<> Jill Ker Conway ed, Written By Herself, Vol. 2<> Robert Strayer, Ways of the World, Vol. 2
<> Carolina Maria de Jesus, Child of the Dark, 17-31; Beyond All Pity.
(Note: these are the US & UK editions of the same book)
The assigned chapters from Conway are by Vera Brittain (pp. 66-116), Emma Mashinini (352-388) Vijaya Pandit (438-488) and Gloria Wade-Gayles (569-619), also listed on the course syllabus. In writing your essay, you MUST WRITE on 3 of these 5 AUTHORS: Brittain, Mashinini, Pandit, Wade-Gayles or de Jesus. In addition, you must make full use of Strayer, Ways of the World, which explores major processes in world history experienced by the women writers.
you must formulate a THESIS or central argument, support it with EVIDENCE in the MAIN BODY, and offers final insights in the CONCLUSION. Your essay must be 1500-1750 WORDS (6- PAGES) in length. You may write more if you wish, but not much more; part of the assignment is to stay within length limits. It must have a DISTINCT TITLE which serves as a brief summary or description of the actual thesis or content (not e.g. “Critical Essay” or “World History”). You must also include a bibliography or reading list, with full bibliographic details, at the end; listing the individual authors and titles from Conway is required too. The following requirements comprise two parts: {1} the questions and issues to be discussed, and {2} specifications for citations and paper format.
{1} In developing a thesis based on the readings, you must address the following questions. Your answer to these questions constitutes your thesis.
— What do these women’s lives and writings tell us about major developments in modern world history?
— What do they have in common, and how did their varied backgrounds and circumstances result in different experiences?
{2} Your essay must have AT LEAST 16 SEPARATE CITATIONS with SPECIFIC PAGE REFERENCES, an average of MORE THAN 2 PER PAGE. Footnotes (preferred) or endnotes are acceptable, but not in-text citations; notes do not count as part of the word total. You must cite each of the 4 female authors AT LEAST 3 TIMES in separate notes, though you may cite more than one in particular notes. Strayer must be cited AT LEAST 3 TIMES and only once from the sections on the women’s movement. Direct quotations are permitted in support of your thesis, but they should be minimal and brief. It is your voice that matters, and your views developed through careful attention to the sources. You may refer to other course materials, but only to SUPPLEMENT the minimum total of required references, NOT to SUPPLANT them; they are best cited along with the page references to readings. Use of Internet materials is not PROHIBITED but is STRONGLY DISCOURAGED; the point is to analyze the assigned readings. One further suggestion: you can write a stronger paper by integrating your analysis of all four authors around key themes, rather than discussing them separately and in succession.
Essays must be typed in 14-point type, and double-spaced with 1.5-inch margins at the top, bottom and sides; pages must be numbered at top or bottom. ESSAY must be in PASSIVE voice.