Major Paper – Religion and the Black Community – Fall 2011 – Professor Rycenga
The major paper will be a thesis-based comparison of the religious and social dimensions of the
life of Malcolm X with the religious and social dimensions of the life of one of the people from
the list below. The religious dimensions of someone’s life include the different religious
denominations/groups the person joined during his/her life, the spiritual search in which the
figure was engaged, different kinds of religious authority the person held, and public visibility as
a religious figure that the person maintained, etc. The social dimensions include the person’s
personal background, and, most importantly for this class, the impacts of race, prejudice,
oppression, struggle, and economic status that he/she experienced. These are not exhaustive lists
of religious and social factors, but ideas to get you started.
When I say that this is thesis-based, I mean that your comparison must go beyond the mere fact
of comparison. You must use the comparison to build an argument about why the comparison is
interesting. When you are choosing between types of breakfast cereal, you never say something
like “Between Rice Krispies and Shredded Wheat, there are similarities and differences.” You’d
know that was a silly and all-too-obvious observation to make. You normally would say
something such as “I ate both of those cereals when I was a child, and while they are both
nourishing, Rice Krispies evokes happy memories,” or “I need a cereal with some fiber content:
looks like Shredded Wheat this time.” In other words, you are using the differences to construct
an argument. Now, using a fictional example, comparing George Washington and Abraham
Lincoln, one would not simply say “They were both presidents, but had different policies on
slavery.” That would be using the mere fact of difference. A better thesis would say something
like this:
“The differences in their economic status and education meant that Lincoln could more easily
understand the plight of the oppressed and those denied privilege, while, for Washington, such
empathy remained abstract. While both understood the implicit equality of all people in the new
nation of the United States, Lincoln was in a better position, personally and historically, to move
the nation toward fulfilling its stated ideals.”
This is a good thesis because it acknowledges the fact of comparison, but then uses the
comparison to formulate an argument that is defensible from the evidence, but still open to
debate and disagreement. A thesis cannot describe an obvious fact (“Lincoln and
Washington were both presidents” is not a thesis, but a statement of fact) or a generally
agreed upon judgment (“While Washigton and Lincoln are different, they are usually
considered to be among the best presidents in the nation’s history” is also too obvious to be
a thesis). The best thesis statements make an interesting argument, based on evidence, that
can lead to further discussion. A thesis is a persuasive analysis, not a factual assertion.
Facts about the paper:
• This paper will be six-nine pages long.
• You will use a standard citation system, and a complete bibliography in one of the standard
systems.
• You will double-space and use one-inch margins.
• You will use The Autobiography of Malcolm X, a standard published print biographical work
on your other chosen figure, and at least two other sources on each of the two figures, for a
minimum of six sources. Do not use more than fifteen sources, for your own sanity.
• You may use internet sources, but the Autobiography of Malcolm X, and the other person’s
biography, will be printed sources. In general, it is better to use printed sources in the field
of history, because they have to show citations, while internet sources often do not.
Electronic versions of printed works – Kindle editions, online academic scholarly journals,
Google books – count as printed works. The best rule is to make a majority of your sources,
printed sources.
In order to better assist you in writing the paper, I have set up dates by which drafts are due, as
follows:
First Draft
November 16
(-5% of paper’s grade if not done)
Second Draft
November 28 (-5% of paper’s grade if required but not done)
Final Version
December 7
40% of total course grade
Good luck!!
Here is the list of people to compare to Malcolm X. One prominent name is missing –
intentionally. For reasons I will discuss in class, you are NOT allowed to compare Malcolm
and Martin Luther King, Jr.
African-American figures
Absalom Jones
Alice Walker
Bayard Rustin
Betty Shabaz (wife of Malcolm X)
Charles Harrison Mason
Daniel Payne
David Walker
Elijah Muhammad
Father Divine
Henry Highland Garnet
James Varick
Jarena Lee
Jesse Jackson
Lemuel Haynes
Louis Farrakhan
Malcolm X (1925-1965)
Marcus Garvey
Maria Stewart (1803-1881)
Morris Brown
Nat Turner (1800-1831)
Ralph Abernathy
Rebecca Cox Jackson
Richard Allen (1760-1831)
Sojourner Truth
Virginia Broughton
Warith Muhammad (b. 1933)
William Seymour (1870-1923)