What Is Women’s & Gender Studies Research Paper?
Women’s & Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary field that views traditional academic disciplines through the lenses of gender, women, and sexual minorities. When studying this course, you have to conduct the in-depth analysis of the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, class, and other concepts of identity. The background for this subject is varied. It relies on anthropology, sociology, religious studies, philosophy, history, and other fields of knowledge that have discussed or are discussing women and their roles in the society. That’s why assignments and their formats can vary greatly.
A research paper in Women’s and Gender Studies is actually an extended essay where you have to present your own interpretation or evaluation of an argument. It is a piece of academic writing that should be based on your original research on a specific topic and your analysis and interpretation of your research findings. It sounds rather complicated, doesn’t it? Of course, this is a rather time-consuming task that will require a lot of your efforts and hard work. But you can successfully cope with it if you follow our easy gender studies research paper tips.
Formally, a research paper consists of an introduction, the main body that may include different sections such as literature review, methods, results, discussion, and the conclusion.Sometimes, you may be required to write an abstract to give a brief overview of the content of your research paper.
When working on your research project, you will need to complete a number of steps:
Discover and focus a researchable topic;
Find and read relevant sources;
Organize and document all the necessary information;
Plan your writing and make a working outline;
Write the introduction, the main body, and the conclusion;
Revise, edit, and proofread your final draft.
How to Select Good Women’s & Gender Studies Research Paper Topics
Women’s & Gender Studies programs cover a large variety of topics so you might be at a loss what topic to select for writing your research paper. The best approach to it is to pick a topic that you really care about. You will have to devote many hours of your precious time for doing research, outlining, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading to ensure that your writing project meets the high standard. You will have a more satisfying experience if you work on a topic that you are interested in. Your genuine interest and passion will help you stay motivated and you are more likely to impress your audience.
A good idea is to find a topic that is comparatively new so your research can have a real value or suggest some new approaches to investigating familiar topics. Before you start working on your research project, make sure you’ll find enough material on the topic you have chosen. And if your topic is too broad, narrow it down to fit the word count of your academic paper.
For example, you are interested in the psychology of sex and gender and want to write about how a person’s feelings, thoughts, and actions are affected by sex and gender. This topic covers a lot of issues, so you can devote your research to one of the following aspects: physical and mental health, gender identity development during a lifespan, interpersonal relationships, implicit and explicit bias etc.
Still not sure which topic is worth your attention? Have a look at this short list of interesting Women’s & Gender Studies research paper topics.
Women’s Contribution to Contemporary Arab Literature
Gender and Health Issues in the Contemporary World
Prevention of Human Trafficking
Women and Families in the Classical Societies
Sex Differences in Crime
Ethical Issues in Reproductive Technologies
The Gender Gap in the American Workforce
Women Leaders Who Are Changing the World
Sexual Identity in Modern Digital Media
How Have Modern Technologies Changed the Ideas of Gender?
Gender and Race in Games and Culture
Films by Contemporary Women of Color
Influence of the Contemporary Globalization on Race and Gender
Consequences of Inequality on Sexual Health in Non-Western Countries
Women and Gender Relations in the Middle East
Start Doing an In-depth Research on Your Topic
Research is an important first step in working on any written project. It can help you in a number of ways:
to understand the subject of your research paper;
to formulate original ideas for your project;
to develop a thesis statement/research question (Links to an external site.);
to speak on your topic with authority.
You have to gather resource materials and start reviewing them. You should find various primary and secondary sources related to Women’s & Gender Studies. Look for them in your university library, online databases, and archives. Find articles in scientific and scholarly journals, critical books that cover women’s and gender issues and general/interdisciplinary ones, news in printed and digital media, personal letters and diaries, statistics facts, photographs, different texts written by women etc.
When reading and evaluating your sources, you have to take notes. Besides, you need to keep track of all your materials so you can cite them in your paper and build a bibliography page later. There are lots of useful websites, for example, Purdue Online Writing Lab that can help you get a good idea what information you need to gather to properly cite your references (Links to an external site.).
Writing a Draft of Your Women’s & Gender Studies Research Paper
You have done an extensive research and have lots of great ideas. But before you start writing your first draft, you need to organize your presentation. Don’t try to skip this important step because it is critical to the success of your Women’s & Gender Studies research paper.
Thesis Statement
The first thing you should do is to create a strong thesis statement that will guide your writing. It’s a sentence that presents your main point that you’ll argue in your research paper. You have to present the subject of your paper and demonstrate your position in relation to the topic. The thesis statement will tell your readers what your project is about and will help you keep your argument focused.
Wondering how to write a successful thesis statement? Here are some tips:
