Paper #3

Issues of gender affect our lives from the moment we start getting ready Monday morning until we leave the party with someone Saturday night, from how our parents dressed us as babies until the heights of our careers.

Choose a question from the list below, or come up with your own, to research and write about. Remember, a college-level research paper is not a report; it is more than a listing of facts. You will propose a thesis that answers your research question and argue it convincingly in 5-7 pages. Information, both quoted and paraphrased, will be cited in MLA style.

I have placed a number of books that might be useful on reserve on the 2nd floor of Alden

Possible questions:

What obstacles do women entrepreneurs face and how can they be overcome?
Why is there a wage gap, and how can it be eliminated?
How do female prison populations differ from men who are incarcerated? Why?
How is male sexuality affected by an all-male environment like prison, and what implications does this have for male sexuality in the outside world?
How is gender constructed in Christianity (or other religions), and how does that affect attitudes toward gender?
To what extent are domestic duties assigned along gender lines? Why?
Are motherhood and fatherhood essentially different (aside from pregnancy and nursing)? Should they be?
Many of the world's major religions, especially in the West, focus on gods rather than goddesses. Why?
Are women's political issues best addressed within the two-party political structure, or is there a need for political activism outside traditional government?
How can men be supportive of women's issues without being perceived as unmasculine?
Why are people willfully starving themselves in the world's wealthiest country?
Are men being increasingly subjected to the same pressures that cause eating disorders in women? What effect is this going to have and what can be done?
Why is the subject of male rape almost never talked about?
Do the Promise Keepers reinforce or subvert stereotypical male roles?
How do the roles of men and women in music differ?
Some scholars point out that Africans are often portrayed as masculine, while Asians are portrayed as feminine. How do the issues of gender and racial representation intersect?
Are issues of racism, sexism, homophobia, and religious intolerance best addressed separately or should they be treated as one issue?
What affect do video games and video game culture have on young people's attitudes about gender?
How does pornography affect the way we treat real people?
Books like Cunt by Inga Muscio and The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler have attempted to reclaim words for women's body parts. How does our language affect the way we think about men and women?
Until fairly modern times, women were viewed as the property of men. What lingering effects does this mentality have on how men and women interact today?
Many universities, including OU, are often accused of minimizing the problem of sexual assault for public relations reasons. How should the problem be dealt with?
Should colleges use affirmative action to make sure they enroll as many male students as female students?
Are women's health needs adequately met by a medical system which operates for profit?
If women visit doctors more often than men, why are most doctors men?
Why are so many of the poor, women and children? What can be done?
How do sports affect our concepts of masculinity?
Why is football overtaking baseball as the national pastime, and what's that got to do with gender?
Can straight men be feminists?
Can straight people have gay pride?

Due dates:

Working Bibliography: Thursday, May 22
Rough Draft: Tuesday, May 27--four copies for workshop
Final: at individual conferences May 30-June 1