due March 7
Apply some methods of queer theory to a work or topic of your choice.
Choose one of our theorists and apply their theory to one topic: one of the films we have seen or some cultural or societal phenomenon.
Examples: Can Sedgwick’s framework be used to analyze But I’m a Cheerleader or Psycho Beach Party?
What would Butler do with Paris is Burning?
Write a 5 page paper on the topic. Best to avoid doing more than one theory or more than one work. If you choose something we haven’t read or viewed in class, please be sure to explain enough so it’s clear to me.
Your essay should apply the theory or methodology of one of our scholars to some real-world situation or one of the works we have viewed. (If you choose something I may not know, please fill in enough information to make it clear, without spending the entire paper retelling a story.)
The paper will be graded on the following:
1. Theory/method: Does your application of the theory show that you understand it? Is it an appropriate match between theory and evidence? Be sure you use the same terminology the theorist uses, e. g. “minoritizing” and “universalizing,” not “minimalist” and “Unitarian.” Quote the theory directly (with a page number).
2. Argument: Does the theory clear something up or make a point about your evidence? Do we understand your point of view, your position on why it matters? Do you make a logical argument or just repeat a claim over and over without backing it up?
3. Evidence: Do you have enough evidence to support your claim? The evidence too should be as concrete as possible: lines or specific scenes from the films, for example, or quotations from a book or newspaper article. Don’t just plunk these down: prepare them, then analyze them using your theory. Most of the prose should be your own, rather than quotations, and lengthy quotations are not usually needed – you may be able to paraphrase and get right to the point.
4. Style: aim more for Boswellian than Sedgwickian. Concise, to the point, elegant prose is always more convincing. It’s OK to lapse occasionally into colloquialisms/slang for effect, or to inject some humor, but everything in moderation. The audience is me and/or your classmates: people who know the works and have the same frame of reference.
