2022 Summer I WGST 111-01 Mx.

Ganter
SHORT ANALYTICAL ESSAY
OVERVIEW For this assignment you will write a 1200-word short, analytical essay (around 3 pages, double-
spaced, 12 point font). The paper will respond to one (ONLY one) of the three following prompts: 1. What are
some of the ways in which gender is policed? 2. What are some of negative consequences that our ideals of
“beauty” may have on us? 3. What does intersectionality mean and what can it add to our understanding of
gender and identity?

ANALYTICAL ESSAY An analytical essay (also

known as an ‘argumentative essay’) proposes an
argument or thesis statement and supports and
develops its claim with reference to evidence of
some kind. That evidence can be factual, historical,
textual, visual, or statistical. Personal experience or
first-hand anecdotes might be come up in an
analytical essay. However, our first-hand
experiences or stories should not be the primary
form of evidence for any of the essay’s major
claims. An analytical essay builds authority through
rigorous analysis and argument as well as through
the credibility of the sources it introduces to support its claims.

TOPICS Students should begin by selecting one (ONLY one) of the following three topics:

1. Why and in what ways is gender policed in contemporary North American society? What are some of
the possible consequences of gender policing? You may focus on one of the following in your
paper: school, family, media, law, or any other area of everyday life you may choose.

2. What are some of the ways that beliefs about “beauty” are circulated in contemporary North
American society? What are some of the possible negative consequences the beauty ideal
may have on women, men, trans, and/or non-binary people; people of color/BIPOC; people
with disabilities; older people; etc.?

3. Define “intersectionality” and explain why or how it might change or influence the way we talk about,
think about, or analyze gender or identity.

REQUIREMENTS Your paper should make use of a minimum of two sources from our class readings/videos.
Using sources from outside the class is allowed but not required. The paper should cite at least twice from each
of its chosen sources in order to ground its arguments and claims in the readings/viewings.

PAPER FORMAT The paper should follow standard MLA citation format (8th Edition), including properly
formatted name, date, instructor, and course information, as well as in-text parenthetical citations and a
“Works Cited” page. See the Capilano Guide to Writing Assignments (available on reserve or in the campus
bookstore) if you need a refresher.
GUIDELINES This paper will be marked according to the following: clarity of presentation of ideas, including
the absence of grammatical and other sentence-level errors; precision of viewing detail and/or reading
comprehension; depth and rigor of argument and analysis; and adherence to requirements of the assignment.

DUE DATE WEDNESDAY JUNE 15 by 8pm Upload link on eLearn is in the week in which it is due.

__________________________________________________________________________________
*IMAGE: Non-gender neutral bathroom sign.