The papers need to be at least 1000 words (3 pages long)
In MLA format
With in-text citations and correctly formatted works cited page
The students are expected to use at least three scholarly sources.
Any student who picks this topic can answer any of the following question sets, or use a combination of the question sets to discuss different aspects of the topic:
A. What are spirituals and work songs? How were they developed? What was their original purpose? How did they function on a structural level (what were common elements of such songs)?

B. In What ways have the themes and elements of spirituals transformed over the years? What other forms of music formed from these types of songs?
C. What famous artists helped to push forward the evolution of these types of songs, and how did they do so? What new elements were added to the original formulas of the songs and how did these new elements alter the purpose of the music?
D. What forms do spirituals and work songs exist in today? What meaning do these new forms have to modern listeners? What artists are most heavily influenced by the African-American vernacular tradition?
E. What does it say about the power of the vernacular tradition thatso many elements of spirituals and work songs still exist today? What does it say about this music’s perceived importance to the African-American people?
Be centered around either:
An analysis of the early entries into the African American Literary Cannon.
An argument about how the early African-American writers have or continue to impact the work of contemporary artists.
An argument about the importance or lack thereof of one of the early African-American writers.