Political Statements

Politics of location statements examine your self-identity—who are you and how did you become this person? Such statements address issues of class, race, gender, age, regional/nationality, culture, and/or ethnicity and the interaction of these categories among other things. Reflecting deliberately on your position will establish a foundation for examining your identity and how privileges and/or oppression influence your point of view as a composer, writer, and designer of texts. This will also prepare you for interacting with and working alongside others in our Women’s and Gender Studies classroom.

Read:

  • Rich, Adrienne. “Notes Toward a Politics of Location.” Arts of the Possible: Essays and Conversations. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2001. 62-82.
  • Lorde, Audre. “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference.” Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches. Freedom, CA: Crossing Press, 1984. 114-123.

Write:

Your first major assignment is to write what is called a “politics of location” statement. This 4-page statement (about 1500 words) will explain who you are at this particular moment in time and your relationship to nation, space, place, other identity factors that shape your Self. Draw heavily from the readings and lessons thus far in the term! Such a statement examines your self-identity—who are you and how did you become this person? In explaining your Self—and your connections to larger forms of difference we will study–you need to address issues of class, race, gender, and sexuality, religion, nationality, etc. For example, how has your class background influenced your access to education and food security? How have structures including your family or religion influenced your gender performance? How does your race position you in terms of privilege or precarity? How does your sexuality influence your political views? What is your understanding of transnationalism, and your individual, social, or political role in critiquing/dismantling representations of women in global contexts? Discuss with a relative: From where did your family immigrate? Discuss with a friend: What citizenship do they carry? Utilize personal voice, but develop a clear thesis and coherent organization structure.

You are expected to post a copy of your statement to the Blackboard discussion thread titled “Politics of Location Statement”. Then, everyone will be required to read and comment on at least TWO of your colleagues’ statements so that we all have an understanding of the various experiences each of us operates in and out of this online class. Your response comment should be 500 words in length and should include: 1) two questions for the poster; 2) an observation regarding race, gender, class, nationality, citizenship, and/or sexuality; and 3) an attempt at engaging the author’s point of view through the lens of your own politics of location. We will follow up our readings with a discussion about which factors emerge as the most influential forces on your colleagues’ identities as explained by these statements. In many ways, Rich’s and Lorde’s essays, which comment on these individual and systemic perspectives and more, offer you a model to follow and draw upon as you construct your own statement.

First, see the assignment schedule on BB. You are expected to post a copy of your statement to the Blackboard discussion thread titled “Politics of Location Statement” on Sunday, February 25th at 5pm. Then, everyone will be required to read and comment on at least TWO of your colleagues’ statements so that we all have an understanding of the various experiences each of us operates in and out of this online class by Friday, March 2nd at 5pm. Your response comment should be 500 words in length and should include: 1) two questions for the poster; 2) an observation regarding race, gender, class, and/or sexuality; and 3) an attempt at engaging the author’s point of view through the lens of your own politics of location. We will follow up our readings with a discussion about which factors emerge as the most influential forces on people’s identities as explained by these statements.

Discuss/Comment:

Since you will be sharing your ideas and thoughts, make sure that you don’t write anything in your statement that you aren’t prepared to share with others.

Format:

  • 4-5 pages in length (double-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, regular 1’ margins)
  • Proper MLA or APA parenthetical citations and a reference page (you will not consult outside sources beyond Rich and Lorde)

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