American Women Exam II Review

I. 15 Matching (total 30 points). Bring a #2 pencil.

A portion of the exam will consist of 15 matching/multiple choice questions draw from Shaw and Lee Women’s Voices, Feminist Visions. Make sure you are familiar with each of the concepts on the Concept Guide. Know what each concept means, why it is important, and be able to identify an example.

II. Short Answer (30)

I will select three of the following key concepts the day of the exam and you will write about two of them (15 points each): what each means, why it is important, and give an example:

Androcentrism

Unpaid labor

Rape spectrum

Profeminism

Click

III. Essay (40 points)—Take home Exam

Select one of the following for your take-home exam (recommended length 2-3 pages—maximum 4 pages; typed, double-spaced, stapled and with numbered pages; due by the beginning of class December 10). All the questions below are “thesis-governed writing,” meaning that, regardless of the question you choose, you will need to have a thesis (a one-sentence summary of your position), three supporting points, and evidence from the readings assigned for this section of the course, and provide a statement or two that shows your thinking about the links between the evidence, points, and thesis. For each point, make sure to use a different reading to illustrate it (i.e. you should have at least three readings cited in your essay). Please make sure to cite the essays using the name of the author and where applicable, cite page numbers. You may also bolster your essay with examples from videos and participation assignments—these aren’t substitutes for evidence from the reading, but supplements. The goal of these essays is to give you an opportunity to synthesize the material we have read and discussed in this section of the and to effectively demonstrate your understanding of the material. In other words, there is no one way or "right" way to argue but through your thesis, points, and evidence you are to show you understood this section of the course. I look forward to reading your essays.

1. In “Fear of Feminism: Why Young Women Get the Willies,” Hogeland says: “Gender consciousness is a necessary precondition for feminist consciousness, but they are not the same” (p.533). Your task in this essay is to argue for this statement and, following the directions above, support it with evidence from three of the areas we have addressed in this section of the course (health, family, work, culture, violence, activism).

2. Are women’s lives better or worse today than before the second wave of the feminist movement?

Imagine a friend asks you this question after hearing you are almost done with “American Women: The Changing Image.” Your task is to take a position and, following the directions above, support it with evidence from three of the areas we have addressed in this section of the course (health, family, work, culture, violence, activism).

3. Write an essay related to this course, following the directions above. Use the introduction of your essay to engage your reader’s interest in a problem or question that you would like to address in your essay. Show your reader what makes the question both significant and problematic. The body of your essay should be your own response to this question made as persuasive as possible through appropriate analysis and argumentation, including effective use of evidence.