The study of human movement is the study of history. Whether for travel, conquest, exploration, or expansion of markets, human movement is central to our understanding of ourselves and the world.
Humans have moved about the world for many reasons, some good and some bad. Of course there is travel, for leisure, but there are also refugees—this is not travel but it is still movement. There has been travel for conquest and war and enslavement. There is travel to secure new markets, increasing capitalism and trade. There has been travel for exploitation—destruction of native lands, ecosystems, and cultures is part of our history too. Languages, religions, governments—these all span the globe, for various reasons and with various motivations.
———————————————————————————————————————
“Travel” is not as neutral as we think—even as we move about the world today for leisure, we take our judgments and our values and our prejudices with us. And travel today is the single greatest harm to the fragile ecology of the planet—air travel and cruise ships are the biggest offenders but there are many more. At every street market in Asia one can find knock-off Louis Vuitton bags and Cristiano Ronaldo football jerseys: why? How does this stuff circulate the globe? Is it healthy to be spreading western consumer culture everywhere?
Is it always good to travel? Certainly there are plenty of personal benefits and things to gain and we should not avoid it. But what should be done about refugees? Migrants? We are in the midst of a global pandemic, caused by the movement of people…should we stop traveling? For how long? And who? Should only the super rich be allowed to circle the globe? Is our planet dying from the strain we have put on it? What should be done? What can we even do? These are questions we need to ask ourselves as citizens of an increasingly globalized world.
These are all issues in human movement and this impacts all of us. Today this is clearly visible but this is not always the case. As we are told by our governments to stay indoors, as borders between countries close, as vacation is cancelled, we may be feeling very uncertain about our futures.
Meanwhile migrants and refugees are still suffering, running from destroyed countries or corrupt governments. The lack of tourists in Venice has caused such an enormous reduction in pollution in only three weeks to result in the ecosystem of the canals regenerating such that fish and dolphins back are returning to where they belong, where they live. There is more to consider here beyond our own immediate experience.
———————————————————————————————————————
For your final essay, and as the capstone of our course, you will be constructing a persuasive argument that engages with contemporary issues of human movement. You have a lot of freedom here—you can investigate any phenomenon, issue, or controversy that relates to the contemporary movement of people in some way. You can set the parameters for your research (“I am writing about this type of thing not that type of thing…”) You should pick something that interests, concerns, confuses, or fascinates you—the best writing comes out of interest and passion! Again, this is a contemporary paper so you cannot select historical topics—you can mention the history of your topic as it relates.
You will need to do research, some scholarly and some popular, and you will be expected to take a side. This essay should be your best work but you will not be doing this alone. You will consistently get feedback from me and several peers of your choosing—we will get this thing done together.
First, you will complete a research proposal. In this proposal, of at least one page, you will introduce your topic, provide some history, demonstrate your knowledge of some available research, and state the position you would like to take. Include a Works Cited/References page with three sources, one of which should be Scholarly.
Last, you will submit a final draft that has been read, checked, and revised.
The final essay:
Formatted properly throughout, APA or MLA as you choose. No mistakes;
At LEAST 6 pages, double spaced, properly formatted, not counting a cover page or Works
Cited/Reference page;
A total of four sources, one of which MUST be scholarly;
Demonstrate deep awareness of chosen topic;
Be thoughtfully revised.
***A Note: I do not want everyone writing about COVID-19. That is not going to be constructive and there will be few (or no) scholarly sources directly dealing with the disease. If you mention COVID-19, it should be in the context of some other engagement. You don’t have to ignore it, but if it is mentioned it should be relevant to some other issue you are exploring. Also I think we all maybe need a break from constantly thinking about this awful pandemic.
The post The study of human movement is the study of history. Whether for appeared first on PapersSpot.