In this unit we will be looking at essays on gender, exploring the topic from various angles, but always with the intention of using it as a way to uncover and understand questions and issues about/with society.

At least three body paragraphs that follow the PIE paragraph format. Each body paragraph should contain:

A clear topic sentence (P) and a concluding sentence;

Detailed information and concrete illustrations (I) that include specific examples from our readings as well as from relevant personal experience;

Thoughtful analysis and explanation of the paragraph’s point and information (E)

A minimum of 2 quotes or direct examples from the in-class readings or other relevant materials from the unit.

A conclusion that does not merely summarize or restate but applies your argument to a larger context, idea, or an insight that wouldn’t have been possible at the beginning of the essay.

A counterargument paragraph. 

You may use the first person (I) when drawing from relevant personal experience; avoid the second person (you).

Engagement between your own ideas and those from the texts within the unit. Use ideas from the readings to excavate, interrogate, question, and support. Use them as springboards for exploring myths about American identity and progress.

Paper must be submitted on time.

Meets word count.

Meets all other basic formal requirements (MLA formatting: proper header, title, double-spaced, etc.)

Paper is original work written for this class.

 

Prompt:

In this unit we will be looking at essays on gender, exploring the topic from various angles, but always with the intention of using it as a way to uncover and understand questions and issues about/with society. Choose one of the following. These may overlap some, so feel free to discuss a hybrid prompt idea with me. Consider how your own gender has been policed, either by others or by you yourself. Construct an argument discussing the ways such policing has affected you. Were the effects positive? Negative? Both? (Or perhaps weighing positive vs. negative effects is not the best way of looking at the issue—it’s your call.) With this option, you will have to rely heavily on personal experiences and anecdotes, but you will also have to use examples and make connections/comparisons to at least one of the essays from the unit. In doing so, you will need to summarize and quote from portions of whatever essays you are referring to. 

 

 1000- 1200 words