Sunday, January 04, 2009

Reply to a student in HIST 3805

The second essay for HIST 3805 will be based on the book by Sattareh Farman Farmaian, Daughter of Persia.

Back in December, one student wrote and asked what exactly the assignment was. Here is what I replied. We can discuss this further in class.
When I put together an assignment description for the second paper, it will be pretty general. What I am hoping for is that students will read the book and find something interesting about this woman worth discussing at essay length.

If you recall the they say/I say formula (and tell me if you don't), I strongly suggest you use it. Find something that the author or another writer on 20th century Iran says that you can either agree or disagree with. Subjects that occurred to me after I read the book include: how a woman of the traditional aristocracy found new opportunities; why she went to the United States and how that affected her outlook on Iran; why she ended up on the losing side of the revolution of 1979. There are probably lots more possibilities.

If you need more help, I suggest you read the book and identify two or three of the most interesting things you find in it and try to formulate an argument, or more than one, on the they say/I say format.

2 comments:

  1. If you like this, you (anyone) should really have a look at the book They Say/I Say by Graff and Birkenstein. Brilliant.

    ReplyDelete