Political Science 141
GUIDELINES FOR PAPER ASSIGNMENT ON
THE HANDMAID'S TALE
Due Date: AS ANNOUNCED IN CLASS (due start of class)
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Political Science 141 GUIDELINES FOR PAPER ASSIGNMENT ON THE HANDMAID'S TALE Due Date: AS ANNOUNCED IN CLASS (due start of class) |
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I. General Requirements
For this assignment, you must write a reaction paper over Margaret Atwood's THE HANDMAID'S TALE in which you incorporate material found in Chapter 1 (Dilemmas of Democracy), Chapter 15 (Civil Liberties) and Chapter 16 (Civil Rights) of our textbook -- THE CHALLENGE OF DEMOCRACY. Reaction papers in this course are short, reasoned commentaries on a topic. (Chapters 15 and 16 are combined into Chapter 12 in the BRIEF EDITION.) Your paper must focus on civil liberties and civil rights in the context developed by Atwood; more specifically, in this case, you must write on the following two topics:
1. What changes (political, social, economic, religious, etc.) occurred in American society to give rise to Gilead? How is the social system in the novel different with respect to civil rights and civil liberties than the one we live in? Primary attention needs to be given to civil rights and civil liberties and the related issues of order, freedom and equality, but other concerns can be discussed in your paper. (Hint: create a list of specific civil rights and liberties contained in the text and match them up with instances in Atwood's novel.)
2. Atwood means the novel to be a warning to contemporary Americans. Is she justified in her alarm? Could what is described happen in America in your lifetime? Explain. (Hints: what trends in civil rights and civil liberties do you see in American society? Or, what attitudes\actions\events would facilitate the rise of Gilead? what would work against its development.)Although I will weight the first topic more when grading the assignment, it is important to do a good job of addressing both questions. Your response must draw upon material in both Atwood and Janda et al.
The paper should be a coherently organized, well thought-out, clearly expressed analysis about the two topics listed above. The first topic is essentially descriptive and is designed to get you thinking about civil rights and civil liberties. You will have to be selective, but the primary purpose of this part of your paper is to prove to me that you have read and thought about the material in the novel and the textbook. The second topic permits you to react to the "relevance" of the novel by evaluating its pertinence to our times. With respect to the second topic, the essential ingredient of a good reaction paper is that you take an explicit stand by stating your opinion and that you clearly develop a set of arguments to substantiate your position. In your writing, always elaborate in sufficient detail so that I can clearly understand your concerns and arguments. Conclusions, opinions, et cetera should always be supported by appropriate evidence. The purpose of the paper is to give you an opportunity to think about, criticize and work out your own position on a major aspect of the American political system.
II. Structural Requirements
Your paper is expected to be about seven to ten pages, double-spaced, typewritten on standard weight paper (not onion-skin!) with standard margins (about an inch) all around. In addition, please include a title page with your name and student identification number and staple the pages together. Your writing should be clear and interesting; a reasonable level of competency is expected in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure. A good paper will normally require more than one draft to get into proper shape.
The paper is to be a product of your own work. That is, you must not collaborate with or borrow from other students in the writing of your paper. Plagiarism, i.e., "to pass as one's own the ideas or words of another" is a serious offense and may result in dismissal from the class. You are encouraged to try your ideas out on each other in discussion, but the writing must be your own work. Be certain to supply accurate documentation when you use the words or ideas of an author, i.e., quoted material must be attributed to its author. (Use the following in-text short form of citation: (Atwood, p. 100), (Janda et al., p. 291).) A paper which just strings together a bunch of quotes is not a good paper; a good paper is one primarily composed of your own words and thoughts.
III. Help with Distinguishing Civil Liberties from Civil Rights
In the United States, civil liberties are "various human activities that the Constitution leaves free from government interference." They are a "negative restraint on government." They tell government what it can't do. Civil rights are "a citizen's right under the law to participate in society and in the political system on an equal footing with others." They are participatory rights that are "guaranteed individuals and protected from arbitrary removal by government or other individuals." Civil rights, by protecting citizens, limit what government and other individuals can do -- they can't infringe on the societal guarantee of equality for individuals.
IV. Grading Guidelines
"A" (Excellent): highest level of work/outstanding
achievement
--consistent, high level of performance
--states and develops a thesis with
original insight and vigor
--utilizes material both from the Atwood
novel and the Janda text
--focuses on civil rights and civil
liberties
--full and complete answers to both
questions in the assignment
--ideas are logically developed in well
chosen words and phrases
--stress on specific information and
concrete examples
--displays mastery of basic grammar
"B" (Good): above average/evidence of concerted
effort and good grasp
of the material
--states a thesis clearly and develops
it logically and adequately
--uneven quality of work throughout
the paper (parts good; parts poor)
--some good, but not enough utilization
of Atwood and Janda et al.
--some good, but not enough utilization
of specific information and examples
--some good, but not enough focus on
civil rights and civil liberties
--good answers (especially Q#1) to both
questions
--relatively free of mechanical errors
"C" (Satisfactory): acceptable response/modest
quality and quantify/
superficial grasp of the material/little critical reflection
--insufficient time and effort given
to the assignment
--central ideas presented, but not developed
--inadequate use of material from Atwood
and Janda et al.
--insufficient attention given to civil
rights and civil liberties
--some work missing, e.g., some questions
unanswered
--vague statements/little support for
points of view expressed
--some errors in mechanics
--lacks imagination, vigor, and clarity
of thought and expression
"D" (Poor): poor overall quality/little or
no engagement with the material
--little awareness of assigned readings
displayed
--rushed, "last minute" quality/obvious
that a rewrite was needed
--evidence of knowing the film, but
not the novel
--incomplete answers to both questions/work
missing
--little attention to civil rights and
civil liberties
--below average achievement in expression
and developing ideas
--thesis may be unclear or supported
illogically or inconsistently
--repeated errors of fact
--repeated, serious grammatical errors
"F" (Failure): unacceptable level of performance/fails
to respond appropriately
to the assignment
--no awareness of the assigned readings
--fails to express and/or support a
thesis
--complete failure to deal with the
assigned questions
--failure to focus on civil rights and
civil liberties
--evidence of plagiarism or copying
--serious errors in grammar, spelling,
and sentence structure
--work submitted late (papers penalized
one grade @ day late)
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Q1. Do I have to write on civil rights and civil liberties in the
context of the Atwood novel?
A. Yes, that is the most important requirement of the assignment!
Q2. Do I have to write on the two assigned questions in the handout?
A. Yes, you have to cover those questions in your paper.
Q3. Can I write a general book report/review of the novel?
A. No, not a good idea; write on the specific topics assigned.
Q4. I wrote on this book for an English (Women's Studies, American
Studies, high school government) class. Can I hand in that paper?
A. Probably not -- make sure you focus on the assigned topic (civil
rights and civil liberties in the Atwood novel's context).
Q5. This isn't an English class -- will I be graded on spelling,
grammar, sentence structure, clarity of writing, etc.?
A. Yes. Reasonable proficiency in writing is expected. Be sure
to proof-read and spell-check your paper!
Q6. Do I have to write on both civil rights and civil liberties?
A.. Yes, you have to treat both in your paper.
Q7. Do I have to include every civil right and civil liberty listed
in Janda et al. in my paper?
A. No. Include those you think are most important/central
to the novel in the space (page limit) allowed.
Q8. How specific do I have to be in utilizing the material in the
novel?
A. Considerable specificity is expected -- that's how you demonstrate
familiarity with the material. Don't be too general.
Q9. How should I tackle the assignment? What should my plan
be?
A. I recommend following the "bold hints" on the first page of this
handout.
Q10. Do I have to do any outside research (library, book reviews,
internet, etc.)?
A. No. You can but I don't expect it. Working with the
assigned texts and thinking logically about the questions is all you need
to do -- anything extra is OK, but not required.
Q11. How should I treat quoted material in my paper? Do I have
to provide proper documentation when citing Atwood, Janda, others?
A. Follow the guidelines provided in the second full paragraph
on p. 2 of the handout. Use the in-text short form of citation, and
quote marks when using words verbatim to avoid plagerism.
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