Exam # 2 and Self-Evaluation

WS 405: J-Term 2011: Dr. Joelle Ruby Ryan

Exam # 2: Question and Guidelines

Pick one of the following forms of oppression (racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, religious oppression, transgender oppression, ageism, ableism) and write a 5-page essay on it.  You may NOT pick the form of oppression that was the subject of your short video/slideshow.  In your essay, you should cover the following:

1.     Begin with a personal narrative.  Discuss your relationship to this form of discrimination as both a target and an agent.  How and to what degree have you perpetrated this form of oppression?  How, and to what degree, have you been victimized by this form of oppression?  Why did you choose this form of oppression to write about and why is it important to you to discuss?

2.     Clearly define the form of discrimination.  Remember to understand the distinction between personal prejudices and systemic discrimination and oppression.  Discuss the form of discrimination at multiple levels: personal/individual, institutional and cultural.  Give several concrete examples of your form of oppression that help the reader to better understand it.

3.     From here, move into a discussion of several articles (2-3) from Readings for Diversity and Social Justice that clearly discuss your chosen ism.  Be sure to include a discussion of power and privilege, and how the victims of this form of discrimination are negatively affected in terms of their life chances.   

4.     To end, I want you to discuss social change.  What are specific things that individuals and groups can do to combat this form of discrimination?  Be sure to use Johnson’s text to discuss the ideas he puts forth in the chapter “What Can We Do?”  Also, what will you personally commit to do to work on this problem?    

Required Format for Exams:

·      Name, Date, Course # (WS 405) and Instructor Name in upper left hand corner

·      Identify Document (Exam #2)

·      Typed, Double-spaced, 12-point, Times New Roman font, 1” margins.  5 pages in length.  Insert page numbers.  

·      Parenthetical Citations, MLA Style

·      Works Cited Page

·      Edited, proof-read, spell-checked

·      Use at least 3-4 citations from Readings for Diversity and 1-2 citations from Johnson. You can also cite course videos; no outside sources. 

·      Introduction: Include overall thesis and what you will set out to do in the body. Provide sign posts to help orient the reader.  Strive for clear sentences and clear organization structure.  Your intro should be folded into your personal narrative.   

·      Body: Elaboration and documentation of your thesis and the problem, organized clearly: Prove your thesis.  This section includes your definition of the oppression and your analyses of the articles.

·      Conclusion: Summing up and reiterating your overall theme and reflecting on social change.  What can we do to make it better?

·      Due by: Sunday, Jan. 23 at 10:00 PM EST.  Email as a MS Word Doc (.doc) to: Joelle.Ryan@unh.edu AND d.jacobsen8@gmail.com Write your name and WS 405 Exam # 2 in the subject line.

Self-Evaluation

As the FINAL page of your exam, you should also answer the following questions, reflecting on your own performance during J-Term.  You should not take up more than one page (single or double spaced, as you prefer). Please, do not forget to include this as the final page (after your works cited page) of your exam # 2.

1.     Please discuss your performance on your Blog.  How do you think your entries came out?  Did you: meet the minimum word count?  Post on time?  Respond to two or more of your peer’s Blogs? Complete all 15 entries?  Complete all the Quick Blogs?  Please discuss any special circumstances that may have negatively impacted your work on the Blogs.

2.     Please discuss your work on the exams.  Were you pleased with your performance on Exam # 1?  Exam # 2?  What was most challenging for you on the Exams?  Do you feel the Exams adequately reflected your knowledge and learning for the term?

3.     Evaluate your performance on the short video project.   How do you think you did?  Do you think this is an effective educational video?  How did you make out with the technology?  How about your level of creativity for the project?

4.     Finally, what grade do you think you earned for this class?  Here, it is VERY important to be honest.  Do not inflate your performance.  Given the Blogs, Exams Punctuality (all work turned in on time) and Video Project, what do you believe that your final grade should be and why?