WGS 399
Feminism in the Workplace
Assignment: Adding to the SOCS Library

The SOCS library is a collection of articles chosen by students who have taken WGS 399 in the past. Your first assignment this semester is to choose one article or chapter to add to the library, drawing on recently published books related to the broad topic of feminism, women, gender, and sexuality in the workplace. These books are on reserve in the library. You should make your selection from one of the books listed at this link. (There are already sections of the other books on reserve available in the SOCS library.)

You might start by browsing this list of new books, perhaps clicking on the links to see brief descriptions of the books, to narrow down your choice of which books to explore more closely. Then go to the library and choose a chapter or article between 5 and 40 pages in length. Make a CLEAR xerox copy on 8-1/2 by 11" paper. Do not staple the pages. Write full publication information for the book on the first page, and write your name on the back of the last page. Bring this copy to class on September 6.

To help future students decide whether they wish to assign this article, write a brief critical review of the article and submit the review electonically via the SOCS dropbox before September 6. Your review should be 100-200 words in length.

As you prepare your review, consider the following:

1. What is the topic? What overall purpose does the source seem to have? For what audience is it intended?

2. Does the source argue for a particular thesis? Does it argue against particular ideas? What are the theoretical assumptions? Are they discussed explicitly?

3. What does the work contribute to the overall topic of feminism, gender, women, or sexuality in the workplace?

4. What kinds of material does the work present as evidence supporting its central points (e.g. primary documents or secondary material, literary analysis, personal observation, quantitative data, qualitative data, biographical or historical accounts)?

5. How is this material used to demonstrate and argue the thesis? (In addition to describing the overall structure of the work, your review could briefly quote or summarize specific passages to show the style and tone of the work.)

6. Could other arguments be made from the same source material? Does the work show an awareness of possible other interpretations, or indicate why and how the author agrees or disagrees?

7. Where might discussion or research on the topic go based on the conclusions of the source, or the loose ends left at the end? What theoretical issues remain open-ended or unresolved?

8. For what purposes would you recommend this source? What are the limits of its usefulness?