Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies
GSWS 100A
Essay
Due Date: June 26th, 2026
Weight: 20% of your final grade
Format: Upload an electronic copy to Canvas in Word or PDF
Requirements:
Write an essay that examines ones of the core themes, concepts, or issues developed in the
course.
Writing an essay, Plan and Outline
Create an Outline: A 1000-word essay usually has 4–5 paragraphs (introduction, 2-3 body
paragraphs, and conclusion). An outline helps you organize your thoughts and ensures your essay
has a clear structure. You are to write 3-4 pages of written work (block quotes, footnotes, title
pages, and bibliographies do not count). Remember: this is worth 25 marks, so you want to make
sure you give yourself the best chance at getting the best grade possible. Doing the minimum is
not the way to do that.
Introduction: Brief overview of the topic, introduction of the thesis. 100-150 words
Body Paragraphs: Main points that support your thesis (usually 2–3 points). The focus should be
on course materials. You have readings and supplemental readings to draw from. Focus on those.
Your essay should have sources from the course readings and modules. 700-800 words (about
250-300 words per paragraph)
Conclusion: Summarizes the key points and reinforces the thesis. 100-150 words
Word Count Distribution: A rough guide to help you stay within the word limit:
Please chose one of the suggested topic from the list
below.
1. What is intersectionality? Examine and discuss how the term is defined and presented in
both the CRIAW chapter and the Crenshaw chapter.
a. What does Crenshaw mean when she writes, “Intersectionality was a
lived reality before it became a term”?
b. What are some of the consequences of not acknowledging intersectionality?
c. How might intersectionality be relevant to understanding your own
experiences, identities, and social locations?
d. Why is it important to take an intersectional approach to social movements
(e.g., #WhyWeCantWait, #SayHerName, the Me Too movement)? What are
the consequences of not acknowledging that people occupy more than one
space of belonging (e.g., someone is both a woman and a person of colour,
etc.)?
2. What is the difference between gender and sex?
a. What does it mean to construct a “binary”?
b. How might this be problematic?
c. Can it ever be helpful?
d. How do the chapters in this section challenge the binary between “male”
and “female”?
e. What might be some of the problems with considering biological sex as a
fixed binary (use Fausto-Sterling’s work, in particular the reproduction of the
binaries that get put onto bodies in table 15.1, p. 137)?
f. Fausto-Sterling insists that “labeling someone a man or a woman is a social
decision,” not a scientific one. What does she mean by this assertion?
3. What does it mean to “be a man” in contemporary Western society?
a. What is “hegemonic masculinity”?
b. What other types of masculinities does Connell write about?
c. What does Connell’s argument tell us about the “nature” (or construction)
of masculinities?
d. Can you think of any examples of how different types of masculinities show up
in everyday life, and perhaps conflict?
Rubric:
Things to pay attention to in your writing:
1. The introductory paragraph should identify what you will be analysing, why it is
important, and must have a clear thesis (what you will argue), rather than just a
topic (ie., “in this essay I will analyze or discuss…).
2. "Each paragraph should focus on one aspect (paragraph unity): description,
history, conceptual development, meaning/interpretation, compare/contrast, or
significance that you develop from a course module/reading.” (GSWS 100)
3. Descriptions must be coherent: flesh out details from texts or visual media in the
course, styles, gestures, language, presentation, and the relationships between
people, things, institutions, or the spaces they occupy. Including supporting detail
is essential in the crafting and support of your argument.
4. The meaning or importance of details should be clearly expressed.
5. Develop the meaning with reference to course readings and key concepts from
course texts. Incorporate direct quotes and integrate them in your work.
Integrating quotes can include any of the following: explain the quote in your own
words; situate the quote in the context it was taken from; or, relate or apply the
quote to your own argument or object of analysis.
6. Use direct quotes from readings and films. Then explain the quote in your own
words and then show how this quote is relevant to your ideas and argument by
linking to your thesis or to other ideas or descriptions in your essay. No time
stamp is necessary for film references. Just include the title of the film and the
year. You will be graded on the integration of the quote into your essay and on
the overall quality and relevance of the chosen quote.
Formatting Requirements:
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Use APA citations only. Use either in-text or footnote style.
Use direct quotes only. Do not paraphrase.
Include your name, student #, the date, & course number on the top left of the 1st
Double space your work.
Insert a header or footer with your name and the page number.
Use Times New Roman and a font size of 11 or 12, and standard margins.
Requirements Checklist:
1. THREE pages of written work (not including footnotes, bibliography,
or title page)
2. Cite at least 2 or 3 quotes for the reading and one video (no more
than one video). News articles do not count as readings. No outside
research or google searches
3. Use direct quotes (no paraphrasing) and integrate your quotes
4. Include detailed descriptions of events in films (what is said, what is
done, where it happens)
5. Introduction including defined object of analysis (a video, an event)
and a thesis (an argument, not just a topic to discuss).
Turnitin & AI Detection
Please remember that I will be uploading your work to Turnitin and Hive Detection to make
sure that you are not plagiarizing from other websites, or submitting work that has already
been submitted by other students. I will also confirm any suspected cases of AI use using AI
detection sites. Anyone who uses AI websites, including the chatbot sites like ChatGPT, DeepL,
Grammarly, and others, will get zero and an academic alert.