Essay 3 Assignment Sheet
Length: 6-7 pages (The works cited page does not count towards the word count.)
Citation: A formal works cited page is required citing DADOES? and Asma
Quotes: 4 Asma quotes required, 4 DADOES? quotes required
Text Titles and Authors: The following are the texts used in Unit 3. You are required to use Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? as your primary source of evidence, but you are also required to incorporate Asma to help you analyze the text. (I will only accept quotes from the chapters we have worked on in class. Quotes from other places in the book will not be accepted.)
Asma, Stephen T.: On Monsters—”Introduction,” “Freud,” “Torture Porn,” “Monsters and the Mechanization of Nature,” “Rage and Aggression,” “Cold Detachment,” “Deconstructing Monsters,” and “Judging and Managing the Monsters” (These are the only chapters that I will accept quotes from.)
Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Essay Questions:
At the end of the semester, we have come to the place where we can question the validity of labels in general and the label of ‘monster’ specifically. If, as social constructionists argue, there is no inherent or inborn definition of anything beyond what we as a culture decide as definitions, then it follows that the category of monster is actually catchall category for beings who violate the accepted cultural norms.
Section 1: Are the Androids a Legitimate Threat?
The society in DADOES? views the androids as monsters. Your job in this section of the paper is to decide if the androids are actually a legitimate threat to the society. You can take this question in many different directions. You can think of physical threats, threats to the social order, potential threats, etc. I’m interested in seeing where you take this discussion. This section will be constructed out of 2 points. Each point will argue for one reason that the androids are or are not a legitimate threat.
Section 2—How Does Society Construct the Idea of Human in DADOES? and What is the Problem with This Construction?
The powers-that-be in DADOES? have rules and regulations for everything in society. Some of the most rigid rules surround the definition of a ‘human.’ They are so rigid, that there are tests to determine an individual’s placement into the category of ‘human.’ Choose one way in which society constructs the idea of ‘human.’ This will be the focus of your first point in the section. In the second point of the section, you need to explain and discuss the ways in which this kind of rigid definition of ‘human’ is very problematic. This section of the paper will be constructed of 2 points. Point 1 will address the first question and Point 2 will address the second question.
Use of Evidence in the Essay:
4 DADOES? quotes minimum—1 quote per point minimum.
4 Asma quotes total—1 quote per point
These are minimum numbers but remember that you don’t want to overwhelm your essay with quotes. I am looking for your analysis. Quotes are there to help you discuss your own ideas and cannot do any of that work for you. Direct quotes should be carefully selected, properly contextualized, and introduced beforehand, and commented upon afterwards. Remember the 20/80 rule. If more than 20% of the essay is devoted to quotation, then there is not enough analysis and explanation. I need to see more of your analysis than source material even though this is a research paper.
Essay Structure
Introduction Paragraph: You are required to include an introduction paragraph with the thesis as the last sentence. (.5-1 page) The introduction will include the following elements:
A hook
The introduction to the conversation about monsters—monsters as socially constructed beings
The introduction to the primary source—introduce DADOES? in terms of the relevant issues in this essay. Remember that the reader is informed, so you don’t need to summarize the text.
Thesis—answer the following three questions to create your thesis:
Are the Androids a Legitimate Threat in DADOES?
How Does Society Construct the Idea of Human in DADOES? and What is the Problem with This Construction?
Body of the Essay: The body of the essay requires 2 sections. Each section will be broken into 2 points. Each point will be broken into 2 paragraphs. Each point will require 1 Asma quote and 1 DADOES? quote minimum. Use the following outline as a checklist to make sure that you have included all of the required elements in your essay.
Section 1—Are the Androids a Legitimate Threat?
Point 1—The first way that are (or are not) a legitimate threat
Paragraph 1—the first way the androids are (or are not) a threat
State the first reason that the androids are (or are not) a threat
Explain the kind of threat you are looking at and the kind of danger that you see
Use one quote from Asma to help you explain your point
Paragraph 2—apply the discussion (illustrate the discussion with DADOES?)
Explain how and why the androids are (or are not) a threat
Bring in a quote from DADOES? to illustrate your discussion.
You are welcome to use a quote from Asma here if it is relevant, but it is not required.
Point 2—The second way that the androids are (or are not) a threat
Paragraph 1—the second way the androids are (or are not) a threat
State the second reason that the androids are (or are not) a threat
Explain the kind of threat you are looking at and the kind of danger that you see
Use one quote from Asma to help you explain your point
Paragraph 2—apply the discussion (illustrate the discussion with DADOES?)
Explain how and why the androids are (or are not) a threat
Bring in a quote from DADOES? to illustrate your discussion.
You are welcome to use a quote from Asma here if it is relevant, but it is not required.
Section 2— How Does Society Construct the Idea of Human in DADOES? and What is the Problem with This Construction?
Point 1—How does society construct the idea of ‘human’ in DADOES?
Paragraph 1—The social construction of ‘human’
State one way in which society constructs the category of ‘human’
Explain how social construction works with the ideas of categorization and compartmentalization etc.
Use one quote from Asma to help you explain (I recommend working with “Deconstructing Monsters” in this section of the paper)
Paragraph 2—apply the discussion (illustrate the discussion with the DADOES?)
State humans are categorized and constructed
Explain the construction of ‘human’ within the text. How does this work specifically in DADOES?
Bring in a quote from DADOES? to illustrate your discussion.
You are welcome to use a quote from Asma here if it is relevant, but it is not required.
Point 2—What is the problem with this construction of the idea of ‘human’
Paragraph 1—the problem with the constructing the idea of ‘human’
State the problem with constructing ‘human’ this way.
Explain what the inherent problems there are with social constructivism
Use one quote from Asma to help you explain the problems with social constructivism or relativism (I recommend using “Deconstructing Monsters”)
Paragraph 2—apply the discussion to DADOES?
State the problem with this definition of ‘human’ in DADOES?
Explain the problems and how we see these problems in DADOES?
Bring in a quote from your DADOES? to illustrate your discussion.
You are welcome to use a quote from Asma here if it is relevant, but it is not required.
Conclusion Paragraph: Bring the three criteria sections together and explain how they fit together to explain why reading about monsters is valuable. This is where you will answer the question: so what? Why should the reader care about this issue? (.5 page minimum)
General Guidelines
Audience:
The audience for this essay is informed. This means that the audience has read DADOES? and has a clear understanding of the content of the text. There will be NO summary in this essay. You will need to use quotes from and references to specific parts of the play in order to illustrate and apply your arguments. The audience will not have read your critical sources. This means that you will have to make sure that the audience can follow the quotes you choose from the critical sources. Introduce and explain the critical sources thoroughly enough that the reader understands the argument they are making.
Use of MLA in the Essay: Essays should be formatted according to MLA style rules. In addition, all quotations and paraphrases should be properly cited according to MLA rules, and all texts should be cited on a Works Cited page, properly formatted in MLA style.
Grammar / Correctness: Any final draft writing should be formal and clear, and the essay should contain few errors. The goal to strive for is fewer than one error per page. Remember that using ‘I’ infrequently is acceptable. Using ‘you’ is not acceptable. Remember that ‘you’ either sounds accusatorial or assumes a personal relationship with the reader that a writer does not have. Be careful with possession vs. contraction. If grammar has been a problem this semester, make an appointment with the writing center and get extra help editing your own paper.
Formatting:
Heading—name, date, class, assignment (upper right corner of the FIRST page only)
Headers—(in the top right margin) last name and page number of every page
Title (12pt, no underline or bold)
Times New Roman
12 pt size
Double space (2.0)
1” margins
Use Paragraphs
Indent paragraphs
Title the sections of the essay
Evaluation: See the posted scoring guide
NO Plagiarism!!
