Description
Orientalism Book by Edward Said The Second Sex Book by Simone de BeauvoirRelying both on Orientalism and The Second Sex, explain the way in which
the relationship to the Other is construed. By concentrating on specific parts
of these texts, discuss the way in which you experienced the notion of alterity
in your life.
II. Create your own topic covering both of the texts (Orientalism, and The
Second Sex).
Your papers must be double spaced, and typed.
There is no page limit, but a reasonable answer should be around 5 pages.
Use standard margins and 12-point font.
The paper should be a close reading and explanation of the text. I expect you to support your
arguments or claims by quoting passages from the texts.
You need to give proper references to the texts in the form of footnotes, e.g.1
After the first reference (i.e., footnote) you can refer to the same text by the name of the
author and the page number (e.g., Said, 66).
In general, make sure that you explain the passages you refer to in your own words as well.
Do not assume that the quotation by itself is clear or enough as an explanation.
Make sure that you indicate the sources of any information you include that was not
discussed in class!
Read and reread “Comments and Suggestions for Papers”
Enjoy your work, and do not settle for something beneath you!
1 Said, Orientalism, (New York: Vintage Books, 1979), p. x
Beauvoir, The Second Sex, (London: Rowe and Brydone, 1953), p. x.
Comments and Suggestions for Papers
1. You are expected to write on ideas discussed in class and from the texts we read for the
course. You are responsible for the class discussions on the text; any further insight you may
bring from the readings that we may have not discussed in class will raise your grade. If you
use secondary sources, make sure that you give proper references to these sources.
2. Do not present “information” in your papers. A paper should develop an argument (or
respond to a question or a series of questions). Your paper should go beyond summarizing
the texts. This means: You have to explicate and interpret the text, e.g. “The author says this
or that, and it means this, and has such implications… etc.”
3. Do not use ordinary dictionaries to explain philosophical concepts. You are obviously
free to look up words in dictionaries, but you are supposed to learn concepts through a
discussion of philosophical texts.
4. You are responsible for keeping electronic copies of all your papers. If your paper gets
lost in the virtual world, you are responsible. Your papers must be double-spaced and
typed. Use 12-point font! There should be approximately 250-300 words per page.
5. To be fair to students who pass in their papers on time, late papers will be graded down
one letter grade for each day late (including weekends). If you miss the class on the day the
paper is due, your paper will be considered late. There is no advantage, therefore, in skipping
the class in order to finish your paper.
6. You are required to write your papers alone without any help from any other student in
this course. You may (and indeed should) discuss ideas with your classmates, but you must
write your paper by yourself. Plagiarism, [i.e., copying or paraphrasing the ideas and
language of others (without acknowledging the source) from a book, from an article, from the
Internet, etc., and thus implicitly presenting them as one’s own] will not be tolerated. You
will receive an F for that assignment, and may be subject to academic disciplinary
action. For further clarifications on plagiarism, read https://apdd.ku.edu.tr/en/academicpolicies/
student-code-of-conduct/ (especially 4.2) Plagiarism can be deliberate or
accidental. It is your responsibility to know what plagiarism is and avoid it. If you are not
clear about plagiarism you should discuss it with me.
7. However, you have to make sure that someone proofreads your paper. Spelling, grammar
and punctuation errors affect the clarity and readability of your papers. Papers will be graded
down if they have such errors.
Your essays will be graded according to the following scale:
An ‘A’ is reserved for truly excellent work that shows you have understood the concepts and the texts
well, reflected upon them, and composed your work thoughtfully and carefully.
A ‘B’ grade indicates a very good understanding of concepts and texts that does not capture all their
complexity or that does not critically reflect upon them.
A ‘C’ grade will be given to work that is satisfactory and shows a basic comprehension of the
material but which simplifies or misunderstands significant points and makes little effort to organize
thoughts around a central argument.
A ‘D’ grade indicates less than satisfactory work that shows very little comprehension of the texts and
ideas and serious misunderstanding of major points.
An ‘F’ will be given to work that is unacceptable because it shows no comprehension of the material
at all, and to plagiarized papers.