Step 1 – Topic Proposal & Exploratory Bibliography
This step is worth 10% of your course grade and will be due October 25, 2024 by 11:59pm.
In Step 1 of your assignment (see below for description of term project as a whole), you will identify an object of analysis for your final work and get familiar with that object through a short write-up and exploratory bibliography.
This write-up should be approximately 150-200 words. You must describe the policy or piece of media that you have chosen, and briefly explain why you chose it (how it relates to Feminist Studies). Write with the assumption that your TA is not familiar with this piece of policy or media.
You will also produce a preliminary bibliography with 3-5 sources (at least two of these should be scholarly sources[1]) https://bowvalleycollege.libguides.com/scholarly-articles/identifying
that you anticipate will guide your work. These sources do not have to be reporting on your specific object (they do not have to focus on the specific policy or media piece that you have chosen), but should related to how you anticipate to analyze your policy or media piece.
Please submit your assignment in PDF format.
Term Project
Your main writing assignment for Femst 20 is a 1,500 word work(approximately 6 pages, double-spaced) analyzing either 1) a policy OR 2) a piece of media that stands out to you in the context of Femst 20. (Final work will be due Dec. 11, see “Step 3” Assignment for more details.)
Option 1) Policy analysis
Choose a policy that impacts the politics of gender. For the purpose of this assignment, you should understand policy as a law, regulation, or procedure put into place by a government, organization, or other institution. For example, your analysis could focus on a federal or state law, a workplace policy, or a school regulation, among others.
You will analyze this policy in light of at least 2 threshold concepts explored in this course. Make sure you include important background information (where and when it was implemented; who developed the policy; the context, or supposed justification for why it was needed; who is ostensibly targeted by the policy and why; if there are any penalties / repercussions for violating the policy…).
Some questions you may want to think about: how does this policy privilege certain people or groups and exclude others? How does this policy construct or prescribe gender and/or gender roles? How does this policy affect people differently when gender intersects with race, class, ability, citizenship status, sexuality, and any other mode of privilege/oppression? How might you employ a feminist praxis to change this policy?
OR
Option 2) Media analysis
Choose a media or pop culture artifact that speaks to the content of this course. This could be a TV show, film, magazine, advertisement, piece of fictional writing, music video, visual art, comic book, advice column… You should establish a fairly narrow focus so that you can closely analyze the details of your chosen media artifact: you are not analyzing how women are portrayed in television as a whole, or the gendered dynamics of advertising overall—both of these projects would take much more than 6 pages to complete. Instead, think of focusing on a particular ad or ad campaign, an episode from a TV show, a specific issue of a magazine, or even a scene or excerpt of a film (or something of similar scope).
You will analyze this media artifact in light of at least 2 threshold concepts explored in this course. Include relevant background information (when and where it was published / aired / produced); by whom it was created; who the target audience is…).
Some questions you may want to think about: Where do you see gender in this media artifact? How does this media artifact construct or prescribe gender and/or gender roles? How diverse are the people / communities represented in this media artifact? What type of representation is there of gender, class, race, ethnicity, ability, nationality or citizenship status, sexuality, or any other mode of privilege/oppression? What message does this media artefact send about gender? How might you employ feminist praxis to interrupt or shift this message?