Thursday, November 13, 2014

Sample Proposal and Response

Here is what the proposal for the sample essay given in the prompt might look like:

I plan on revising my essay four, which analyzed gender roles in That '70s Show. I selected this essay for expansion because I feel like I only scratched the surface in my analysis; I only address four of the series' many characters and I didn't place the conversation into a larger context. To expand, I will compare this series with one from the 1970s, One Day at a Time. I think it will be interesting to see if the depiction of gender roles in That '70s Show will match those depicted in a series from that time period. I do think that I will find that they both subvert traditional gender roles. Donna and Eric do, as I argued in my paper, by often switching roles; Donna is usually depicted as much more physically and emotionally strong than Eric. The mom in One Day at a Time also challenges gender roles because, as a single mom, she has to fulfill both roles that are typically filled by a mother and a father. As the sole breadwinner and parent, she both adheres to and challenges a traditional view of gender.

Key Terms:
• gender roles in the 1970s
• gender roles at the turn of the millennium
• influence of the economy/ divorce on gender roles
• second wave feminism
• third wave feminism
• gender in sitcoms
• That '70s Show and One Day at a Time


Here is what a response to this proposal might look like:
I have never seen One Day at a Time, but I have watched a lot of That '70s Show on Nick at Night. You might want to use the episode where Donna beats Eric in a basketball game in your analysis. Although she challenges what femininity is supposed to look like, it causes a problem in their relationship (at least until the end of the episode). For my essay four, I read "The Gender Blur" in Signs of Life in the U.S.A. It argues that gender is both learned and biological. I think it might be useful to you. I like this idea. I am sure you'll figure this out by the time you write your rough draft, but right now your last two sentences contradict each other a bit.