Assignment 4 -- Stereotype and Job Opportunity
Purpose:
Continuing to hone our skills in prewriting, critique, and craft, we now move into the arena of research. When faced with a difficult question, we have to know how to find some answers, and that skill lies at the heart of this essay. But don’t disregard your own feelings on the subject of the prompt – they may provide you with a core belief that your research will help prove. If you don’t have a strong opinion on the topic, researching will likely help you formulate an argumentative approach.
As you research and read your sources, carefully consider the information and evidence that the writers present. You should carefully determine the reliability of your source as well as any inherent bias likely to lurk in a particular source. Also, think about how the author addresses his or her specific audience, and don’t forget the credibility of the source’s claims. Reliability of sources is of great importance when you’re researching.
Texts:
“240-Pound San Francisco Woman Rejected as Aerobics Teacher Alleges Bias” by Elizabeth Hernandez, from the San Francisco Chronicle online. Accessible through a link at the bottom of this website.
You must find enough secondary material from which to select three strong and reliable sources to incorporate into your essay.
You may use your Psychology texts, newspapers, books, or articles from magazines or journals; for this assignment, no websites (except those used by newspapers; www.nytimes.com, for example, is a valid source for this argument) will suffice.
Topic:
Jennifer Portnick of San Francisco wanted to become a Jazzercise instructor, but Jazzercise denied her the right to purchase one of their franchises because Portnick (at 5’8” – my height) weighs over 240 pounds. Portnick has filed suit, claiming that Jazzercise is guilty of weight discrimination.
Writing Task:
Consider your audience as undecided, but skeptical; in other words, make sure to provide enough support and consideration of counterarguments to convince your readers. With this argument, you’ll probably have a weak paper if it leaves out counterargumentation. Your job starts by reading the newspaper article linked to the assignment 4 web page (listed under the “texts” section of this handout). Then, in a carefully planned and organized essay of five to seven pages, answer the following question:
Why should – or shouldn’t – Jennifer Portnick teach Jazzercise?
Tips to Help You:
You’ll need to devote most of research to a particular reason why Portnick should or shouldn’t be allowed to teach Jazzercise. For example, you may want to focus on one of the following aspects of this case (or you may elect to support your argument from a different angle):
* California discrimination law.
* hiring practices in California.
* health concerns relating to weight.
* the psychological effects of discrimination on either the perpetrator or the victim.
* political correctness.
* Jazzercise’s business history or hiring history.
* You may also want to include other types of discrimination cases in your research, but if you do so, you’ll have to explain how they’re pertinent to your argument.
Remember, though, that your paper will be stronger if your research is FOCUSED. Don’t try to include every one of the above suggestions; instead, focus on one aspect and research it thoroughly. This will enhance the cohesiveness and unity of your paper, and these, in turn, will aid your overall cogency.
Class Calendar:
3/6 -- Introduction to assignment four
3/8 -- No class; begin researching topic
3/18 -- Discussion of research strategies
3/20 -- Research conferences – optional; Bill Viola lecture, 7:00 at Bovard Auditorium
3/22 -- LIBRARY INSTRUCTION SESSION
3/25 -- Incorporating Sources
3/27 -- MLA style/sentence refining
3/29 -- Rough draft due; peer editing
4/1 -- Final draft due
Links
USC Electronic Resource Page
Writing 140 Homepage
Article on Jennifer Portnick
