a. Choose one (1) of the five (5) essay questions provided and write a traditional argumentative essay.
b. Can men be feminists? Why or why not? If they can be feminists, what sorts of activist or academic roles can they occupy? If they cannot be feminists, what prevents them from occupying these roles?
c. Most feminists argue that women have a unique way of seeing the world. Is this unique way of seeing the world based on some essential characteristic of women, or on their unique socio-economic and political context? Defend your answer.
d. Is the work of women marginalized and undervalued? Why or why not? If so, how is it marginalized, and what effects does this have on women? If not, how do we explain that women in the workforce make less than men, occupy only a fraction of those positions of most authority, and tend to work in unstable or insecure employment more than working men? (Note: your discussion of women’s work can focus exclusively on women in the public sphere or it can include a discussion of women and domestic work/mothering and the raising of children.)
e. How are black women’s identities erased or improperly recognized by the law? Make sure that your response references the work of Kimberlé Crenshaw, and that you answer this question utilizing the concept of intersectionality when talking about black women.
f. In what ways is access to health care insufficient for women and other marginalized groups (for example, queer people and trans people)? How is this problem related to a more general problem of androcentric bias in medicine and research? What are the best solutions to improve access to health care for marginalized people?
Your essay must be 5 pages double-spaced in some reasonably sized font (something like the size of Times New Roman 12) with regular margins. Put your name, student ID number, course number, and the date on the upper left hand side of the first page. Do not include a cover sheet. Your file should be named using the following format: last name, first name, final essay (e.g., SmithJane_FinalEssay.doc). You may submit your file as a .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf.
How to Write an Argumentative Essay
Keep the following points in mind:
• Go over any relevant readings again, focusing on the relevant arguments.
• Use the first paragraph of your paper to indicate what the problem or disagreement is, and clearly state your thesis/position.
• Use the rest of the space to reconstruct the relevant arguments, to clearly state what your position is, and argue for it (making sure to include a plausible counter-argument to your position).
• As with the Critical Response Paper, you must support your position with reasoned argument. Keep in mind that although you are welcome to bring to bear your own experiences in making your argument, this is not a reflection piece; it is an argumentative essay. Accordingly, you must draw on academic sources to support your position.
• You may use any accepted citation style you like as long as you use it consistently. (Citations DO require specific page numbers.) Make sure you cite regularly and often when talking about ideas that are not your own. Also remember to use the primary sources, not course notes, for references. (You may cite the course notes sparingly, but only for material that is not in the primary pieces.) If you have any questions about how to properly cite material, please consult a style guide.
• Include a bibliography with your essay. Cite any sources you draw on from class readings, as well as any outside sources you consult. Properly constructing a bibliography is necessary. If you have questions about how to reference any source, please consult a style guide.
• Keep in mind that if you go outside of course readings (which is not required of you), then you should be drawing primarily on academic, or scholarly sources (i.e. peer reviewed journal articles, books, or book chapters) to support your argument.
Assessment
Your grade will be based equally on the following criteria:
• Do you survey the relevant material for the paper, including the most important positions/arguments we have discussed throughout the class?
• Do you properly reconstruct the authors’ positions?
• Do you provide a thesis statement, and well-reasoned arguments in support of your critical position?
• Do you provide a plausible counterargument to your position?
• Is the report structurally and stylistically sound? (Only reports with perfect or nearly perfect grammar and paragraph structure will get an A or A+ grade.)
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