Charlotte Polk Paper Proposal Due Date: Oct.12th
Scope:
I want to examine the inequality of gender nationally (United States of America) and globally. I hope to compare and contrast how the divide between men and women equality vary from the equality between genders in another country. Perception of women has been inferior to men throughout the world and continues to be in this century. Mostly looking at the twenty-first century to retrieve the majority of my facts. Studies have shown that within the work world, women with equal or greater experience and knowledge have been paid less then a male colleague. Similarly, societally women have been known to give up their last name when they become wed and take that of their husbands. Marriage is a union of property, and by changing the last name it is succumbing to the man and becoming “wife” not “man and woman” which seems to be more equitable. Women’s rights have been evolving since America first started to create laws for the people. With time, women have started to become more eligible to undertake in the equivalent acts as men. However, there has been a strong perception that women are only good for certain things and should not do some of the same things because they are inept. I will examine the timeline in Americas history of women gaining rights through time and compare those rights to other nations around the world. I will look at underdeveloped and modern European counties to make my comparisons.
Value:
America prides itself on being the nation of freedom, yet there is a different variation of freedom based on gender. If this is commonly known throughout todays society, why do we still have discrimination based on gender? With the advancement of society, and the people of America becoming more accepting to new social ideas, why are women still considered to be lesser then men? Sex should not be a justification of mal treatment. Women are starting to gain more recognition in society, with that more changes will have to be made to accommodate powerful women who seek out change.
Originality:
While information on women in the United States might be easier to come by, looking for credible examples of how women are treated poorly in other nations may be more difficult. In the article “Speaking truth to Power: Women’s Rights as Human Rights”, the emphasis is on the results since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 will help with the evaluation of the timeline since then to present day to review the change that has or has not been since that time. Similarly, in the reading, “Outgrowing the Compact of the Fathers: Equal Rights, Woman Suffrage, and the United States Constitution”, discusses the beginnings of the women’s rights movements, touching on when the U.S Constitution was first written. Both of these resources will provide information about the past and the start of the negativity towards women. Furthermore, these facts will act as a bridge connecting todays discrimination to that of previous centuries thus providing more comparisons to be made. This will also allow for noticing the growth that has been made since this time, and the improvements that are still yet to happen.
Practicality:
This is an ongoing topic that doesn’t seem to have a defined ending point. Real world examples that have happened in the past and that are current can serve as justification to prove that women in todays society are thought to be less significant than men. The Dickinson Library contains multiple books that will be essential for me to review in order to understand why the divide is so prevalent. This includes most of the items located in the International Women’s Periodicals, 1786-1933: Social and Political Issues (Archives Unbound) database as well as the GenderWach and Women Studies International Databases.
Criag, Murphy N. Seeing Women, Recognizing Gender, Recasting International Relations. Cambridge, United Kingdom : Cambridge University Press, 1996.
This source will be helpful to use throughout the writing process because it analyzes the
Crocco, Margaret S. Speaking Truth to Power: Women’s Rights as Human Rights. The Social Studies (Washington, D.C.) 2007.
DuBois, Ellen Carol. Outgrowing the Compact of the Fathers: Equal Rights, Woman Suffrage, and the United States Constitution. Journal of American History, 1987.
Naples, Nancy A. 2002. Women’s Activism and Globalization : Linking Local Struggles and Transnational Politics. Edited by Desai, Menisha. New York : Routledge, 2002.
Tickner, Ann J., and Laura Sjoberg. Feminism and International Relations : Conversations about the Past, Present, and Future. Edited by Ann Tickner and Laura Sjoberg. London ; New York : Routledge, 2011.
Charlotte, there are a lot of strong claims in your scope, which is okay, but I would be careful making them without facts and/or statistics to back them up. Gender inequality is an issue today that is often overlooked. Your originality section seems to be more of an evaluation of sources, rather than showing what makes your topic different and independent of the many other gender inequality articles out there. Make sure you find specific aspects of your work that separates it from others, gives it an identity, and this will be a good piece. Review grammar and spelling in some areas, and remember to be concise. Good job.
This topic is great and I can tell by your writing that you feel passionately about the subject which always makes a paper that much better. That being said, watch that your sentences, especially in the scope paragraph, aren’t too wordy. I know that I can get a little carried away sometimes trying to sound eloquent but then when I read it back it actually makes no sense. Also, I would discuss a little bit more about how your research will add to pre-existing work.
You are off to a great start with your proposal! What you need to focus on is making your proposal more specific. I think that it will be interesting to compare America’s gender divide to other countries. But be more specific on what other countries (developed nations v. developing nations). For historical support you can mention the glass ceiling and if that is relevant (or how relevant). When you are discussing the gender divide is it from a social, political, economic, and/or intellectual level? Overall you have some good ideas just focus on being more specific and concise.
Charlotte, you make a lot of good points throughout your proposal but I would just make sure that there is information to back this up. For example, when you say studies show, make sure to show what study. Also the originality section did not seem to have anything that made this topic original for you. Other then that I think you are off to a good start and I am interested to see where you go with this topic
This is a big topic in the twenty-first century, and it is difficult to grasp all of it. I can tell you are passionate on this subject, and I think this is a well-written proposal. I would make sure that you are not being too broad because there will be so much research and stuff that you can write on that it might be too much. I would look for a way to narrow down this massive subject so that it can fit into 8-10 pages. I think primary sources will be a nice tool to use for this topic because you will be able to see different points of view this way. The questions are intriguing and interesting and they make me want to keep reading. Make sure that your paper is your own in the originality part and show how it differs from previous works. Add on to previous works and at the same time branch off into your own view on the subject. There will be so much research available to you on this subject and I think this will be a very good and interesting paper to read.