Choose one of the readings we covered in the second half of the semester. (These are the readings that I assigned after our second-half topic was voted on: Fanon, DuBois, Wollstonecraft, LeDœuff, Foucault, Butler, Lilla.) Relate some idea in your book to your experiences in our contemporary world. How does the author help you to make sense of what you have personally experienced, or witnessed, or read about?
Assignment Question
You will be required to write a final paper for this class. The specifications are as follows: Length: 4–5 typed pages, 12 point standard font, double-spaced Special Features: Name and title only. No bibliography, no heading necessary. Style: This is an academic paper, so use a formal, persuasive voice. Imagine you are presenting a report to your employer or your co-workers. Any academic style is acceptable (APA, MLA, or Chicago)— choose whichever you’re most comfortable with. – Avoid slang, avoid “I think” and “I feel.” – Make sure everything you say is backed up by an argument. “I feel like DuBois is wrong” is not an argument. “DuBois is mistaken for reasons x, y, and z” is an argument. – Have a clear thesis at the beginning of the paper, so that the reader (me) knows what the paper is about. “In this paper, I will argue ———.” If you don’t say what the paper is about, I won’t be able to judge whether you’ve achieved your aims. – I recommend the five-paragraph model we all learned in grade school: (1) Introduction, saying what the paper will be about; (2–4) Body, where you say your piece and make your argument; (5) Conclusion, where you restate in simplified form the main ideas from the body. – Use direct quotations when referring to the reading (citations are not necessary). Importance: The final paper will be worth 30% of the total grade for the course. Nota Bene: Please do not turn in a paper written by AI. If I suspect that your paper was written by ChapGPT, etc., I will run it through a detection tool. Papers written by AI will not receive a grade. Final Paper Topic Personal Reflection Paper For your final paper, I would like you to write a paper that integrates what we have studied in class with your own experiences. I have decided in favor of this approach, rather than the standard “academic essay” on a particular topic. Choose one of the readings we covered in the second half of the semester. (These are the readings that I assigned after our second-half topic was voted on: Fanon, DuBois, Wollstonecraft, LeDœuff, Foucault, Butler, Lilla.) Relate some idea in your book to your experiences in our contemporary world. How does the author help you to make sense of what you have personally experienced, or witnessed, or read about? This assignment is intentionally open-ended. If you identify with a certain under-represented group, you might write about how the analysis of your author has helped you to understand social power relations, or how these relations can be overcome. Or you might write about some particular incident (either a personal life-event or something from the news, e.g. one of the well-known cases of police violence or the status of abortion rights), discussing what your author has to teach us about this case. Use your powers of reflection to discuss what you take away from these readings. I recommend discussing the work on which you have done (or will do) your presentation, but this is not strictly necessary. I also recommend limiting yourself to only one of the books we have covered. In making your argument, (1) Clearly explain what the situation is you want to discuss. (2) Give all relevant details and background information. (3) Explain what your author has to say that is relevant to the discussion. Make explicit reference to the text. (4) Explain how this reading helps you to better understand your topic—that is, how the abstract book is relevant to your actual life.
