Womens Biography and Autobiography

The following Critical Thinking and Writing Prompts will help you to meet the following student learning objectives:

– To examine intersectional analytical toolsrace, class, ethnicity, gender, and increasingly nation and citizenshipoften used by women’s historians.

– To foster the development of critical historical thinking skills through engagement with course readings, lectures, films, primary sources, discussion    postings, research and written assignments.

-An additional benefit of this exercise is to identify connections between present day concerns and the past.

Write 4 to 6 sentences for Part I and 4 to 6 sentences for Part II. You will have one week to complete this assignment.

Using the information provided in module 9 [readings plus lecture(s)] and in current events, answer the question(s) in Part 1 and Part II.

Part 1: Reflect: Reflecting upon the readings for Module 9, answer the following questions: Examining the lives of Katherine Du Pre Lumpkin and Margaret Chung, make a case for the value of autobiography and biography in the study of history? What are the strengths and weaknesses of these genres? Can an examination of one life reveal broader societal themes? Explain.

Part II: Apply: In more recent times, society presents examinations of individual womens lives via biographies and autobiographies but also through biopics or biographical films, for example there is a biopic on the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Reality TV shows featuring women as well as  female celebrities followed on social media also present us with slices of someones personal life in addition to aspects of their professional lives. Pick one of these genres and address its strengths and weaknesses in terms of authenticity and whether this genre helps to illustrate broader societal themes.