Global Works and Society: Antiquity (GWA-UF 101 005)
Spring 2024
Final take-home exam
Your essay should be 3 pages long,typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman
(font size 12), with regular margins.
You should submit your exam essay via the specified Assignment submission folder on Brightspace as a PDF file, withyour name included in the file title (e.g., “Louise Aslanian — GWA final exam” or “Maya Deren — GWA final exam” or “Ota Benga — GWA final exam” or “Eglantyne Jebb — GWA final exam”).
Assignment:
Choose one of the assigned texts for this class that most resonated with you and triggered a sense of introspection in you (i.e., Self-examination) regarding your being and place in the world in terms of your interaction with Others — regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the overall intended message of that text. (In this context, Otherness denotes alterity in terms of conceived difference(s) based on gender and/or ethnicity/race, language, culture, social class, faith, politics, power relations in general, and so on.) In your essay, you need to address the following:
1) Your choice of the text for this assignment. For instance, why did this text resonate with you in the first place? (This should be no more than half a page long.)
2) In what way(s) does the text set up particular construct(s) of Self / Other that conveys a sense of responsibility for the welfare of the Other(s) — e.g., empathy, interdependence, obligation, duty, and so on —, and under what circumstances — e.g., compassion and the opportunity to assist others when possible, mere self-interest, averting injustice or rendering justice, and so on? (This should be about a page long.)
3) Is “care for the Other(s)” in this text ultimately framed in away that also amounts to, or impedes, “caring for the Self” in some form (whether in terms of short- term or long-term reciprocity, reward, self-harm / self-sacrifice, etc.)? In other words, what is your assessment of the intended message of the text in regard to responsibility toward the Other(s)? (For example, is the concept of ‘care for the Other(s) ’ presented as being always feasible, is it also treated as a liability, and so on.) (This should be about a page long.)
4) Based on your own engagement with the text, what does our attitude toward Others reveal about ourselves, and are constructs of the Other(s) always stable and constant? (This should be about half a page long.)
AVOID duplicating what you may already have
written in previous assignments.
Provide relevant and concrete examples in support of your arguments and be analytical, instead of simply providing a descriptive account or merely providing a general summary of the text in question in the hope of somehow “hitting the mark.” Also avoid repeating the same point again and again as away of filling the pages.
Do not forget to use quotation marks for all direct quotations from your source and to cite your source for both direct quotations as well as any paraphrased information obtained from that source. Your failure to do so may result in loss of points and might even constitute plagiarism. . For the sake of space, use the same short citation format as in earlier writing assignments for this course.
Avoid direct quotations, unless they are short and express concepts/ideas that you absolutely cannot express in other words or are expressive of thoughts that you feel are fundamental to discussing the text. Definitely avoid very long direct quotations from the text as well as the practice of stringing up one quotation after another to fill the pages. Your essay is meant to demonstrate your own engagement with the text and your analytical thought process.
When arguing acase and substantiating your position by providing evidence from the text in question, always also consider whether the text offers examples that contradict, or depart from, your interpretation. In other words, do not selectively cite from your source, while overlooking evidence to the contrary in the same source.
Write in a coherent, consistent, and focused manner. Be sure the reader will not misunderstand your position. Complete one thread of thought before moving on to the next one.
If you study with a classmate/classmates for the exam, be sure to write your essay on your own and avoid sharing your essay with other classmates until well after the submission due date for the assignment. Any substantial similarity between your essay and an essay submitted by another student may result in your being investigated for plagiarism. . Plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form.
https://liberalstudies.nyu.edu/content/nyu-as/liberalstudies/academics/academic-integrity- guide.html