Writing Assignment Two

Sex Work or Exploitation?

due: 10\5 (10% of total course grade)

WHAT TO DO:

Respond to the following question: Do you think that people should be allowed to buy and sell sex? Use information from Moran's "Buying Sex Should Not Be Legal" AND from either McClelland's "Is Prostitution Just Another Job?" OR Bazelon's "Should Prostitution Be a Crime?" to help make your case.

Want to see what an "A" paper looks like for this assignment? Check out these essays by students Gabriel Martinez and Mathew Reyes: #SexWorkerLivesMatter and SEX 4 SALE. Nice work--thanks for sharing!

IMPORTANT

Many writers will have opinions based in part on religious, cultural, national, or family values--that's fine--but even if you have firm ideas on this subject at the start, you need to support your argument with logic and evidence that many different kinds of people will find credible.

Requirements:

• Length: 3-4 pages (approximately 900 words)
• Use quotations as evidence
• Credit sources by using quotation marks, in-text citations, and a list of Works Cited (MLA style)--[tutorial here]
• typewrite and use MLA format (double-space; one inch margins)
• Hand in document printed on one side only – no electronic documents

How to (optional):

draft--steps 1-3

1) INTRODUCTION (you might need to write this when you're done with the rest of the paper)

• What's the main idea of the paper?
• Give an overview of the essay ahead

2) One page on the MCCLELLAN or BAZELON reading:

• Include a brief summary of the article
• Why do some sex workers believe that prostitution should be legal?
• Analysis--How does the illegal status of sex work harm workers?--use quotations for support

3) One page on the MORAN essay:

• Include a brief summary of the article
• Why does Moran believe that buying sex should not be legal?

3) One or two pages telling where YOU stand. It's fine if you have your own thought process about this, but these questions might help get your ideas flowing:

• Do you think sex is a commodity?
• Do you think sex work is inherently exploitative?
• Do you think some people are treated unfairly when sex is sold?
• Do you think there's a major difference between different categories of sex work (e.g., exotic dancing, phone sex operator, professional escort, sugar baby, dominatrix, etc.), especially between those that do or don't involve explicit sexual contact?
• Do you think that some more conventional relationships (e.g., marriage) are based in part on the expectation that sex is traded for economic support?

finishing up

• Reread your draft and add a conclusion summing up the main points of the essay and restating your central argument
• Read your work over out loud slowly and fix any mistakes you find
• Make up an interesting title!
• Ready to submit? Consult this checklist

Where to find help

Writing Center--Sage Hall

MLA style--online resource – OWL @ Purdue

Prof. Rodas--CO 641, Mon, 12:30-1:30, or, by appointment--julia.rodas@bcc.cuny.edu

Skills we're practicing

• Argumentation/persuasion
• summarizing
• Using a thesis
• Writing an introduction
• Writing a conclusion