How is race and/or racism constructed through three different spaces (or spatial policies) in Born a Crime by Trevor Noah?NOTE: A strong essay will draw upon concepts from class to nuance your argument. I recommend you think about the concepts presented in the readings and lectures, the theoretical approaches you could use to frame your argument, and the conclusions you draw.
Format of Essay
Introduction: In the introduction to your essay, begin with a clear thesis statement that draws together your analysis of the spaces you chose and what they say about the creation of race/racism in South Africa during apartheid. Be sure to define any key terms or concepts that you are relying on (for example – you should be explicit about how you are defining race in this essay). Finally, briefly outline the key examples you will use to justify your argument.
Body of Essay: Having established your main argument in the introduction, draw on specific examples from Born a Crime to justify your argument. Choose 3 different examples that highlight different spatial/racial examples. Each example should have its own paragraph in which you describe the example and then clarify how the example supports your main argument from the Introduction.
Conclusion: The concluding paragraph is your opportunity to reinforce why your argument is strong. It is also your opportunity to say why it matters – which is a slightly different kind of argument. It asks why should we care about the spatial racial project of apartheid.
References: You are expected to draw specific examples from Born a Crime as evidence to support your argument. As you do this, do not quote long passages from the book (the essay is not long enough to support this type of referencing). However, you are encouraged to quote phrases and paraphrase longer passages as evidence. Use APA in-text citation to cite Born a Crime and any other references you choose to use (note that you are not required to use other texts but you are not prohibited from doing so either). Include a ‘Reference(s)’ list at the end, again using APA formatting.
Logistics:
Approximately 4 pages (a few sentences over or under 4 pages is acceptable).
Double space, 12 point font
