This paper should be between 1250 and 1500 words, and submitted double-spaced, in 12-point font, with each page numbered.

Not expected to do any outside research or reading, but you can cite arguments, ideas, and examples from lecture and optional, recommended readings. References to material from readings or lecture and any short direct quotations must be properly cited. All work, wording, and ideas that are not cited must be your own. You may choose any one of the following citation formats: APA, MLA, or either Chicago style, but please use it consistently.

Prompts and Structure

Please choose one of the two prompts below. You should provide an introductory paragraph about your chosen topic, present a thesis statement, and then write several paragraphs providing examples and elaborating on these to support your thesis. You should then have one or two concluding paragraphs restating your argument and making a case for its significance.

Prompt 1.

Colonialism entails a nation or state invading the territory of another nation and ruling in the colonizers’ own interests, rather than those of the local people. Some anti-colonial activists believed that nonviolence was the best way to end colonial rule and achieve autonomy or independence. Others argued that colonialism could only be defeated through violent struggle. Is violence justified in fighting against colonial rule? Why or why not? Formulate an argument and support it using examples, from readings and lecture, of authors’ arguments and real-world cases.

Prompt 2.

In a postcolonial setting, how do new governments try to organize society? Cosmopolitanism holds that all people are part of a single global community and so its followers advocate inclusion and cooperation across political borders and differences of identity. Nationalists, while they may sometimes cooperate across borders, believe that political and social systems should be organized on the basis of group identity, as opposed to having a more integrated, pluralistic society. Compare and contrast the cosmopolitan and nationalist positions, then choose one of the two and discuss the potential flaws or downsides in its vision of how postcolonial society should be organized. Formulate an argument and support it using examples, from readings and lecture, of authors’ arguments and real-world cases.