PaperDue

Essay Topic Hub

American
Essays

6,541+ paper examples, study guides & outlines

6,541 papers

1 subject area

UG & Grad levels

Free to browse

What is American?

The concept of "American" as a subject of study spans disciplines ranging from history and sociology to literature and cultural studies. It invites students to examine what defines American identity, society, and values — questions that resist simple answers. Courses in world studies, American history, and cultural analysis regularly ask students to interrogate the idea of America as both a geographic place and an evolving set of ideals. Works like J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur's 1782 letter posing the question "What Is an American?" and figures such as Benjamin Franklin and Amiri Baraka serve as anchors for exploring how American identity has been constructed, contested, and redefined across centuries.

Student papers on this topic take a wide range of approaches. Comparative essays examine American values alongside European or Asian counterparts, or place historical periods like the Progressive Era and the New Deal in direct contrast. Other papers use case studies to analyze specific social and political developments — the Abolition Movement, the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the influence of Latin migration on American life. Cultural and media analysis appears as well, with papers exploring pop music in the 1980s, advertising's effect on dietary choices, and the evolution of the cell phone as a lens into American society.

A strong essay on an American studies topic works best when it anchors a broad theme in a specific argument. Effective evidence draws on policy documents, literary texts, historical events, or cultural artifacts rather than vague generalizations about national character. The most common pitfall is treating "America" as a monolith — successful essays acknowledge the diversity of voices, regions, and experiences that shape any aspect of American life.

6,541 papers

Sort by:

Research Paper Doctorate

American diplomatic history and foreign policy

At the conception of the American nation, Americans were told to beware of foreign entanglements, by then-president George Washington, because a body of water separated our nation between Europe and ourselves.

Research Paper Doctorate

Health policy making in politics

At least once a week news shows do segments about the rising cost of health care in America. There was a time when those who did not have insurance were those who did not work and they were provided with health care…

Essay Doctorate

Ball-And-Sock Experiment the Experimental Design I Altered

I altered the experiment slightly to help make sure that it would demonstrate the issues it was supposed to demonstrate without adding extraneous variables. Specifically, I was concerned that if I walked around all day…

Paper Undergraduate

Global economy and international trade systems

This paper is from an international relations course. It describes the Greek financial crisis and the mechanisms that America has to deal with the issue. Described is how the issue relates to the US, in particular the US economy, and what tools the US has to achieve its desired outcome.

Thesis Doctorate

neoliberalism and globalization

Globalization may be an overused word, although the new version of international capitalism is still so recent that the actual system on the ground has outrun the scientific and theoretical vocabulary that describes it. As a system, international capitalism is rapidly eliminating geographical and political boundaries, as Marx predicted in the 19th Century. In the global, postmodern economy, branding also involves relentless synergy and tie-ins between various diverse lines of products. Films and cartoons market their images to toy companies, fast-food restaurants and cereal manufacturers, generating billions of dollars of revenue annually, as does the commerce in seeds, genetic materials and even human body parts. Western science and technology have been synonymous with modernization and development in India and other Asian nations, even though this paradigm ignores the historical and cultural that has existed in many civilizations over the centuries.

Paper Doctorate

Sexuality and PC TV

This paper is about the relationship between sexuality, television, and the marketing. The shows discussed are "Ellen" and "The L Word." Specific themes are what are dominant thoughts on sexuality, how is it portrayed on television, where does marketing play a role, and how does the shows "Ellen" and "The L Word" represent sexuality differently.

Paper Doctorate

Cultural Sensitivity Language Based Amoja Three Rivers\'

Prejudices and the politics of 'speaking well'

Paper Doctorate

Utopian and dystopian world concepts in literature

Finding cultural differences around the world can be as easy as watching the evening news, or going online. The amazing traditions and beliefs held by societies are intriguing and interesting. How citizens react and live based upon the culture in which there in, is one that can be open to debate. Dystopia and Utopia can be just a hair's breadth apart.

Paper Undergraduate

Life Experience of Personal Care Assistants in Anchorage Cross-Cultural Caring of Older Adults

The increase in racial and ethnic diversity in the United States and specifically in Anchorage Alaska and the compelling evidence of ethnic health disparities (Smedley, Stith and Nelson, 2002) makes the incorporation of ethnogeriatric perspective into the practice of geriatric health care of critical importance. Reported are the "federally designated racial and ethnic groups…[of]…"American Indian/Alaska Native, African American/Black, Asian American, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino American, and white/Caucasian American…" (McBride, 2012, p.1) Also reported are "vast differences or heterogeneity…found between and within these categories related to health beliefs and practices, access and utilization of health care, health risks, family dynamics and caregiving, decision making process and priorities, and response to interventions and changes in health care policies." (McBride & Lewis, 2004; McBride, Morioka-Douglas, & Yeo, 1996; McCabe & Cuellar, 1994; Richardson, 1996; Villa, Cuellar, & Yeo, 1993; Yeo, McCabe, Talamantes, Henderson, Scott, & Yee, 1996 in: McBride, 2012, p.1) Additionally reported is that the heterogeneity within each of the categories of ethnic/racial minority older persons such as sociodemographic characteristics, modes of social interaction and communication, health and healing belief systems, learning behaviors, and certain values and traditions…" all of which "contribute degrees of complexity to the delivery of culturally sensitive health care." (Yeo, McCabe, Henderson, Talamantes, Scott & Yee, 1996 in: McBride, 2012, p.1) The study reported in this work is a qualitative phenomenological research study that examines the experiences of personal care assistants in Anchorage, Alaska.

Paper Doctorate

Effective or Ineffective Trait Leadership

Trait Leadership Introduction – Definitions / Descriptions of Trait Leadership According to Peter Northouse's book, trait leadership focuses on identifying several qualities: intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity and sociability. Published in 2009, Northouse's book (Leadership: Theory and Practice) goes into great detail as to what constitutes trait leadership and what behaviors and values do not qualify vis-à-vis trait leadership. Northouse isn't alone in providing narrative that defines and describes trait leadership. A University of Cincinnati publication (Army Leadership Traits & Behaviors) explains that leadership trait theory focuses on a leader's: a) values and beliefs; b) personality; c) confidence; and d) mental, physical, and emotional attributes (www.uc.edu).

← Prev 1 2 3 … 447 655 Next →