Find out more about what life was like in Lower Manhattan (New York) in 1905
Weekly Response #4: Historical Research Assignment
DUE: Upload a doc/docx/pdf file to Carmen by 11:59 PM Monday
Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel was written in 2003, but the play is set in Lower Manhattan, New York in 1905. For this assignment you will do research on the historical period in which Intimate Apparel takes place in order to create a deeper understanding of the given circumstances that shape and affect the characters. Historical research is just one kind of research dramaturgs, directors, designers, and actors do on plays to create a fuller more nuanced understanding of the world of the play.
Guidelines
Find out more about what life was like in Lower Manhattan (New York) in 1905 by researching one of the areas below:
Economic environment (class, wealth/poverty, employment)
Political environment (laws, policy, governmental actions)
Social environment (mores, social institutions, relationships between groups)
Cultural environment (the arts, architecture, sports, fashion, popular culture)
Spiritual environment (organized religion, beliefs)
Educational environment (teaching, learning, knowledge)
Historical environment (events in history)
Write a 500―550 word essay that presents your research and demonstrates how this information applies to and deepens your understanding of the given circumstances of the world of the play. Provide two specific examples from the play that illustrate and analyze how and why these particular given circumstances directly inform or affect the behavior/actions of a character.
For instance, if you researched an aspect of the spiritual environment in New York in 1905, discuss how your research creates a better understanding of the given circumstances that define the world of the play and provide two examples of how the spiritual environment affects a character’s behavior/actions and why (either two examples about the same character, or two examples from two different characters).
Appropriate sources for your research
You are required to use at least two different sources for your research.
Use credible sources. Seek out the work of journalists, historians, and other scholars.
You will also find educational material prepared by dramaturgs from past productions of Intimate Apparel on the web. This type of material will also point you to original sources. Go to the original source.
The goal here is to do your own research, draw your own conclusions, and provide your own
insight into the play. When in doubt, cite it!
How-to: Works Cited
You must cite your research. Give credit where credit is due. Use quotation marks to set off
direct quotations. When quoting from the play text, remember use a parenthetical citation
to cite the page number.
Even when you are not directly quoting verbatim, you must give credit whenever you
incorporate another’s ideas into your paper or when providing facts that are not common
knowledge by including a proper citation with your summary or paraphrase.
Example: “According to Elinor Fuchs,…” or “Statistics from the 2015 US Census reveal that that the
population of Columbus, OH has grown at a steady rate of .01% over the past decade.”
Your works cited list then includes the complete citation as referenced in your paper. Read about
Safe Practices below.
Resources: When to cite
Safe Practices. (https://owl.english.purdue.
Is It Plagiarism Yet? (https://owl.english.purdue.
Formatting
Follow MLA style guidelines. Your paper must contain your name, the
course number, your recitation instructor’s name, and the date, formatted per the example
provided. Organize your paper so that it is readable. You may number your responses; do
not repeat the questions.
Include a works cited page for your (minimum of) two sources according to MLA formatting guidelines; use this resource: https://owl.english.
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APA
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