Essay Assignment

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GWRTC 103: Fall 2011
Ashley Lauro

Paper #2: Gender Roles, Sexuality, and Individual and Social Perfection

For this assignment you will write a paper arguing your position on an issue related to the topics of gender roles, sexuality and/or individual and social perfection.

During this unit, we read and discussed articles that addressed topics such as gender behaviors in the classroom, gender roles in relationships and society, the correlation between appearance and sexuality, media’s influence on our perception of sexuality, the ethicality of genetic engineering used to attain human “perfection,” technology’s influence on body image, and the power struggle between Government and “the people” in an attempt to attain social perfection. Think about these issues as well as any other issues this unit raised for the class or for you individually.  Decide which topic interests or concerns you most and that is important to your readers. Form an opinion regarding your topic of choice and write an insightful, focused argument which attempts to persuade your specific audience in some way. Remember, there are different types of argument/persuasion.  For example, you can attempt to persuade your readers to understand the importance of your issue, to accept your perspective or proposed solution to the issue, or maybe attempt to persuade them to action. 
Your chosen audience and purpose will determine your argument structure.  You may use any of the argument structures or combinations of the structures we discussed in class, as appropriate for your audience and purpose. I encourage you, however, to break away from the classical argument form and experiment with other approaches we have discussed, such as delayed thesis, Rogerian argument, or narrative.  With any argument structure you choose, you should strive to write in an engaging tone and show interest in your chosen topic.  Above all, move the audience—get them to think deeply, or even laugh, or cry. You do not want them to read your argument and say, “so what?”  You want to wow them. 

Specifics:

-Write at minimum four full pages.  Please try not to exceed six full pages.

-As usual, use MLA format: 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double spacing, 1 inch margins and page headers. Attach a Works Cited page (MLA format) if you include secondary sources, which are not required for this paper, but are   
welcome (and possibly necessary for your specific argument). 

-Keep the rhetorical strategies of ethos, logos, and pathos in mind as you write your argument.  In general keep in mind all of the aspects of good writing we have read about and discussed in class.  See attached rubric for more specific guidelines.

-You may include supporting images; be sure to adjust your paper length accordingly.

 Banned Topics:

(For or against) gay marriage/civil unions, stem-cell research, genetic engineering, animal rights, euthanasia, media’s effect on female body image, and abortion. (Strive for a more nuanced and original thesis).

Have Fun!

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