Write a short essay on the topic of, and with the title, “Women and Unions—What I Already Know, What I Expect from the Course.”

Since this essay is very short, you need to think very carefully about how to include everything that you want to say. The essay should consist of two parts.

In the first part of the essay, write about things that you know about women’s work, both in the paid labour force and in unpaid housework; what you know about how to juggle the double shift of paid and unpaid work; and what you know about women’s struggles in unions and feminist groups. In this part of the essay, draw on your own experiences or on stories that family, friends, or co-workers have shared with you. You can also draw on anything that you have learned through independent reading, book clubs, or women’s studies or labour studies courses that you may already have taken. This is the “What I Already Know” part of the essay.

The second, “What I Expect from the Course,” part of the essay should explain your reasons for taking this course and combine them with the thoughts that you had while going through the introductory unit of the course.

Just remember, your essay must be short: It should be only 500 words long.

Keep in mind, however, that although this essay is worth only 5% of your final grade, it is significant to how well you will do in this course. The more you think about what you already know and what you want to know, the better prepared you will be for the rest of course, and in particular for your last assignment, which is a reflective essay. Take this first essay seriously, rather than making the mistake of seeing it as merely a “touchy-feely” waste of time.

Before you complete this essay, please read the section on Plagiarism on AU’s Write Site