UWC2101L: Writing & Critical Thinking: Masculinities: Contemporary Theories & Representations

Essay Two and Three

Instructions

Though Essay Two and Essay Three will be graded separately and should be construed as separate writing assignments, they belong to a single project with Essay Three ultimately building on Essay Two in the writing process. Essay Two will constitute 30% of your final grade and Essay Three 35%.

Essay Two Instructions

1. In deciding on a topic, you need to approach the essay assignment with two factors in mind. Both these factors will help you determine the topic, the motive (the Question), and thesis of your essay: (1) Write a 6-8 page essay exploring an issue that deals with or is related to masculinity, be it in a direct or indirect way. For instance, your essay may analyze how masculinity is configured in advertisements for military service in Singapore, or it may explore the kind of masculinity represented or performed in superhero movies such as Spider-Man or The X-Men. The possibilities are endless! However, do keep in mind that your essay should also be very focused in establishing a very specific argument about masculinity and your topic or issue. For brainstorming purposes, do feel free to turn to the IVLE collection of topics the class has come up with as a starting point for ideas; (2) To deal with the issue that you have selected for your essay, choose two objects of analysis (the kinds of objects are the same as Essay One and are listed on the instruction page for that assignment) and examine how the two objects address the issue. The function of your essay is to bring together these two objects and examine how they can be made to interact with each other on the issue. As your recent paragraph pre-writing assignment has revealed, you can either decide on the topic first, or you can bring together two objects that might be related and then tease out the specifics of the issue. Do what works best for you.
2. For the purposes of this assignment, the objects of analysis should be "primary" sources; "secondary" sources can work for such an assignment, but they complicate matters in terms of layers of perspectives, something I have already discussed in class. If you decide to use a secondary source as one of your objects, do discuss with me the manner with which you plan to use it.
3. Bringing your two objects together in an essay to make a single argument requires some strategy. The structure of the essay can follow that of a compare / constrast argument analysis. For instance, if the objects present very different views about the issue, your essay can highlight the nature of their differences and explore what assumptions produce those differences. If the objects are strongly antagonistic, your essay should then explore the points of antagonism and how they have arisen. For objects that pursue a similar argument or are based on similar premises, you can examine how they complement each other, extend each other's arguments, or formulate different modes of representation on the basis of the same assumptions. Of course, you can also allow the two objects to interact through the "lens" method of comparison, as we have discussed in class.
4. Apart from the two objects of analysis, there is no necessity to have secondary sources to support your analysis. We will reserve this task for Essay Three.
5. Your essay should begin with an introduction that sets up the parameters of the topic. In other words, establish why this issue is of interest and relevance to your readers: the motive or the Question. State at the end of the introduction the argument you wish to make about the topic based on your analysis and interpretation of the two objects, which you will then turn to in the body of your essay. This statement will constitute the thesis statement of your essay.
6. The body of your essay should feature close analyses of the two objects of analysis. Use quotations, descriptions, summaries, and paraphrases judiciously, while accompanying them with analytical and interpretive comments. Be sure to parenthetically document your use of the two sources according to MLA standards. Organize your points of analysis strategically so that form a coherent line of argument.
7. Be creative in the way you conclude your essay. For instance, one could not only restate the essay's main point but also productively articulate fresh directions and possibilities that are outside the scope of your essay.

Essay Three Instructions

1. Essay Three is a 10-12 page paper, expanding on Essay Two. If Essay Two is well-written and well-planned, Essay Three will be a relatively easy assignment.
2. Essay Three requires you to do the following: (1) Revise Essay Two on the basis of my comments and suggestion; (2) Incorporate "secondary" sources such as essays of criticism of the objects, theoretical essays that provide a further framework to set up the essay's thesis or to establish minor points of argument in the body of the essay, and / or historical or background sources to help illuminate certain aspects of the object or the issue. You are required to have at least THREE extra sources; and (3) Add a third object of analysis if you deem it necessary (my sense is that two objects of analysis is plenty, but you can make the case for a third source if you wish, especially if the first two objects are short or limited such as picture ads).
3. Expand on the introduction. Use your sources to provide a more theoretical or historical framework for your essay. You may also need to revise your thesis statement, especially if you are planning on using a third object of analysis.

Other Instructions for Both Essays

1. Establish a clear and concise thesis statement, preferably at the end of your introductory paragraph. Be able to relate topic sentences from the paragraphs of your essay to your thesis statement so as to ensure a coherent argument.
2. All drafts are to be typed (font size 12), double-spaced, and formatted according to my specifications.
3. All bibliographical entries and parenthetical documentation should adhere to the MLA standard. For the purposes of this essay, read Hacker pages 326-333.
4. At the top left hand corner of the first page should be the name/info block (See my Administration page for this). For subsequent pages, include only a page number at the top right hand corner. Margins should be one inch on all sides.
5. Give your paper a title; be creative.
6. Deposit the final draft of your essay in my IVLE workbin.
7. The following are considered major grammatical errors:
   i. Subject-Verb Agreement
   ii. Sentence Fragments
   iii. Run-On Sentences: Comma Splices and Fused Sentences
   Although I do not have a policy of counting grammatical errors and penalizing you accordingly, an excessive number of major and minor grammatical, spelling, and syntactical errors will jeopardize your grade. It is, therefore, significant that you proofread thoroughly and manually your essay (most grammar and spelling checks on computer programs will not identify all possible errors, so do not be overly dependent on them). Refer to Hacker, pages 164-172, 203-214. Be reminded that the penalty for late papers as stated in my syllabus still stands.