Reference no: EM133246559

Narratives of Identity Assignment -

Comparing the Narratives of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian: Critical Comparison Response Paper. The purpose of this assignment is to practice skills related to essay composition, textual interpretation, argument construction, and analysis by comparatively examining the primary narratives being told by the museums we will visit during this course: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).

Assignment Description - You will compose an essay, not more than three double-spaced pages (12-font, Times New Roman), interpreting and then comparing and contrasting the central narratives of the Holocaust Museum and the NMAI. You will consider big questions such as: What do the stories the museums tell have in common? How are they different? How might these similarities and differences affect visitor's experiences of the museums?

Keep in mind as you go through the museums that American Indians in the U.S. faced something at least comparable to that which Jews and others faced in Europe during Hitler's reign in Germany: relocation and, some would argue, a kind of genocide. So try to focus on how that narrative is or isn't being told in the NMAI as compared with the Holocaust Museum. Why are the stories of these different groups of people told differently? How might the worldview and cultural perspective shape the narratives being told by the museums?

Study the details of the museums: the architecture, the organization, individual exhibits, even the way in which the guides who meet with us talk about the museums and their purposes. Try to notice the kinds of details you might not have noticed as a more casual museum-goer. These details will become the examples-the evidence-you use to support your comparative analysis. Gather evidence by taking notes, taking photographs (if permitted), talking through your various interpretations of what you see with classmates, and collecting brochures and other relevant documents from the museum.

Remember, we are not looking for mere description of what you have seen. (We, after all, have seen it, too.) Rather, we are looking for analysis and interpretation backed by evidence (from the museums and from our readings to date). We also are looking for, and will assess your work based on, the extent to which you do the following well:

(1) Have a specific and explicit thesis statement or argument.

(2) Provide a thoughtful, nuanced analysis that supports your thesis or central argument by interpreting each museum's narrative, then comparing and contrasting the two museums' narratives.

(3) Use detailed evidence to support your analysis by describing specific elements of the museums and by incorporating in-text citations from class readings. (Feel free to embed small images into your essay as evidence if you want to do so.)

(4) Compose a well-written, well-organized, carefully proofread essay.