Over the course of the term you will be responsible for writing two response papers on weekly assigned materials. Each response paper should be roughly 300–500 words in length and should be submitted before we meet to discuss the material in question. You may choose which weeks you write your response papers, but you must submit one by Session 6.
Response papers are low-stakes assignments that offer you an opportunity to reflect on course themes and materials while also receiving individual feedback from me on your writing and ideas. Each response paper counts toward 5% of your overall grade for the course. I will usually return papers with my comments within a week after you submit them.
There is no set formula for response papers, but each should engage thoughtfully with major concepts and themes from the week as a whole. Strategies for writing strong response papers include the following:
- Offering a close analysis of a single reading, film, or document that places that text in conversation with other assigned materials from the week.
- Examining a particular idea, problem, or argument that arises in various materials assigned for the week, and placing that idea in conversation with themes from other weeks and the course as a whole.
- Reflecting on how the materials assigned for the week speak to and inform your understanding of current events involving sexuality and/or gender in the present day. If you choose this strategy, make sure to be specific about how assigned materials relate to the present.
Though these are informal assignments, I ask that you write in prose (do not submit a list with bullet points) and take care to express yourself in clear (grammatically correct) language. There is no need to cite course materials in your responses, but doing so will offer good practice for more formal writing assignments.
This assignment will be graded according to the following criteria:
- The quality, clarity, and insightfulness of ideas expressed in the response paper
- The extent to which the paper engages thoughtfully with assigned materials for the week
