Your paper should have three major parts.
In the first part you should explain, briefly, the history of race based on some sort of clear evidence.

In the second part you should explain the current state of race in the U.S. This point should be firmly based in forms of media. That is, what do you notice about the racial/ethnic landscape of the country in news, entertainment, or some other form of media?

Finally, the third part of the paper should make some hypothetical points about where we stand as a country on racial issues. Have we progressed to a post-racial society? Have we regressed into deepening racial animus? Have we stagnated and race relations remain contentious? If so, how and why? What role did/does the media play in this new future?

Keep in mind that you are explaining this to your (imaginary) child. Which message(s) do you want to convey and for what purpose(s)?

It is important that you specifically address the role of the media in both parts two and three. Failure to do so will substantially, and negatively, affect your final grade for this paper.

Paper Guidelines:

Your paper will be graded along three primary criteria according to how well you:

Explain historical foundation of race
Analyze the current state of race in the U.S. and the role media has played in this
Provide a thoughtful critique of where you imagine we are in some future American and the role media has played in this
Other considerations factoring into your grade for this paper will be:

Clear content development and organization
Well-supported and documented sourcing for your topic
Grammar, mechanics, sentence structure, etc.
You should expect to have at least four (4) sources, two of which should be academic, to support your analysis and/or the argument. You are required to provide a complete reference list of ALL sources used in the paper (include specific links on your reference page, when possible).

A “good” paper can take many forms! If you have any questions or concerns, I’d be more than happy to discuss those with you either during office hours or via appointment.

General Formatting:

Your paper should be 3-4 pages long (not including reference list) with one inch (1”) margins, Times New Roman (or similar) 12-pt. font, typed, and double-spaced. Your paper must be submitted as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf. Failure to follow the formatting will result in an automatic five (5) point deduction from your overall grade on the assignment. All papers should be submitted by Friday, December 2 at 11:59 p.m. Papers will be assigned an initial five (5) point penalty if they’re not submitted by the due date and time. A paper will incur an additional five (5) point penalty for each additional 24-hour period it is late.