Nation and identity

When reading Dracula(Bram Stoker) and The Outlander(Adamson Gil)

  1. What role does violence play in nation-building and/or identity formation? How does the self/other divide
    contribute to such violence? (Give specific examples of this). How is a fear of the other intensified by multiple
    layers of othering that involve differences of gender, race, ethnicity, species, religion, etc.? How can literature—
    especially the texts we have read in this course—offer a counterpoint to the violence that historically
    accompanies the othering of those who are different? Consider all kinds of violence: wars, battles, corporal
    punishment in education, violence against the self, violence that originates in and/or against nature (including
    animals/non-human species).
    Your article should present a coherent and unified thesis statement (i.e., an argument)about the two literary
    texts you have chosen. Suggestion: use the first guiding question to develop a thesis, and use the other
    questions to develop sub-topics and organize your article.
  2. At some point in your article, refer to a specific point made by one of your group members in one of the
    Module Seven Wiki Articles. This point should be incorporated into your own article as a supporting detail or to
    help you develop your own ideas. Suggestions: you may present a contrasting or opposing idea to your group
    members; you may use your group member’s idea to support your own; you may observe a similar idea to your
    group member’s but in relation to a different text. If you disagree with your group member, be respectful and
    professional. Cite your classmate as you would any other secondary or supporting source.
    Sources should be Dracula by Bram Stoker, The outlander by Gil Adamson, and the classmate's article.