Description

Biographical Wiki Assignment Instructions

Overview

In this assignment, you will highlight African American literary figures who have influenced African American life and culture. You will also assess reliable reference sources, foster critical thinking skills as you review one another’s work, and interact among peers as you review and edit one another’s work.

Instructions

You will choose a person from the list provided, use reliable reference sources to compile a short biographical sketch (2 paragraphs) for that person, and post your work to the Biographical Wiki. You need to address the background of the author, his/her contributions to the field of literature and his/her influence on African American culture.

Step 1:

Choose a person from the list below and create a page in the Biographical Wiki. Check to make sure the person you selected has not already been posted to the wiki by another student.

List of historical figures for Step 1:

1. James Baldwin
2. Toni Morrison
3. Claude McKay
4. Zora Neale Hurston
5. Maya Angelou
6. W. E. B. DuBois
7. Ralph Ellison
8. Alex Haley
9. Langston Hughes
10. Richard Wright
11. Alice Walker
12. August Wilson
13. James Weldon Johnson
14. Jessie Redmon Fauset
15. Joseph Seamon Cotter
16. Countee Cullen
17. Alain Locke
18. Octavia Butler
19. Lorraine Hansberry
20. Gwendolyn Brooks
21. Henry Louis Gates Jr.
22. Colson Whitehead
23. Dorothy West
24. Paul Beatty
25. Paul Dunbar
26. Amiri Baraka
27. Alice Childress
28. Phillis Wheatley
29. Rita Dove
30. Nikki Giovanni
31. Terry McMillan
32. Robert Hayden

Step 2:

Research the person using reliable reference sources. (encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.) and works of historical scholarship (peer-reviewed journal articles, essay collections, historical monographs). Do not use an open web search, popular magazines, or works targeting children. Do not use the course text as a source for this assignment.

Use at least 3 different reference works and provide source citations for each source used.

Reference sources for Step 2:

The best reference sources are available in Liberty’s library. The following are recommended for this assignment.

Britannica Academic Edition—essentially an encyclopedia, but with links to dictionaries and websites. Be sure to correctly identify and cite the specific source used.

Gale Virtual Reference Library—a database collection of reference works. Look for titles that include the word encyclopedia or dictionary. If you use this database, remember to cite the specific reference work (ebook) used.

Oxford Reference Online Premium—an extensive database collection of reference works. Look for titles that include the word encyclopedia or dictionary. If you use this database, remember to cite the specific reference work (ebook) used.

Step 3:

Synthesize the information you have gathered into a single, concise biographical sketch. Give a short summary of the person’s life and most significant achievements and situate the person in the historical context as it relates to this course. Write two paragraphs using complete sentences. The best biographical sketches will be 200–250 words. Remember that this is a short summary, not a research paper. Write only in your own words. Do not copy and do not quote from other sources.

Type your work into the wiki page which you have created for the course. Include a list of the reference sources used. For books, essays, and journal articles, include a full bibliographic entry properly formatted in APA formatting. See the APA Quick Guide listed in the Course Content Module for citing sources.

Be sure to use clear, concise sentences assembled into coherent, unified paragraphs. Proofread carefully to prevent grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation errors. Use a professional tone free from colloquial expressions and idioms. Consult the Writing Tips to identify and eliminate common mistakes.