LIBERATING ACTION

Assignment Guidelines

WOM220

Paper due: at start of scheduled final

Presentation: takes place during scheduled final

Our scheduled final is Friday December 15th, 2017 from 12:30-2:30PM

(In our discussion section room)

For this assignment you will be planning and carrying out a positive, feminist act that

(a) is something you would not or could not have done prior to taking this course, and

(b) is connected to broader social issues and forms of social change.

Your act must be something you do during this semester; you may not use something you did prior to taking this course. It is up to you to define what “liberating” and “feminist” mean to you. You can do your liberating act alone or as a group project with other students in the class. However, each member of the group must write their own essay. Group actions must receive prior instructor approval by 12/1 at the latest.

Your act cannot be harmful to yourself or others (psychologically, emotionally, or physically), and it must be legal. Because it must not harm you or others, you must carefully consider the possible outcomes of your act prior to its enactment. You should plan your act before you carry it out. In addition, because you will be making a presentation to the class, pick something that you are willing to share with your instructor and classmates.

In addition to your action, you will be writing an essay and doing a brief presentation in class.

Essay guidelines:

  1. Describe the act and your experience of performing it.
  2. Explain why it was a liberating, feminist act.
  3. Analyze the reactions your act elicited.
  4. Make connections between your act and at least one issue raised in this course.
  5. Explain how your act, even if personal, connects to larger political and social issues.How does it challenge prevailing power relations in our society?
  6. Draw from at least 4 assigned course readings in order to support your analysis/ discussion. Material from these readings should be clearly identified in your essay through direct quotes and/or cited summary of relevant points. As always, you will be evaluated on the relevance and effective use of course materials.
  7. Your essay should be 1000-1250 words.

Presentation guidelines:

  1. Describe your liberating action.
  2. Tell us why you chose to do it (including how it relates to course themes/materials), and what you hoped to accomplish (in other words, how it relates to some form of change).
  3. Tell us what the outcome was, and how your act connects to larger political and social issues. What makes this act “feminist”?
  4. If you worked as a group, you will be doing your presentation as a group; all group members must participate in the presentation.
  5. DO NOT prepare a technology-based presentation (PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.).
  6. If you produced any materials as part of your action (a pamphlet, a poster, etc.), DO bring them to show the class as part of your presentation.
  7. Your presentation should be 3-5 minutes in length.