paper (1100 words)
PHIL 451: Feminist Moral Issues Spring 2019
Instructor: Maja Sidzińska
Longer Paper Assignment Instructions
Write a longer paper (1100-‐1500 words total, maximum enforced), using your Short Paper as Part 1 of this Longer Paper. That means continuing the paper from where you left off in the Short Paper. In other words, your Short Paper will be Part 1 of the Longer Paper, and you will now need to write Part 2. For Part 2, address ONE of the topics below, and make sure you revise in light of my feedback on the Short Paper. You will need to edit and adjust your introductory paragraph and thesis somewhat to address the new, broader comparative scope of the Longer Paper. This paper is due Saturday, Apr. 27. Upload your paper to iLearn (via TurnItIn) before midnight on Saturday, Apr. 27 (that is, by 11:59pm PST). This paper is worth 30 points (30% of your grade for the course). Therefore, please interpret the readings you are drawing on carefully, and develop your argument thoughtfully. If your short paper was on Topic 1: Recall that Cudd and Jones (2003) discuss the difference between "difference feminism" and "equality feminism." At issue in this difference is the question of whether women's liberatory project would be best served by positing the existence of two types of selves: the feminine and the masculine selves (and holding that they are different yet equal, and advocating for equity), or whether women's liberatory project would be best served by positing one type of gender-‐neutral self (and holding that women and men both possess this kind of self, and advocating for equality). Keep in mind that both approaches to feminism are useful, with one more useful in some contexts, and the other more useful in other contexts. You argued that one approach was better for understanding the issues discussed in Manne's Down Girl (the relations of unequal owing, as exemplified, for instance by the prevalence of sexual assault, testimonial injustice, and misogyny/instances of misogyny). But is it also better for understanding the problems of "other" women, and/or promoting gender justice in a transnational context, as described by Serene Khader in Decolonizing Universalism? Or do should we change perspectives when we look at this new set of issues? When introducing your argument, make sure you argue for a clear and comprehensible thesis, and give reasons (logical reasons, empirical evidence, or examples/counterexamples) in support of that thesis. Anticipate and respond to likely criticism or possible counter-‐arguments. If your short paper was on Topic 2: Throughout multiple readings, the framework of intersectionality has been discussed; see especially bell hooks (1984) and Trina Grillo (1995), and the supplementary video resources. The question of what women as a group, are like, and what their problems are like, has been raised. Do all women share a common set of problems? Or given an intersectional framework, are different groups of women, necessarily sitting at different "intersections," not analyzable qua women? In other words,
we can wonder whether sexist oppression can be isolated from other oppressions. You argued, in light of this, that the issues (misogyny/instances of misogyny) raised in Manne's Down Girl either lend themselves to a women-‐qua-‐women approach where commonalities are emphasized or that they are better approached from an intersectional perspective in which differences are emphasized. But is this also the better approach for understanding the problems of "other" women, and/or promoting gender justice in a transnational context, as described by Serene Khader in Decolonizing Universalism? Or do should we change perspectives when we look at this new set of issues? Keep in mind that both approaches to feminism are useful, with one more useful in some contexts, and the other more useful in other contexts. When introducing your argument, make sure you argue for a clear and comprehensible thesis, and give reasons (logical reasons, empirical evidence, or examples/counterexamples) in support of that thesis. Anticipate and respond to likely criticism or possible counter-‐arguments. Grading criteria: your papers will be graded based on the following.
1. Faithful/accurate interpretation of the text(s) 2. Strength of your argument (i.e. Are you using convincing
reasons/evidence/examples? Did you address a counterargument?) 3. Originality of your argument 4. Is your argument concise, direct, and does it avoid making assertions without
support? Does your writing avoid repetition? 5. Clarity of writing
Writing guidelines:
• basic font (Times New Roman, Cambria, Calibri, etc.) • 12-‐pt font • double spaced • author-‐date-‐page citation style; e.g. "(Copp 2008, 187)" • list your references at the end of the paper (references do not count as part of the
word-‐count) • do not cite or paraphrase the text without giving the reference • do not plagiarize-‐-‐don't use phrases, sentences, or paragraphs that are not your
own; this is a form of academic dishonesty and against university and class policy; plagiarism will result in receiving no credit for the assignment and being reported to the ethics division of the university
• revise, revise, revise! Do not write your paper in one sitting.