c𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙼𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚎𝚜𝚝: 𝙰 𝙿𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚌𝚎 𝙰𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚢𝚜𝚒𝚜

Assignment Overview: This assignment is a mini research project designed to deepen your

understanding of themes covered in the course, America, the Frontier, and the New West. You will select

two topics from the syllabus—one from Weeks 1–8 and one from Weeks 9–15 (i upload a photo)—to explore more deeply by

conducting your own primary source research. Your task is to analyze how your selected topics,

supported by your primary sources, respond to one of the provided essay prompts. You must also

incorporate course materials (e.g., assigned readings, lecture notes, films, and other resources) that

specifically come from the syllabus days corresponding to your chosen topics to contextualize and build

out your argument.

Examples of films whatched in the first part of the course: FILM NAME : The Film New World Rising,Film: new world Rising, Film Lost LA Borderlands )

( examples the films that we whatch in class: from the 2nd part of the course: “Rebuilding Indian Country” – Primary Source, Department of Interior 1933 film, FILM:floof in the desert documentary,What We Didn’t Get to Finish – The Rest of the Film, Film yt: harvest of loneliness)

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Assignment Requirements

Topics: Choose two topics from the syllabus:

● One topic must be from Weeks 1–8.

●One topic must be from Weeks 9–15.

Primary Sources: Locate four primary sources (two per topic) that help you analyze your chosen topics.

These sources should complement or work in conjunction with the specific lecture and syllabus material

for the dates you select.

Prompt Selection: Answer one of the provided essay prompts. Your primary sources will form the core of

your argument, but you must incorporate supporting material (e.g., assigned readings, lecture notes,

and films) from the syllabus days corresponding to your selected topics.

Paper Requirements:

● Length: 7–8 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font (this does not include prompt, images, headings,

etc).

● Thesis: Must include a clear and strong thesis statement that frames your argument.

●

Citations: Use in-text citations (MLA) to reference both your

primary sources and course material.

●

Works Cited Page: Include a comprehensive list of all sources cited in your paper.

●

Include your selected prompt at the top of your paper.

●

If you choose to include images of your primary sources in your paper, please place them at the

end rather than within the body of your text. You may label the images (e.g.,

“Image 1”) and

reference them appropriately in your writing.

● Primary Sources Submission: All students are required to upload the files of their four primary

sources to Brightspace. Failure to do so will result in a 10% penalty. Each source must be

uploaded as an individual file, resulting in four separate items in the designated submission

folder. Please note that your actual paper, along with the works cited page, will be submitted

separately via the Turnitin link provided in a different folder. Accepted file formats for primary

sources include JPEG, PDF, MP3, MP4, etc. If any primary source has restrictions preventing

downloading, students must schedule a meeting with Prof. Nieva earlyinthesemester to arrange

an alternative method for verifying the source.

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Essay Prompts

1. Reframing Progress: Limerick argues that the traditional frontier narrative promotes a

misleading notion of “progress” that obscures exploitation and violence. Using two syllabus topics

that reflect different dimensions of “progress” (e.g., technological innovation, land use, or labor

systems), how do your primary sources challenge or complicate the idea of progress in the

American West? What insights do they provide about the broader narrative of westward

expansion?

Challenging the Myths of the West Brainstorming Activity

The exercise below is a brainstorming activity designed to help you clarify your ideas and begin shaping a strong, well-supported direction for your final paper. It will guide you in making connections between your chosen topics, primary sources, and the course themes.

Please note: This is not a copy-and-paste assignment. Your final thesis should be more nuanced, refined, and original than anything you draft here. Treat this worksheet as a stepping stone toward developing a sophisticated, creative, and well-argued paper.

Prompt 1: Reframing Progress

I chose Prompt #1: Reframing Progress. I’m comparing Week ___ (Topic: ____________________________) and Week ___ (Topic: ____________________________). The idea of “progress” in these topics is often told through ___________________________________________.

The two sources from my first topic are:

1. _______________________________________, which reveals ________________________________________.

2. _______________________________________, which shows ________________________________________.
The two sources from my second topic are:

3. _______________________________________, which highlights ________________________________________.

4. _______________________________________, which complicates the idea of progress by ________________________________________.

Taken together, my four sources suggest that “progress” in the West was ___________________________________________. My working thesis is:
_______________________________________________________________________________________.

Prompt 2: Breaking the Myth

I chose Prompt #2: Breaking the Myth. I’m comparing Week ___ (Topic: ____________________________) and Week ___ (Topic: ____________________________). The myth I want to challenge is the idea that the West was a place of ___________________________________________.

The two sources from my first topic are:

1. _______________________________________, which challenges the myth by ________________________________________.

2. _______________________________________, which reveals ________________________________________.
The two sources from my second topic are:

3. _______________________________________, which complicates the myth by ________________________________________.

4. _______________________________________, which shows ________________________________________.

These four sources together help me argue that the romantic vision of the frontier leaves out ___________________________________________. My thesis is:
_______________________________________________________________________________________.

Prompt 3: Geographies of Power

I chose Prompt #3: Geographies of Power. I’m comparing Week ___ (Topic: ____________________________) and Week ___ (Topic: ____________________________). I want to explore how power moved through space not just east to west, but through ___________________________________________.

The two sources from my first topic are:

1. _______________________________________, which shows ________________________________________.

2. _______________________________________, which highlights ________________________________________.
The two sources from my second topic are:

3. _______________________________________, which reveals ________________________________________.

4. _______________________________________, which adds complexity by showing ________________________________________.

Together, these sources challenge the idea of westward expansion as one-directional by emphasizing ___________________________________________. My thesis is:
_______________________________________________________________________________________.

Prompt 4: Challenging Exceptionalism

I chose Prompt #4: Challenging Exceptionalism. I’m comparing Week ___ (Topic: ____________________________) and Week ___ (Topic: ____________________________). The version of American exceptionalism I’m critiquing is the idea that the West was ___________________________________________.

The two sources from my first topic are:

1. _______________________________________, which undermines this idea by ________________________________________.

2. _______________________________________, which reveals ________________________________________.
The two sources from my second topic are:

3. _______________________________________, which exposes ________________________________________.

4. _______________________________________, which shows ________________________________________.

These four sources help me argue that the West was not exceptional but instead reflected ___________________________________________. My thesis is:
_______________________________________________________________________________________.