Essay plan tutorial

Introduction – I agree it makes sense to define the key terms in the introduction. However, I would try and get some context in there too – there’s a real opportunity to discuss how feminist texts are all the more relevant in a world of Trump, Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment allegations, #metoo social media campaigns etc. Make sure you lay out your argument, introduce your primary text and any secondary/historical texts. 250 words.
Section 1 – this section seems to drift to race… I’m not sure that you have enough words for this investigation to move beyond gender? I wonder whether starting with a few good paragraphs on the Handmaid’s Tale would be a better way to go. Textual analysis, context, theory etc. 500+ words.
Section 2 – Argument against the Handmaid’s Tale being feminist. This should follow on from previous section. 400 words.
Section 3 – other historical/secondary texts. This is where things get tricky – you need to decide which direction you want to take the essay in and select the historical/secondary texts accordingly. This article was interesting on feminist films: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/11/what-really-makes-a-film-feminist/281402/ whereas this article highlights feminist TV shows so perhaps could help find secondary texts? https://www.huffingtonpost.com/em-and-lo/the-revolution-will-be-televised_b_5881498.html  Joan of Arc could work (your notes look good) but will it fit alongside a 2017 TV show? 400 words[?] Depends on what you choose to focus on.
Section 4 – Feminist theory and research. This is where you want to bring in the theory to develop your essay. Look up Butler, McRobbie, van Zoonen, bell hooks etc. 600 words.
Section 5 – How feminism will look in the future – arguably it is needed more than ever in a world of Trump and sexual harassment etc. 300 words.
Conclusion – sum up your argument, snappy ending please! 150 words.

Next steps…
·         Update/finish your plan based on this tutorial. You don’t need to stick to the above by any means but hopefully it has at least clarified your thinking and provided a potential structure that will be easy to follow.
·         Write your opening paragraph and email it to me (this will be Wednesday’s task) so I can give you some feedback before you start the rest of the draft.
·         This essay has great potential – the key is making sure there is a strong thread running through it and you have real clarity to your argument. You obviously need some great research into feminist theory too.

Publish this tutorial to your blog as a new blogpost called ‘Essay plan tutorial’ and write your next three steps in the project.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Critical investigation feedback 01/11/17

  I may have missed something here but it looks like you are a long way behind in terms of your project proposal and research. Your proposal is still unfinished – including your research plan. This research plan is crucial to laying the foundations for an excellent notes and quotes document – it needs to be done! One frustration here – but it’s actually a major positive – is that you haven’t used any of your summer project research to start off your N&Q document. Your summer research was exceptionally good and also had the huge benefit of already being in the format I wanted for N&Q (clip or article followed by your own notes/thoughts linking it to your issue). I would spend some time moving over relevant research from the summer and this will give you a huge boost in reaching the initial 2,000 word deadline. ·     Next steps:
Read more

Critical Investigation: Project Proposal

Image
Working title Include your specific text in the title and either 'how or 'why' or both, e.g.: To what extent and why are video games such as 'Grand Theft Auto’ becoming more violent? This  list of last year's critical investigation titles may help you write your question. To what extent do series like "The Handmaid's Tale" dictate oppression in society and how is this shown through the perspective of feminism in today's society. To what extent is "The Handmaid's Tale" series feminist? To what extent do media products such as  "The Handmaid's Tale" reflect to modern feminism? Angle How will you approach this question? E.g.: What impact are these increasingly violent games having on their audience? Is this simply a moral panic of the 21st century or is further regulation required? Hypothesis  E.g.Video games are psychologically damaging for young people, and audiences have become increasingly desensitised to ...
Read more

Criticial Investigation Draft 1

“They should have never given us uniforms if they didn’t want us to be an army.” - The Handmaid's Tale [1] To what extent do media products such as "The Handmaid's Tale" reflect modern feminism today? In today's society, the word feminism has lost its meaning. By definition, feminism is the equality between both sexes which has yet not been achieved fully in the world. The feminist movement arguably started with the Suffragettes who fought for women to have the right to vote, which they succeeded to do in 1918. Since then, the concept of feminism has continued to grow yet uses of “popular feminism” [2] has resulted in people avoiding its actual purpose and viewing feminism as inadequate. Despite, the gradual change that we have had in the last 20 years, most media products still offer too many objectified or sexualised gender stereotypes which influence the mentality of our society. In Hulu's successful adaptation of The Handmaid's...
Read more