AMST376 Paper 3 - select an analytical framework of your

select an analytical framework of your choice and apply it to the events described in Imperial Life in the Emerald City.

AMST 376 Paper 3

Topic.

In this paper you are to select an analytical framework of your choice and apply it to the events described in Imperial Life in the Emerald City. You may use one of the several approaches listed below, or explore an aspect that we did not discuss that interests you. If you choose the latter, please email me with your idea before you begin. Here are some of the approaches suggested in our class discussions:

American Dream/Exceptionalism. Using Cullen and the readings on American Exceptionalism, analyze the ways these cultural constructs shaped the policies debates about the occupation and the policies adopted by the CPA and the ways the American public understood the events there.

Other cultural constructs/keywords. Use one or more of the concepts from Burgett and Hendler’s Keywords in American Cultural Studies to frame an analysis of the events and social dynamics described in the book. The following selections from Keywords will be posted on our blackboard site: Capitalism, Empire, Globalization, Nation, War.

Policy analysis. Assuming we could start over again, make a plan for the post-conflict occupation of Iraq, explaining how it would avoid the mistakes of the CPA and why it would work better. You could also do a comparative analysis of the policy approaches embraced by the State Department and the Pentagon.

Perspectives. Analyze the occupation from the standpoints (insider/outsider) of two social groups with differing perspectives. Possible groupings include (but are not limited to) Americans/Iraqis, Green Zone residents/non-residents, CPA bureaucrats/military.

Individual experience. Focus on one individual working for the CPA and their experience. What did they expect to be doing when they took the job? What challenges did they encounter? What did they do that worked/didn’t work? What impact did the experience have on their personal/political identity? You could also select two individual and do a comparative analysis of their experiences.