WS 305: Feminist Theories
Midterm Exam
Assignment
The midterm examination will test your understanding of the three strands of theory we have studied thus far: Marxist/materialist, structuralist, and psychoanalytic theory. You should also be able to compare those theories with liberal feminist and proto-feminist theories we have studied. The exam will consist of two parts: a take-home list of questions, the answers to which you will turn in on Wednesday, April 2, and an in-class portion you will write on that same day. You may work on the take-home portion with your classmates, if you like. What you turn in should be distinctively yours, however.

Purpose
Studying for and writing both portions of the exam will assure that you have a solid grasp of the three theoretical perspectives that inform most contemporary feminist theories and will make your study of the course readings that follow more fruitful and productive.

Method
On Wednesday, March 26, I will distribute a list of questions that will help you think through the three theoretical stances as presented in Gayle Rubin's article "The Traffic in Women." Those questions comprise the take-home portion of the exam. Plan to take between a couple of sentences and a paragraph to answer each question. Do not write the take-home portion in essay form; rather, list your answers individually by number to assure that you have fully covered each question. All of the material you need to answer the questions can be found in Rubin's article, but you should feel free to draw on material from other class readings or lectures if they help you answer the questions. Do not quote extensively; if you cannot put ideas in your own words, you will not get credit for the answer. You may work on the questions with your classmates, if you like. The answers you construct should not be precisely the same as any other students'. Again, put the answers in your own words, while making use of the special vocabulary and concepts you have learned from our readings and discussions.

Turn in your answers to those questions (typed, double-spaced) when you come to class on Wednesday, April 2. At that time, you will answer a question from an in-class exam that will ask you to think about the formation of gendered subjects from the theoretical perspectives we have covered so far.

Evaluation
Each portion of the exam is worth 10% of your grade (20% total). Your answers to the take-home portion will be graded on accuracy, organization, clarity, style, and mechanics. (There are 21 questions, one of which will count as a "bonus." That is, each question can earn up to 5 points; 100 points = 100%.) Grammar, spelling, style, and punctuation count in the determination of the number of points you earn for each answer. The in-class essay will be graded on argumentation, organization, accuracy, style, and mechanics.