English

There are three options; choose ONE. Sources listed for each option refer to texts in The Portable Sixties Reader with the exception of the novel The Things They Carried and the Hansen article listed for Option Three. All of the above articles, even the ones in the Portable Sixties Reader, are available on your class blackboard site.

OPTION ONE: historical argument essay based on 1960s
Hippie communes, interest in eastern religions, and experimenting with mind-altering drugs seem to be unrelated phenomena. Do you see these activities in a positive or a negative light? Choose one of the following theses and support it with at least 2 of the sources listed below.

The 1960s counterculture was the product of a search for utopia.
Or
The 1960s counterculture was the product of self-indulgence and lack of boundaries.

Sources
Timothy Leary from “Turning on the World” 331-343
Jim Carroll from Basketball Diaries 389 – 392
Michael Lydon “The Rolling Stones- At Play in the Apocalypse 306
N. Scott Momaday from House Made of Dawn 363-366
David Lance Goines from “The Free Speech Movement” 202-206

OPTION TWO Based on Tim O’Brian’s The Things They Carried

The U.S. has long struggled to balance the desire and rights of the individual with the good of the community. Some people see the 1960s as a time that put greater emphasis on satisfying individual desires while others see it as a time that prized self-sacrifice for community good. Choose one of the following theses and support it with at least 2 of the sources listed below.

The 1960s was a time in which the community was of greater importance than the individual.
or
The 1960s was a time in which people put individual desire above the community.

Sources:
“On Rainy River” Tim O’Brian
“The Man I Killed” Tim O’Brien 172-176 [from The Things They Carried]
“Things They Carried” Tim O’Brien
“Letter from a Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King
From “Born on the Fourth of July” Ron Kovacs 176-179

OPTION THREE Contemporary issue with roots in the 1960s

Timothy Leary was a proponent of the use of LSD in the 1960’s. He believed that LSD is “a miracle drug,… the sacrament that will put you in touch with the ancient …wisdom inside you” (qtd. in Charters 330). N. Scott Momaday described the ritual religious use of peyote among Native Americans during the same era. These substances are illegal. Today some religious groups are petitioning for the right to use peyote and marijuana in their religious ceremonies. Choose one of the following theses and support it with at least 2 of the sources listed below

Illegal drugs should be legal for use in religious rituals.
Or
Illegal drugs should not be legal for use in religious rituals.

Sources:
Timothy Leary from “Turning on the World” 331-343
N. Scott Momaday from House Made of Dawn 363-366
Brian Hansen [available on Blackboard in pdf]

For any of the three options, students will
•&????;write a well-developed essay of five or six paragraphs
choose a clear thesis, defending only one position on the issue
quote from or paraphrase at least two of the sources listed using proper MLA in-text citation format

Revision Checklist: Your essay will be evaluated according to the following guidelines:

My essay contains a thesis with a clearly stated position.
My essay states main points explicitly and relates these points to the thesis.
My essay contains smooth transitions.
My essay contains specific evidence, examples and details from at least two of the sources provided to support main points.
My essay is supported with information taken from the sources provided and documents these references properly with parenthetical citations.
a) My paraphrases as well as my quotes accompany parenthetical citations.
b) When I paraphrase a source, I use my own words and my own sentence structure.
Quotations within the essay are introduced and integrated within the discussion.
Source material is used accurately and honestly.
My essay contains a well-developed introductory paragraph, a structured body and a strong conclusion.

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