Womens History & Positionality

Womens History & Positionality

Critical Analysis—Women’s History & Positionality

*You must make an appointment and visit the Writing Center for this assignment.

The importance of this critical analysis paper is to promote critical thinking and your engagement with the readings, and to facilitate your intellectual engagement with the subject matter. Suggestions for writing the papers include: a) you choose two or three points to help focus your response or critique and b) take risks and incorporate your ideas about the subject, but remember this is not about your opinion. Your discussion must be grounded in the readings though you may use contemporary examples when appropriate.

Your critical analysis must address the ways in which women have been positioned in terms of culture, history and society.

• How do the experiences of specific groups of women (White, Native American, and African American) show up in women’s history and activism? How are these experiences relational?

• How do these women’s voices, perspectives, and experiences illustrate the diversity of women’s history? 

• How does Barkley Brown’s and Davis’ discussion of race, class, place, and time help frame the historical and interpretative gaze? 

• What are some of the economic, racial, political, social implications and conclusions when looking at women’s lives?

In order to accurately answer this question, you must present a critical/historical analysis that indicates how the various authors (Davis, Shoemaker, Barkley-Brown, and others) discuss and situate the experiences of these women and how these texts represent and speak-to feminism/and or gender studies and activism.

Your essay must indicate that a) you are engaging with these questions and b) you are able to support your discussion with references to the texts.  You must use Davis, Barkley- Brown, and at least two (2) additional readings.

Please note the following:

• You must address a minimum of four (4) texts from the course readings.
• You may additionally address video clips or films watched or referenced in class only.
• Your essay must include a formal introduction, body, and conclusion, a thesis statement and textual evidence.
• Please use MLA format for all in-text citations and include a works cited page.
• Essays must be a minimum of four (4) double-spaced pages in 12pt–Times New Roman Font.