You will write five essays. The first essay will be 2-4 pages in length;
the following three will be 3-5 pages. The first essay will not count toward
your final grade. It will provide me with a writing sample from you, and
it will provide you with a sense of how I grade. The fifth formal writing
assignment is a research paper, 6-8 pages in length. For this you will
submit an introduction with thesis, rough outline and bibliography in addition
to a draft and final version.
Format
All papers should be double-spaced, with 1" margins all around,
a legible 12-point font, and page numbers at the bottom of the page (except
the first page). Title each paper and be sure your name appears in either
top corner of the first page.
Consistently document all sources (Chapter 37 in Allyn &
Bacon offers the most common systems of documentation).
Assignment 1. A narrative
on how food shapes your identity
Due Date: September 4, submit to professor.
Situation:
Gourmet magazine is soliciting articles from college
students about significant food experiences in their lives. Describe a
memorable food experience you have had. Remember you are writing for an
educated audience with specific interest in food.
Task:
Write a 2-4 pp narrative of a significant food event in your
life or a series of food events. Make sure to explain why this event (or
events) is significant and how it affects you today.
Assignment 2: A critique of food
and characterization in Dinner
at the Homesick Restaurant
Due Date: September 16, bring essay to class
September 23, submit essay to professor
Situation:
Anne Tyler is coming to campus next month. Ames Library has
put together an exhibit on her biography and the Merwen Art Gallery will
be showing representations of Baltimore. The Argus is interested
in running a series of articles that discuss her novels so our campus community
will have a better sense of her work. Specifically, the editors are asking
our class to submit articles on Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant.
They are not interested in a synopsis of the work or a general review.
Rather, they want us to address the topic of food and identity in the text
in a way that is meaningful to students on campus.
Task:
After finishing the novel, write an article on food and identity
in Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. Choose one character and describe
this characterâs relationship with food. How does this personâs
understanding of food influence his/her personality, how does it reflect
his/her perspective on life? For this article you will need to cite examples
from the novel. Consult Allyn & Bacon 35 (particularly e and
f).
Assignment 3:"What Is College Really
Like?" Compare and contrast current literature on food and gender with
personal observations on IWU campus.
Due Date: October 7 Bring a polished version to class
October 9 Submit final version to professor
Situation:
Your guidance counselor from high school has organized a panel
of first-year college students to return to your alma mater and speak to
seniors on what it's really like at college. S/he has requested that each
panelist present a ten-minute talk on a specific issue related to university
life. While other panelists will be discussing traditional academics, dorm
life, and partying, you, of course, have decided to talk about food issues
with particular emphasis on gender differences in eating habits. Drawing
from articles you have read for your gateway class, class lectures, and
observations about students on campus, write a paper that is at once engaging
to the senior class and responsible scholarly work.
Task:
Write a 3-5 page paper on food and gender in college. Craft
a compelling thesis and be sure to include supporting examples from articles
we have read as well as your own observations since you have been on campus.
For this essay you must cite at least two sources.
Sources you may consider for essay 3 include (but are not limited
to):
Guest lecture Missy Smock
Video: "The Famine Within"
Article: "Women’s Work" (in class)
Article: "Food Rules in the United States" (on reserve)
Other material on reserve:
Adams, Carol J. "The Sexual Politics of Meat." The Sexual
Politics of Meat. A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory. New York:
Continuum, 1990.
Charles, Nickie and Marion Kerr. Selected chapters in Women, Food,
and Families. New York: Manchester University Press, 1988.
Hesse-Biber, Sharlene. Am I Thin Enough Yet? The Cult of Thinness
and the Commercialization of Identity. New York: Oxford UP, 1996.
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