LONG ESSAY: SYNTHESISING TEXTS & DEVELOPING AN ARGUMENT

 

(1800 words, 40Aileen Moreton-Robinson (2013), “Towards an Australian Indigenous Women’s Standpoint Theory.” Australian Feminist Studies 28.78:Write the long essay with the first question, which is “1.Describe and critically analyse your own politics of location as a tool for coming to a deeper understanding of some aspect of everyday life. What does this analysis allow you to argue or propose? A strong answer will require analysis of specific situations and application of a number of unit concepts related to gender.”

3 required readings are:1.Adrienne Rich, “Notes Toward a Politics of Location (1984)”2.Linda Alcoff, (1992) “The Problem of Speaking for Others.” Cultural Critique 20: 5-32.3.Aileen Moreton-Robinson (2013), “Towards an Australian Indigenous Women’s Standpoint Theory.” Australian Feminist Studies 28.78: 331-347.All readings can be attached online.
GCST 1602: INTRODUCTION TO GENDER STUDIES (Semester 2 2017)ASSIGNMENT #2 / LONG ESSAY (1800 words; 40%)In this long essay you will be asked to develop and defend a thesis using unit readings in response to one of the following questions:1. Describe and critically analyse your own politics of location as a tool for coming to a deeper understanding of some aspect of everyday life. What does this analysis allow you to argue or propose? A strong answer will require analysis of specific situations and application of a number of unit concepts related to gender.2. Drawing on the phrase offered by Linda M. Alcoff, discuss: is it ever possible to ethically ‘speak for others’? 3. To what extent is Beauvoir’s theory of “the woman in love” relevant to contemporary gender relations? 4. In “Thinking Sex,” Gayle Rubin argues that feminism is not capable of being “the ultimate and complete account of all social inequality” (180). Explain what Rubin means by this, and assess the validity of her claim. 5. Foucault notes that homosexuality (or queerness) is related to “the formation of new alliances and the tying together of unforeseen lines of force.” How can this proposition be related to the ongoing development of feminism?6. Is gender real? 7. Use intersectionality as an analytical sensibility for critically engaging an aspect of everyday life (media, culture, social life, etc). The main objectives of this assignment are to: • Demonstrate solid understanding of the concepts, theories and frameworks explored in this course, as explained in our unit readings. Be sure to define and explain any concepts or frameworks you draw on, and use succinct quotes and paraphrases to help you do so!• Hone your skills in developing a clear and coherent thesis, and in organising an essay to elaborate your thesis. How can you take the arguments from our readings and adapt them, adopt them, and/or otherwise engage them to develop your own argument? How will you organise your ideas to most effectively forward your own position? • Show effective use of course material as evidence to support a thesis. This includes choosing appropriate quotes and summarising ideas effectively, as well as choosing the most appropriate readings to explore the positions you are forwarding. Make sure all claims you make are supported by specific examples, using citations and references. • Strengthen critical skills needed to put readings and ideas into conversation with one another. If the readings are your toolbox, what kind of new structures can you build from them?• Give you an opportunity to innovatively explore key issues that have arisen in this unit. Explore what really interests, excites, or troubles you! SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR CHOOSING TEXTS: • Your essay must draw on at least 3 unit texts in a substantial way. • You may draw on materials outside of our reading list but this is not primarily a research essay; it is an assessment of your knowledge of unit readings, concepts, and analyses! You must therefore demonstrate your grasp of unit materials, first and foremost. GRADING CRITERIA: • Do you present a strong, clear thesis? • Does your thesis demonstrate understanding of concepts and theoretical position(s)offered in unit readings, including clear explanations of authors’ positions, using citations where appropriate? • Do you skillfully develop and sustain your thesis using unit materials? • Have you organised your ideas in an effective and clear way, so that your argument unfolds coherently? • Do you fulfil the minimum 3-text requirement?• Do you demonstrate innovation or creativity in your thesis and its elaboration? (Note: while it is acceptable to make use of discussions and examples offered in readings, lectures and tutorials, strong originality will bring your own independent ideas to the essay, and draw connections between readings in ways that have not already been discussed). • Do you use proper citation, referencing and bibliographic format and style?• Is your work clear, well-written in terms of grammar, syntax and other mechanics? Strong submissions will also have stylistic flair. • Is your submission (excluding bibliography) approximately 1800 words (+/- 10%)?Assignments must be submitted via Blackboard to the Turnitin dropbox no later than 23:59 pm on Wednesday 4 October in order to avoid late penalties.