READ

Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives (pgs. 183-198 AND 204-206). This assignment includes the following essays: “Uses of the Erotic” by Audre Lorde; “Guadalupe the Sex Goddess” by Sandra Cisneros; “Why Nice Guys Finish Last” by Julia Serano; “Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture” by Ariel Levy; and “The All American Queer Pakistani Girl” by Surina Khan.

OVERVIEW

The goal of the course is to introduce you to new and important questions and encourage you to seriously reflect on them. Unit reaction papers will help in this direction. The purpose of the weekly reaction is threefold. First, it will ensure that you complete the reading in a timely fashion and approach the work in a thoughtful and critical way. Second, the reflection will support your participation in more stimulating discussions. Third, it will give you practice in written communication.

Describe and explain one or more of YOUR REACTIONS to the material. You will probably find this assignment most appealing if you choose a topic that either intrigued you a lot or troubled you. Be sure to give your own critical evaluation of the material — do not summarize the ideas presented in the readings.

GUIDELINES

• Format: All entries must be a minimum of 400 words that actively and explicitly engage the texts and integrate textual passages/quotes and examine these textual moments specifically; it must be evident that you read the texts through your reaction papers. IMPORTANT: Please include word count at the end of your response.
• You must address ALL of the readings in your paper. You may choose to focus on one or two more than others, but it should be evident that you completed all of the assigned readings. For this reaction paper, you should make sure that you address “Uses of the Erotic” by Audre Lorde (pgs. 183-186); “Guadalupe the Sex Goddess” (187-189); “Why Nice Guys Finish Last” (189-195); and “Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture” (195-198).
• In the paper, demonstrate that you have thought independently and creatively about the readings, class discussions, and other material related to the topic of the week. If you’re having trouble getting started, here are examples of different approaches you might take:
  • Challenges or Criticisms–Examples: What does the author mean by…? The author doesn’t say enough about…I disagree with the author’s point of view because…This gives an incorrect impression of…because…I was really upset by this because…This is really a disservice to women [or men] because…This really got me angry because…
  • Affirmations–Examples: I agree with this idea because…I liked or sympathized with this point of view because…This appeals to me because I have had similar experiences such as…I know what the author is talking about because…This reminds me of…This really tickled my sense of humor because…I was deeply moved by this since…
  • Questions–Examples: This really puzzles me because…I think that the typical reader would be confused by this because…This doesn’t make any sense for the following reasons…I am lost because this contradicts what we learned in class in the following ways…
• You must make specific references to the day’s assigned readings, making connections when possible. Vague comments, e.g. “I didn’t like it” do not demonstrate that you read the material.
• Please put the page number you are referencing in parentheses at the end of the sentence.
• Observe the conventions of correct writing (i.e. complete sentences, spellchecking and proofreading, etc.), since these details reflect an author’s commitment to and respect for good scholarship. Preparation details can affect your grade.
• Because you have a very limited amount of space you should use quotes sparingly and avoid long quotes altogether. If you do use a quote, please cite the page number in parentheses.
• Please do not email papers to me. I do not accept late papers except in extremely rare and exceptional circumstances. (See syllabus for policy on late work.)
• Reaction Papers are typically worth 20 points each. Sometimes I will read them very closely and provide you with feedback, and other weeks, I will just skim to make sure that you met the requirements. You will not know which ones I will closely evaluate, so it is imperative that you complete all modules effectively, following required guidelines.

GRADING RUBIC