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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.

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Essay Doctorate

Control and culture in a residential nursing home community

This paper examines a nursing home as a distinct cultural unit. It examines the typical hallmarks of culture: food, music, art, and physical surroundings. It also discusses politics. Furthermore, the paper discusses socioeconomic status, race, and age as they relate to power in the nursing home environment as compared to the outside environment.

Essay Doctorate

Jewish identity and ethnicity in America and Israel

In American Judaism, Nathan Glazer examines the unique way Jewish culture has evolved in the United States. I wanted to interview a member of the local Hillel about how she felt about her Jewish heritage, identity, and…

Essay Doctorate

Flaws and benefits of the United States taxation system

The main purpose of this paper is to discuss the current components of this system with respect to the flaws and good things about it, to discuss the problems relevant to the particular taxes and what can be done to solve these problems. Before we go on to analyze the system, it is important for us to know the components of the taxation system and the types of taxes that are imposed on the people in the country. The main purpose of this paper is to discuss the current components of this system with respect to the flaws and good things about it, to discuss the problems relevant to the particular taxes and what can be done to solve these problems. Before we go on to analyze the system, it is important for us to know the components of the taxation system and the types of taxes that are imposed on the people in the country.

Thesis Doctorate

Addressing homophobia at historically black colleges and universities

The purpose of this survey research is to examine the perceived attitudes of the African American community attending a Historically Black College or University toward the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and questioning community. The research discusses the history and stereotypes in regards to homosexuality within the African American community. The importance of having Gay Straight Alliances organizations at colleges and universities that may help recruit more diverse students and improve environment support for current students.

Paper Doctorate

Teacher effectiveness and African-American student achievement gaps

In his comprehensive analysis of disproportionate levels of educational achievement among White and African American students, titled “Powerful Pedagogy for African American Students: A Case of Four Teachers,” researcher Tyrone C. Howard examines the role of teacher effectiveness in terms of reaching this distinct student population. As Howard observes in the opening of his article, “effectively teaching African American students continues to be one of the most pressing issues facing educators ... (and) despite the plethora of school restructuring and educational reforms, the disproportionate underachievement of African American students is a consistent occurrence in U.S. schools” (179), and this alarming phenomenon provides the central premise of his subsequent investigation. Howard elects to focus his qualitative study on the diverse range of socioeconomic, cultural, and regional factors which are likely to exert an impact on the continued underachievement trend within African American student groups. He is also concerned with assessing the role that teacher effectiveness plays in influencing the eventual achievement level of African American students, observing that the disproportional placement of African American students in remedial or special education programs is likely attributable to the growing gap in comprehension between students and those tasked with instructing them. By examining the import of Howard’s conclusions in conjunction with a pair of contemporary contributions to the literature – Mwalimu J. Shujaa’s “Education and Schooling You Can Have One without the Other,” and Carter G. Woodson’s “The Mis-Education of the Negro” – one can begin to draw objective conclusions regarding the phenomenon of underachievement among African American students.

Paper Undergraduate

Juvenile records, rehabilitation, and sentencing in American justice systems

Stealing and weapon assault are crimes that might not have ended in killing someone yet these actions indicate a behavior that can grow and become a greater security concern. Different countries differently handle juveniles. The juveniles are normally not given death penalty but different American and European countries have different laws (Jehle, Lewis and Sobota, 2008). These two young men will be most probably kept in prison for a few months and will be supervised. The prison for the juvenile is not like that for the adults. Rather the juvenile are kept under custody of parents or the supervisor that will ensure that the juvenile is not let to freely move about like a normal citizen. Rather the punishment for the juvenile includes detention and withholding many facilities.

Paper Doctorate

Socioeconomic status and college performance prediction among minority students

SAT scores and high school GPAs are commonly used to predict whether high school seniors will succeed in college. This is less true for African American and Latino students, who tend to do less well than predicted. This report critiques resent research findings that reveal a more accurate prediction model incorporating a socioeconomic index, thereby minimizing the influence of racial and ethnic identities.

Paper Doctorate

Soviet recruitment tactics and the Cambridge Five spy network

This paper is a study guide for a course on espionage. It covers several chapters, regarding history, including key events in World War Two (WWII) and the Cold War. Specific attention is paid to the role that espionage played, how spies are recruited, and the interpersonal dynamics of spies and what they spy on.

Paper Undergraduate

The Fifth Amendment's protections in the American legal system

The topic for this particular paper, or essay, primarily revolves around the topic of due process. The specified essay question is focused on discussing the meaning, history and importance of the constitutional concept of "Due Process" as it has been contained in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Paper Undergraduate

Identity formation and racial stereotyping in Nell Bernstein's "Goin' Gangsta, Choosin' Cholita"

Abstract A person’s identity refers to his or her personality and individuality. A person’s current identity is connected to their past as well as their future. A significant number of white teenagers have in the recent past been seen to discard their identities, and claim those that they prefer. Racial stereotyping and racial tolerance are among the reasons that have been put forward for this observation. This text concerns itself with racial stereotyping as the main reason for the same.

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