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:

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).

Paper Undergraduate

Critical thinking concepts and applications

Ash, S.L., Clayton, P.H. (2004). The articulated learning: An approach to guided reflection and assessment. Innovative Higher Education, 29(2), 137-154. Gibbs, L. & Gambrill, E. (2005). Critical thinking in clinical practice: Improving the quality of judgments and decisions (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons. Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2006). The miniature guide to critical thinking and tools. Dillon Beach, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking. Shipler, D. (2005). The working poor: Invisible in America. New York: Vintage Walls, J. (2005). The glass castle. New York: Scribner.

Paper Undergraduate

Consultant Evaluation and Healthcare Industry

Healthcare in America is indeed an intricate and complex beast. In case study number one, the proposed facility will be small enough that it can realistically make necessary changes in the delivery of health care, and yet begin with a large enough investment that it will be able to meet all fiscal responsibility and legal requirements. This paper will look at the fundamental needs and recommendations of the proposed facility.

Research Paper Doctorate

Health promotion strategies and implementation

American HIV Prevention in an Era of False Security - an Investigative Study

Thesis Undergraduate

Shareholder Capitalism as a Model for Economic Development

The idea that shareholder capitalism may serve as a powerful type of economic progression model has been made practical with the growth of credit along with a large marginal tax that delivers a security net for Americans, but additionally has its own limits.Shareholder capitalism, and also the American structure of corporate governance which can serve as its main-operating-system, continues to be held out like a replica of economic growth and development for up and coming markets within the last era. This document reveals the roots of the model inside the US and argues that this model has already established, in the best scenario, mixed success beyond the US borders. Furthermore, the after-effects in the two financial bubbles in the early Twenty-first century shows that shareholder capitalism might not function as publicized even inside the US. During the economic crisis, sensible policymakers will use a variety of models instead of hewing for the ‘one ultimate way

← Prev 1 2 3 … 449 655 Next →