CSP 19: LGBT Rights in the Era of Obama and Google
Fall 2010 


Final Paper: LGBT RIGHTS IN THE GOOGLE ERA

PROMPT AVAILABLE: Monday November 29th
ONLINE VERSION DUE: Monday December 6th , 11:30am
FINAL HARDCOPY VERSION DUE: Wednesday December 8th, 5:00pm
FINAL REVISIONS TO ONLINE VERSION: Monday December 13th, 5:00pm

Objective: To critically examine the imbrications of gender, race and LGBT rights in the modern era.

One of the key features in the writing process is revision. I would like you to take one of your previously written papers (see #1, #2,or #3) and revise and extend it to be a 6-8 page (1500-2000 word) essay which includes multiple concepts from the class.

In particular, as you again respond to the particular prompt of the paper you have chosen to revise, make sure that your analysis includes references to at least FOUR of the following course themes:

q       Hybridity

q       Intersectionality

q       Citizenship/Legitimacy

q       Law as a social construction

q       Historical events affecting the gay community

q       Marriage (interracial, same-sex, as an institution which produces and reduces rights)

q       Social Construction (of Race, Gender, Sexuality, etc)

q       Binary Oppositions (and Liminality)

q       Constitutional jurisprudence (fundamental rights, strict scrutiny, rational basis, suspect classifications)

q       Contemporary gay rights controversies from the Obama Administration

q       Identity Politics/essentialism

Your paper should be published online (to your blog with a #CSP19 courseblog post linking to your paper) by 11:30am on Monday December 6th to allow other students to read and comment on your paper, which you can then include in the final version of your paper (and online assignment). The point is to use other students' ideas and comments in your work to demonstrate the nature of hypertext and the notion that students can both produce and consume knowledge.

Assignments which take greater advantage of the online medium (links, color, images, etc) will be evaluated more highly.

Your essay must have a clear, well-written thesis and be analytic, not merely descriptive.

REMINDERS
0) YOUR NAME SHOULD APPEAR NOWHERE ON YOUR PAPER UNTIL THE BACK OF THE VERY LAST PAGE (ON WHICH YOU CLEARLY HAND WRITE  IT ON THE REVERSE OF YOUR WORKS CITED PAGE).
1) NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED
WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL.
2) YOUR PAPER VERSION SHOULD BE DOUBLE SPACED, IN 12 POINT FONT WITH 1-INCH MARGINS AND INCLUDE A TITLE AND WORD COUNT.
3) YOUR PAPER VERSION SHOULD INCLUDE A THESIS STATEMENT (BOLDED) WHICH DEMONSTRATES A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE CONCEPTS REFERENCED ABOVE AND WHICH RESPONDS DIRECTLY TO THE PROMPT. TOPIC SENTENCES SHOULD BE UNDERLINED.
4) YOUR PAPER SHOULD INCLUDE A "WORKS CITED" PAGE OF ANY ARTICLES YOU REFERENCE IN YOUR ESSAY. YOU MAY USE MLA OR APA CITATION STYLE.
5) A SUCCESSFUL ONLINE FINAL ASSIGNMENT WILL INCORPORATE COMMENTARY FROM (AND A HYPERTEXTUAL LINK TO) AT LEAST ONE OTHER STUDENT'S ONLINE ASSIGNMENT.