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PA135-5-AU Care, Intimacy, Vulnerability: an Introduction to Psychosocial Theory

2023-2024

Essay Questions and Guidance

Pick ONE of the following topics and write a 2500-word essay (plus or minus 10%) worth 100% of the module mark.

Deadline: Please check FASER

1. Why does the undervaluation of care work persist in contemporary society? What are the underlying contributing factors?

2. Discuss the proposition that ‘withholding care is an act of violence’.

3. How do societal expectations and judgments contribute to maternal ambivalence? How do they impact the way mothers navigate their complex emotions towards their children?

4. Why has care been often perceived as ‘women’s work’ both in personal and social life?

5. How central is care to human relationships and what does it mean in relation to claims that we now live in a ‘careless society’?

6. What are the psychological processes involved in the repudiation of dependence, and how do they shape an individual's autonomy?

7. Discuss the potential impact of AI on the future of care.

In anticipation of your questions

How many references should I include?

It is expected that you will draw on at least two references from your syllabus. However, in academic writing quality is favoured over quantity. For example, an essay that references ten sources is not necessarily better than one which discusses three, but in greater depth.

What do I need to do to achieve a better grade?

It is difficult to provide exact guidance on how to achieve a good grade because essays are unique in how they deal with topics, arguments, and the ways they present critical thinking, analytical capacity, and creativity. However, there are some steps you can take to ensure that you have produced a strong essay.

Let’s first examine what makes an essay ‘strong’:

(1) It demonstrates analytical and critical skills rather than mere description.

(2) It demonstrates the capacity to develop a clear and logical argument.

(3) It engages with social issues in a creative rather than a concrete manner.

(4) It seeks to make links with the ‘real world’ through examples, personal reflections and experiences, cultural objects (e.g. films, books).

(5) It uses sources from the module’s syllabus or relevant texts studied in your degree.

(6) It (unapologetically) demonstrates individual voice and creativity.

So what steps can I take? Here are some suggestions, but remember, there are no right or wrong ways to start writing your essay. Writing is a creative process so feel free to come up with your own method!

(1) Choose an essay question that resonates with your personal interests and experiences.

(2) Start early, come up with a plan (a structure for your essay).

(3) Write a paragraph on why you chose this topic, what attracted you to it, what would you like to explore and what will your argument be? Write freely and without being overly concerned about coherence, structure, or grammar. Just try to put your thoughts on the page.

(4) Go through the module’s syllabus. Which readings seem to be most relevant to your question?

(5) Summarise their arguments and ensure you understand them as much as possible. Take notes, but don’t forget to cite all direct quotations! Using someone else’s words without referencing, is considered an academic offence!

(6) What have you learnt from engaging with these texts? How do these texts help you make sense of yourself and the world around you? Is there anything new that you have learnt that you hadn’t seen before?

(7) Start drafting your essay by deciding in which order you will discuss the texts.

(8) Write about the key ideas of each text. How do the texts compare to each other? What new perspectives do they bring to a given topic?

(9) Write your conclusion first. Summarise what the essay has been talking about. How does the main body of the essay address the essay topic? What have you been trying to argue?

(10) Write your introduction—what is this essay trying to achieve? How (what kind of theories, texts, concepts) is it going to use?

(11) You now have your first rough draft! It is not perfect, but it is a draft! Congratulations! Take a few days off, and then reread it. Which aspects of this draft need further clarification?

(12) Revising a draft becomes easier if you have inspiration and a fresh perspective. Go back to the module’s syllabus and pick one or two more texts to read—what do these new texts add to your argument? Why do you think you didn’t include them in the first place?

(13) Revision can become an endless process, so be mindful of the submission date! Remember: a good essay is a submitted essay. A great essay is an essay you submitted but also enjoyed writing. A perfect essay is neither!

How should I format my essay?

There are no restrictions on formatting, as soon as the essay is clear and legible. Avoid fonts that are difficult to read. Make sure your essay is organised in paragraphs, and feel free to use subheadings if you need to.

Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial etc are excellent fonts.

Size 12 is commonly used