Analyzing Sexuality(ies) in Society: Assignment Overview and Description

Assignment Overview

The assignment is intended to test your thinking and writing skills. You will be asked to select a topic related to sexuality(ies) in society and to analyze it using at least three (3) scholarly article from refereed journals of your choice. Your assignment must conform to academic writing standards - particularly where spelling, grammar, argumentation and presentation are concerned - and must show strong signs of having been enabled by course content. In other words, you are expected to use the terms and concepts learned in class as a lens through which to view and make sense of the article you are considering. Doing so will allow you to demonstrate that you possess a critical literacy of the language of sociology as it relates to the study of sexuality. The articles you choose to make your argumentation must come from refereed journals and must have been published over the course of the past five years.

The assignment must be 8 pages and is composed of two main parts (apart from the introduction and conclusion): the analytical summary should discuss the key arguments of each article. This part should be about be approximately 2 pages. The second part is your critical analysis and discussion of your topic. This part should be approximately 4 pages. Your paper can be written in English or French and must be submitted exactly on the last day of class. See the course outline for detailed submission protocols.

The analytical summary presents the essential elements of a text; the critical analysis provides an evaluation.

Analytical Summary. The analytical summary seeks to provide a clear and concise description of a given text, usually without an assessment or analysis. The content of the text - that is, its theme, research problem or main issue, hypotheses, logic, arguments and conclusions - provide the subjects for review. It may also be useful to take into account the context, or background, in which the text was written.

Critical Analysis. Present your own argument by engaging in critical analysis of the articles you chose. The critical analysis assesses the context, strengths and weaknesses of the article's main arguments and findings. This assessment requires an attention to accuracy, as well as a certain "distance" from the subject matter, allowing you to consider all the conditions behind the text's development: the perspective of the author, the work's specific characteristics, the identification of the theme and the possible limits the author may have encountered.

Assignment Description

You are encouraged to select articles that interest you - published over the course of the last five years - that relates to the social construction of sexuality. It is important to select an article that will allow you to integrate class content into your critical analysis. Here you will find a list ofrelevant journals, all of which can be consulted free of charge on the Concordia University computer network: Archives of Sexual Behaviour; Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality; Contemporary Sexuality; Culture, Health & Sexuality; Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality; Gender and Society; International Journal of Transgenderism; Journal of Bisexuality; Journal of Homosexuality; Journal of Sex Research; Journal of the History of Sexuality; Sexualities; Sexuality & Culture; Studies in Gender and Sexuality.

The following criteria will be applied to the evaluation of your assignment. They provide you with a detailed accounting of how your writing will be assessed. The A essay develops a clear and challenging thesis in a logical and coherent way toa powerful and persuasive conclusion. In the course of the argument, the piece offers superior insights into the subject and reveals its subtle implications, its complexities and its profundities. The essay also attests to the student's excellent knowledge and understanding of the issues under discussion, and an outstanding capacity to select illustrations that clarify and buttress the argument. Supportive borrowings from secondary sources are employed accurately and tellingly. All indebtedness is meticulously acknowledged. The minimal stylistic criteria for an A level essay are clarity and correctness. The piece is virtually free of errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar or usage. The grade of A is awarded for an exceptional performance.

The B essay is competently written on a solid basis of knowledge. A high B is distinguishable from an A mainly because it lacks the acuteness and depth of understanding of the latter, or has minor lapses in style. In the lower B range, the treatment of the ideas may be a bit plodding and the planning mechanical rather than imaginative. There will likely be some flaws in punctuation or grammar, but they will not be serious enough to render sentences incomprehensible. Essays at the bottom of this range may not have fully digested the material and may lean uncritically on secondary sources. A B is awarded for work that is good to very good-work that reflects a serious and intelligent engagement with the material, and competence in the use of the written form.

The C essay has a recognizable plan. Typically, however, there is some blurring or  confusing of the thought and order. The C essay may reveal an over-reliance on unsupported generalizations or, the reverse weakness, too much rehearsing or summarizing of the issues in question without accompanying analysis. There may be such a heavy dependence on secondary authorities that they supplant the student's own voice. The style of the C essay is marred by a number of infelicities:misuse of words; lack of structure; and excessive informality (slang, contractions).There are frequent lapses in grammar which, at times, distort or obscure meaning. There may also be inconsistenciesin documentation in this grade range. Improper integration of quotations is frequently found. When taken together, these problems keep the paper from rising above the level of fair or adequate.

The D essay is associated with the same sorts of problems as the low C paper, and in greater number as one descends in the D range. The clouding of meaning because of awkwardness, error, irrelevance, and illogic will be correspondingly greater as well. At the same time, the D paper lacks the redeeming features of the C essay. That said, even the most confused D essay manifests some grasp of the texts used and topics discussed. Despite its imprecise style, structure and sourcing, it remains an essay; that is, an attempt to conduct a discussion of a central idea. For this reason, the D level piece escapes failure.

The F essay may fail for one or a combination of the following reasons: there are repeated errors in grammar and expression that almost totally obscure the ideas. There are no ideas, or they are banal and meaningless. The ideas are so poorly arranged that they are nearly impossible to follow or comprehend. The piece may be much too brief or extremely sloppy in presentation. The F grade is awarded to work that ranges from very poor to bad.