Essay with a focus on clear description of methods:
Gender in Greeting Cards

Your essay should introduce your topic, describe your methods in an orderly way, and then summarize your findings in a coherent manner. A good essay will make connections to topics covered in lecture and/or reading assignments for the course.

1. Read Willer's essay on baby cards, "Welcome to your World, Baby." (See Bb under Readings.)
2. Conduct a similar survey of 10-12 birthday cards for three- to five-year olds.
   • It is not necessary to purchase the cards; you can take notes in the store, or browse on-line.
   • Also, you need not limit yourself to English-language cards. I'd be interested to know what patterns exist in cards intended for another language/culture.
   • You may work in pairs to collect your data, but write your own assignment.
3. How are the greeting cards for girls and boys different? Did you find any cards that are ungendered? Focus on the linguistic elements of the cards -- the words and syntactic structures themselves (not on colors, images, etc.)
4. In your paper, focus on clearly documenting the methods you used to collect and analyze your data. Make sure that your method would be reproducible by someone who read your report.
5. Proofread your assignment carefully, paying special attention to elements that promote clarity:
   • ordering of the steps in your methodology
   • appropriate punctuation
   • succinct sentences with clear referents for the subjects (and any other nouns)

Assignment length: 2-3 pages

Please print a copy of the relevant grading rubric (posted in Blackboard, under Assignments) and turn it in, stapled to your assignment.
This will make sure you have had a chance to look over how we will evaluate you, and make the grading process go more smoothly.

[This assignment is adapted from Walters, K. & M. Brody. 2005. What's language got to do with it? Norton. p. 360.]

Updated March 17, 2011 .