Short Analytical Essay with Research

The goal of this essay is to demonstrate your understanding of concepts of identity (based in course readings) by analyzing an incident (either historical or contemporary) of mistaken identity, identity deception, or identity confusion.You want to examine how other cases of mistaken identity (or identity confusion or deception) demonstrate the challenges of identifying, labeling, and explaining identity.This assignment will be completed in small steps that will culminate in the final essay of 5 pages.

Step 1: Topic selection.By Friday, 23 March, you will submit a two-paragraph topic description.In the first paragraph you will introduce the topic, describing the who, what, when, where (i.e. the context or background).In the second paragraph you will describe how your topic embodies or is related to concepts of identity (as related to our course readings).You should specifically reference course readings to support your proposed argument.

Step 2: Research.By Wednesday, 11 April you will submit a bibliography of scholarly sources.You should access at least 10 sources in researching your topic.They should come from primarily scholarly, reputable sources and from reputable media sources (NY Times, for example).You will produce a bibliography in proper MLA format and also supply the first page (photocopied or printed) of each source you list in your bibliography.

Step 3: Rough Draft.By Monday, 23 April, you will submit a rough draft of your essay.In the rough draft you will highlight or underline your thesis statement.You will also highlight or underline each topic sentence in your supporting paragraphs.You want to make sure that you effectively organize your argument, and every highlighted or underlined sentence should be connected to each other by the central thesis.