Short Papers/Long Paper Assignmnts

There will be three short papers assigned for this class over the course of the semester which will be edited and combined into a longer paper due the last day of class. Each short paper should be at least 3 typed double-spaced pages.  It should also contain footnotes and a bibliography. For each essay you will need to use at least 2 outside sources. For general guidelines on writing papers refer to The Ten Commandments of Essay Writing.

Feminist theories are designed to confront a broad list of social problems: socialization, sexuality and violence, reproduction, self-images, the world of work, the domestic scene, and cultural invisibility. You will notice that some of these topics overlap: sexual harassment in the workplace, for example. Choose one of these broad topics that interest you and read an essay pertaining to it in Feminist Bioethics. Each short paper will then analyze how a particular feminist theory might address this issue.

First Short Paper: This paper will analyze liberal feminist theories and their approach to the problem you have decided to analyze. How would liberal feminist theory account for the origin of the problem? What methods of change might address that problem most effectively? Be sure your analysis cites particular feminist theories and concepts. This paper is due Monday, Feb. 7.

Second Short Paper: In the same manner as the first, the second short paper will analyze cultural and or essentialist feminist theories and how those theories would analyze the problem you addressed in the first paper. This paper is due Monday, Feb. 21.

Third Short Paper: This paper will analyze either Marxist or poststructuralist theories and their approach to the problem you have been discussing. This paper is due Monday, April 11.

Final Paper: You will edit and combine your three papers into a longer (10 pages) paper analyzing a particular social problem and 3 feminist theories that have addressed this problem. You will also decide which theory a) best accounts for the problem's existence and b) has the best strategy for overcoming it. You may decide that parts of different theories, or some kind of combination, would be most effective. You must explain clearly why you have made your decisions. This paper is due Monday, May 9..