as a form of resistance. You must present an argument on how African American writing is a form of resistance against racial oppression, while connecting it to the writings of Du Bois. stick with it throughout the paper. You can not include your personal opinion, nor can you state something without a reference to back it up. You must avoid using words such as "should" like "African American should……". It is very important to present a counter argument to your argument.