Introduction to Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies

I. Instructions Overview This take-home exam was made available on May 4 and is due on May 8 by 11:59 pm. You may consult readings and notes to complete the exam (see Research and outside sources and Citations and academic honesty below). You should compose responses to each of the following 3 prompts. Your answers should endeavor to answer all parts of the prompt and should be composed in full sentences. Quality of composition is among the grading criteria so you should give yourself time to revise and proofread your responses before you submit your exam as a single Microsoft Word file (doc or docx only: no other formats accepted) as an email attachment to [email protected]. The instructor will respond to emailed questions seeking clarity about the instructions but will not provide feedback on drafts or on questions about whether an answer is correct. Research and outside sources Use specific examples from the assigned readings and keywords/concepts from class sessions to conceptualize and support your responses. All readings referenced in this exam are taken from the assigned textbook: Saraswati, Shaw, and Rellihan, Introduction to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 2 nd ed (2021). The exam covers Weeks 7–16. You are not expected to do outside research, but if you wish to do so, you are permitted to consult outside materials to illustrate and enrich your answers. Should you consult outside materials, you must: 1. keep in mind that your responses should be centered on the assigned materials and class concepts—strong answers successfully use evidence and reasoning drawn from the assigned materials and course sessions; 2. provide proper citation of any outside materials you consult. Formatting and submission You should submit your responses in a single Microsoft Word file (doc or docx) as an email attachment to [email protected]. The exam should be double-spaced and use 1” margins and a standard 12 point type (page length suggestions given in the prompts are based on this format). You will receive an email acknowledgment within 24 hours of submitting your exam. Exams submitted after 11:59 pm May 8 will incur a late penalty: 1/3 grade per day will be deducted from the exam per 24-hour day, or portion thereof, i.e. at 12:01 on May 9, an exam graded Abecomes B+, at that time on May 10, it becomes B, etc. Grading criteria Each response will be evaluated on the A-F scale by the degree to which it fully answers the question; its use of supporting evidence and reasoning drawn from assigned class materials and keywords/concepts emphasized in course sessions; and the quality of the composition (which includes proofreading, grammar, punctuation, and proper citational practices). The corresponding points will be added to create the total exam grade. There are no minimum or maximum word limits on your responses, but prompts include a suggested range in order to help you assess the comprehensiveness of your answers. Citations and academic honesty Use a formal citation when you reference the ideas or words of another person or writer, whether those words are quoted or paraphrased. Use short parenthetical citations for class readings (author last name and page number), for example: (Fausto-Sterling 37) or (“Section Three” 189). Use full WGST 1900-02, 02H Spring 2022 Final Exam, due May 8, 11:59 pm Page 2 of 4 citations following a standard academic format (University of Chicago, MLA, or APA format) for anything else.1 Include the address for websites. Not including references to words or ideas that come from others constitutes a violation of the Academic Integrity policy, as does consulting with other students in preparation of the exam. Remember, it does not matter whether a violation is unintentional or intentional, brief or extensive, paraphrased or direct use of words—all are considered academic dishonesty. Violations of the policy will be reported to the university. Submission of your exam constitutes a pledge that you have not violated the academic integrity policy in its preparation, including consultation with other students. II. Questions: complete all 3 in essay form (33 1/3 points each) Q1. In this essay, you will provide a summary analysis of one of the assigned readings included on the list below. Your analysis will consist of 3 parts: 1. A paragraph-length synopsis of the chapter’s main argument—its thesis or central claims (3-5 sentences). 2. An explanation of the author’s account of interlocking systems of oppression affecting the subject under study. What “intersections” of oppressive practices are addressed in the chapter? How does the experience of belonging to multiple identity categories and/or being multiply disadvantaged by systems of power affect the populations under consideration? Be descriptive about who is the subject of study—the identity groups and communities—and what systems and structures are important in this account—the institutions and sites where power is exercised. 3. Finally, identify the implications of this analysis for creating social change. What sort of activist work is implied or identified as a route for remedying these intersections of oppression? What needs to be changed, and how could that happen? For each part, you should use your own words to summarize and describe the ideas the chapter attempts to convey. If you use quotations in your response, you should integrate and explain them, rather than let a quote stand in place of your words. Suggested length: 1.5-2 pages Possible chapters for Q1: select 1 Ch. 31 Tambe, “Reckoning with the Silences of #MeToo” Ch. 45 Richie, “A Black Feminist Reflection on the Antiviolence Movement” Ch. 47 Mogul et al, “False Promises: Criminal Legal Responses to Violence against LGBT People” Ch. 48 Nusair, “Making Feminist Sense of Torture at Abu Ghraib” Ch. 53 Mock, “From Redefining Realness” Ch. 56 Han, “Being an Oriental, I Could Never Be Completely a Man: Gay Asian Men and the Intersection of Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Class” (chapter list continues next page) 1 Please consult me or the Purdue OWL website ( https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/resources.html https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/avoiding_plagiarism/index.html ) if you are unfamiliar with the citation process or if you are uncertain about what constitutes plagiarism. WGST 1900-02, 02H Spring 2022 Final Exam, due May 8, 11:59 pm Page 3 of 4 Ch. 58 Crosby, “Masculine, Feminine, or Fourth of July” Ch. 63 Fitriyah, “Can We Stop Talking about the ‘Hijab’?: Islamic Feminism, Intersectionality, and the Indonesian Muslim Female Migrant Workers” Ch. 81 Jafri, “Not Your Indian Eco-Princess” Q2. Defining care work “capaciously” as including “familial care, the hands-on care that workers carry out in care homes and hospitals and that teachers do in schools, and the everyday services provided by other essential workers,” the authors of the book The Care Manifesto ask the question: “What...would happen if we were to begin...to put care at the very centre of life?” 2 In this essay, explore the implications of this question by identifying 3 ways in which the responsibilities of care work create disadvantages for women. Your response should indicate how the work of taking care of people affects women disproportionately and the ways in which it is devalued and not placed at the center of life. Make reference to examples, data, and reasoning contained in the assigned readings to provide evidence and illustrate your points. Suggested length: 1-2 descriptive paragraphs per point, for a total length of 1.25-1.5 pages. EXAM CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE