Manifesto
Due Date
March 19 by 11:59 p.m. All papers should be posted to Moodle.
Directions
Writing has been one of the most important tools for challenging gender norms and demanding equality. This assignment asks you to engage with 1-2 of the most significant genres of challenge: the manifesto or the personal narrative. You’ll choose one of these genres and, drawing on our course reading, you’ll craft your own. You’ll want to think about the difference between each type and how either might be used to further the cause of gendered equality. Consider the following:
The manifesto is a public declaration of aims, policy, or social critique. It functions as a statement and argument, meant to make an appeal to convince others of the rightness of a particular cause. Examples from our class include:Vidication of the Rights of Women, “Declaration of the Rights of Sentiments,” “A Black Feminist Statement,” and the NOW “Statement of Purpose.”
The personal narrative aims to make the personal political, telling a first-hand account of a person’s life in order to make its case for gender equity. Examples from class include: Mary Prince, Margery Kempe, Virginia Woolf, and Barbara Cameron.
Choose one of the genres above, either the manifesto or the personal narrative, and write your own version. Your narrative or manifesto should be 4-6 pages long and be grounded, not just in your own experience, but in larger social problems that you see in the contemporary world as well as our class readings. (So, for example, if you write a personal narrative about your experience with gender, think about how you might connect your personal struggle with larger social problems.) Each essay should conclude with a 2-3 paragraph reflection in which you outline your aims in your writing, explaining why you chose to write in either genre, and relating your writing to our course readings.
Format and Grading Criteria
Your essay including reflection should be 4-6 pages long. A successful project should be complete and polished according to the medium you choose and should reflect a thoughtful engagement with the larger question of gender and women’s rights. This project is worth 25% of your final grade.
Lateness Penalty
Unless I have approved a deadline extension in advance, late submissions will be lowered by a letter grade per 24-hour period. Late penalties begin immediately. If you want an extension, you must contact me at least 24 hoursbefore the paper is due.