“Critical Analysis Paper” Instructions:
Write a 6-7 page paper (with one-inch margins in double-spaced 12 point font [Times or the equivalent]) that offers a critical analysis of a representation of human trafficking by drawing on 2 scholarly essays, one from the course syllabus and one that you find on your own.
1) Choose a film or a book that explicitly discusses “human trafficking.” (This means that the film or book must somewhere actually use the word “trafficking”; it cannot just be about something that seems like human trafficking to you.) You may choose a popular movie or a documentary; you may also choose a novel or an academic text. The key is to choose a representation that you can easily analyze. Again, the representation MUST USE THE WORD “TRAFFICKING” to refer to the phenomenon it represents.
2) Choose one scholarly essay from the course syllabus below that has an * beside it. (Note, readings without * are not eligible—no exceptions.)
3) Choose one additional scholarly article on slavery or human trafficking that makes a theoretical argument about the issue. Find this article in an academic journal by using Google Scholar or with assistance from a YRL or College Library librarian. (Note: A scholarly essay/article is one that is written by someone with an advanced degree and that holds or has held a teaching or research position at a university in the U.S. or abroad. An “academic journal” is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. These journals state that they are peer- reviewed in their self-descriptions/websites. You should not choose an article that simply reports empirical data or is aimed at practitioners; it will be too difficult to identify the author’s theoretical perspective.)
Your essay should answer the following questions: What would the authors of the two essays (the one from the course and the one you selected in a scholarly journal) say about the way human trafficking is represented in the film or book that you chose? Would they agree or disagree about the representation? In what ways and why? What do their texts help us understand about how the book or film represent human trafficking? Do they overlook any factors or issues?
