THIS IS A EDITING/REVISING/FINALIZING ASSIGNMENT. I HAVE ATTACHED THE ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS FINAL PAPER AS WELL AS MY FINAL PAPER DRAFT. PLEASE USE THE FINAL PAPER DRAFT THAT IS ATTACHED WITH MY PROFESSOR’S NOTES AND FEEDBACK TO CREATE A NEW AND IMPROVED FINAL PAPER. THE RUBRIC, FEEDBACK, AND AUDIO FILE WITH PROFEESOR’S COMMENTS NEED TO BE UTILIZED TO COMPLETE THIS ASSIGNMENT.
The final assignment for this class is the creation of a well-researched and polished final paper which examines an object of your choosing that relates to some of the themes discussed in class. The parameters of this assignment are intentionally broad and are intended to give you as much creative and scholarly license as possible to choose an object that fits your interests.
For this assignment, you are tasked with selecting an object or a small, related group of objects that will be added to the curriculum of a course on women’s history. Think about some of the themes covered in class as well as themes that might be missing from our study. Then select your object and, for this research paper, build an argument for your object’s significance to the history of women in western culture. In other words, why should we study it? What does it add to our understanding of women and their history?
You will first begin by reviewing and selecting an object (image, work of art, film, primary text document, literary work, advertisement, etc.) that you feel would be important for readers to study in order to understand women’s representation, or women’s contributions to history. This will NOT be a person, issue, or event, but rather a material object/document because one of the major arcs of our class will be the material contributions of women to history. Because of that, we will be discussing strategies for understanding and using cultural and material history.
When choosing an object, consider the following:
What makes this object significant to our understanding of women in western culture?
Does it show us women’s contributions to history and society? Is it an example of where women are under or overrepresented? Does it point to a larger issue or theme?
How does this object relate to the social, political, and cultural moment in which it was produced? Does it relate to cultural moments before or after its own time?
What discussions of this piece are most prominent? What discussions could be further examined or researched?
From what field of study do they originate?
Next, consider the class discussions that have been or will be conducted throughout the semester. To which theme(s) does the object most clearly relate? These could range from representation, intersectionality, bodies, any of the politics discussed in first, second, or third wave feminisms etc. Try to refer to at least one theme or unit from class to anchor your object (this is helpful but will not be mandatory for the final paper). Then you will use the sources you locate to form an argument which highlights the object’s significance for one of the themes in women’s history. You might consider, for example, developing your argument around women’s access to education, dissemination, or role models. What were difficulties faced by women creators and were these creations relevant or successful at the time of their creation?
Your final paper should be between 1,600 – 2,500 words (5 – 8 pages) excluding citations and bibliography. Your paper should discuss your findings and use a minimum of 4 scholarly sources that helped you decipher the object. In a clearly worded thesis statement, you will argue to which themes your object closely relates and its significance for history. Successful papers will also use supporting visual, contextual, and other evidence gleaned from visual observation and research. Papers will use the Chicago Manual of Style for citations and include footnotes instead of parenthetical citations.
A title page OR a heading with a Title for your paper
A thesis statement in the introductory paragraph
a body that includes scholarly citations and supports the thesis statement
Footnotes (not parenthetical citations) in Chicago style (Notes and Bibliography style, rather than Author-Date).
A bibliography of sources used
Images (when necessary) are arranged at the end of the paper with figure numbers and labels.
