1.State yourposition with respectto the term.Expressyour thesisclearlyina one concise sentence, and locateyourposition statement in the introduction of your essay. For example, you might choose “cisgender” as your term and then state the followingposition: Cisgendered identities are privileged in workplace contexts.
2.Explain your understanding of the term. Define and explain the term, supporting your understanding of it withproperly cited sources. Thisexplanation provides the history, background,and use of the term, and it does not need to be connected to the position you are taking.For example, you could explain when and how cisgender became a term used to describegender identities and how it is linked to the sex-gender binary.
3.Developyour position. Include threesupporting statements for your position and developthese arguments with examples and evidence. For example, your position on gender identities could be supported by a statement about leave policies in organizations that are exclusively granted to “mothers and fathers.” You would then provide an explanation of how you connect this policy to cisgender privilege. Again, all sources (course related or otherwise) must be cited properly.Your discussionwill bemore persuasive if supported by authoritative evidence rather than opinion.
4.Address any obvious orsubtle criticisms ofyour position.Think about why someone would disagree with your position.Academic publishing thrives on debate and disagreements among scholars on almost any given topic. If you can find research that critiques your position, cite it. Again, this will make your discussion more substantive and persuasive. Presentat least twocounterarguments, and explainhow your position can refute these.For example, someone may argue that laws protect workers who face discrimination based on gender. How can your position on cisgender explain thatprivilege for this group stillexists despite laws and policies regarding gender? You may not write that there are “no criticisms” ofyour position.This will result in a 0 for this section of the paper.
