2 Assignment

Paper Assignment

There is one paper required in this class. Choose a singer (male, female or group) of any style or genre, who is not covered in class,

Your paper will answer the question: “Do the texts of his or her songs reflect the gender ideas of his/her historical period?” If yes, explain why. If no, defend your point of view.

● Choose and listen to 4-5 songs that support your point of view. Using the selected songs illustrate your argument.

● Write as if to someone who is familiar with the readings and the class to convince him/her of your point of view.

● Your paper should be a minimum of 5 pages in length of discussion, 12-point font, doubled-spaced with 1” margins. (This should be about 1500 words). You may include the lyrics in the body of your paper in single spaced 8pt font inserted as a table so as not waste lots of space or you may attach them at the end.

Grade will be based on:

“Do the texts of his or her songs reflect the gender ideas of his/her historical period?” If yes, explain why. If no, defend your point of view.

A (5) B (4) C (3) D/F (2/1) Content (35) Answers the Question

Clear explanation of gender ideals of period; convincing argument stating whether or not songs fit those ideals

Explanation of gender ideals of period needs further development; needs clearer statement of whether or not songs fit those ideals

Explanation of gender ideals of period needs further development; lacks convincing statement of whether or not songs fit those ideals

Explanation of gender ideals of period is missing; lacks clear statement of whether or not songs fit those ideals; not convincing

Describes when songs popular

Accurately describes when song was popular; focusing on its reception

Some discussion of reception; some discussion of performer’s biography

More discussion of biography and less of songs’ reception

Ignores reception and or focuses on biography

Relates to historical context

Clear logical relation to and explanation of historical context

Explanation needs further detail

Explanation is not logical or convincing

Historical context missing

Explains ideals or archetypes of decade

Clear, convincing explanation

Explanation needs further detail

Explanation is not logical or convincing

Explanation missing

Discusses 3-5 songs Specific examples and detailed descriptions.

Some use of specific examples and detailed descriptions.

Little use of specific examples and details

No use of examples

Includes material from readings and discussions

Exceptionally well-integrated; supports claims

Well integrated and support the paper’s claims.

Support some claims made in the paper, but might

The paper does include material from class &

argued in the paper very effectively.

There may be occasional errors

not be integrated well within the paper’s argument.

discussions or if it does, the sources are not integrated well.

Conclusion relates to the thesis sentence

Logically ties argument together

Relates to thesis, but not fully convincing

Contains unrelated material

No conclusion

A (5) B (4) C (3) D/F (2/1) Writing (15) Organization: Overall

Well-planned and well-thought out. Includes title, introduction, statement of main idea, transitions and conclusion.

Good overall organization, includes the main organizational tools.

There is a sense of organization, although some of the organizational tools are used weakly or missing

No sense of organization

Sentence structure Sentences are clear and varied in pattern, from simple to complex, with excellent use of punctuation.

Sentences are clear but may lack variation; a few may be awkward and there may be a few punctuation errors.

Sentences are generally clear but may have awkward structure or unclear content; there may be patterns of punctuation errors.

Sentences aren’t clear

Grammar & Mechanics

Excellent grammar, spelling, syntax and punctuation.

A few errors in grammar, spelling, syntax and punctuation, but not many.

Shows a pattern of errors in spelling, grammar, syntax and/or punctuation. Could also be a sign of lack of proof-reading.

Continuous errors

● Due date: See Course Schedule

While the primary goal of these papers is to have you think critically about the lyrics of these songs, applying what you have learned from reading and class discussions, it can be helpful to explore other sources for recordings and articles about various styles, performers, and composers. The WSU library has excellent resources for this purpose. If you use material from any source, be certain to cite that source.

Online & library resources: Go to WSU Library page ● Click on “Find Journal Articles” ● Choose “Music” in “Databases by subject” bar ● American Song – articles and recordings that are especially pertinent for this

class ● You may also:

o Click “Cross Search” o Choose “Music” in the subject bar o Type in Women in Music in the line under #3 o A long list of articles will be displayed, so you might want to narrow the

topic to a very specific topic such as “Women in Punk” ● Contact Bob Matuozzi, [email protected], who is the reference librarian for

American and English Literature, Fine Arts, Music, Philosophy, Religion. ● Music for analysis can also be found on iTunes and YouTube.