Select one of the two topics below and write a short (1,000–1,500 word) paper that responds to one of the corresponding prompts. Your paper should address the entire period covered by the first three units of the course (including material covered in class during Week 7).
- Attempts to regulate sexuality and control gender and sexual expression have been directed at, experienced by, and resisted in different ways by different groups throughout American history. In your paper, craft an argument that addresses change over time in the ways racial, ethnic, and class-based differences have mattered to the history of gender and sexuality in the United States.
- During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, space emerged as a central metaphor for defining and policing gender binaries and for regulating sexual behaviors and practices. Particular spaces also became important sites for individuals seeking to resist these binaries and form alternative sexual identities and communities. In your paper, craft an argument that addresses change over time in the ways space has mattered to the history of sexuality and gender in the United States.
Your paper should present an original argument that responds to one of the above prompts. This argument should be unique (of your own making), compelling (it should communicate an interesting idea), and clearly articulated (a reader should have no problem identifying it). In crafting your argument, you should draw on lectures, discussions, and readings, as well as your own ideas about the history of sex, sexuality, and gender developed over the course of the term. The argument in your paper should be supported by ample evidence. Evidence in support of your argument should be drawn from assigned course materials (additional research is not required or advised).
Papers should be 1,000–1,500 words in length, not including citations (please include a word count at the end of the paper). They should be double-spaced, written in a readable 12-point font, and should include page numbers, a title that reflects the paper’s argument, and accurate footnote citations (Chicago is the preferred citation style in history, but any footnote format is acceptable so long as it thorough and consistent). There is no need to include a bibliography or list of works cited.
This short paper counts toward 20% of your overall course grade.
Papers will be graded according to the following criteria:
- The quality of the argument and analysis
- The strength of the evidence marshaled in support of that argument
- The paper’s ability to chart change over time across the entire period covered in units 1–3
- The clarity and quality of written expression (this includes style, grammar, and proper citation)
