Autobiographical Analysis Essay

Due Dates: See Syllabus

This is the major essay you will be working on throughout the quarter with both an initial
component (of 3 pages) due at the midpoint of the term and the final version (of 7-10 pages) due
at the end of the quarter. This assignment (both components) will make up 30% of your grade.
For this assignment, you are required to write an autobiographical essay that situates yourself in
relation to larger structural issues of relative power and privilege in terms of socio-economic
status, race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, ability status, and other relevant social
categories. You will be asked to critically reflect upon various life experiences that you have
had (such as where you were born, what jobs you and your parents have done, how strangers
perceive and treat you, etc.) in the context of your various identities and particular locations in
society as a whole. This entails being reflexive (which means being conscious about one’s place
in the social structure and how one has been socialized) about your life, the social world, as well
as about your understanding of justice and likely approach to working within criminal justice
systems.

Formatting Requirements for Both Assignments

 Cover page with your name, the name of the course, and the title of your paper
 Typed using 12 point Times New Roman font and double spaced with 1” margins
 Written as complete and coherent essays – NOT separate answers to each of the questions
below. Your paper should read like a fully developed essay, not a series of distinct
answers to the questions posed in the instructions. You should be using transitions.
Paragraphs should not exceed five sentences. Each paragraph should communicate a
single idea with support.
 These are formal papers that must be thoroughly edited for spelling, grammar, and
sentence structure. A paper with five or more significant editing problems will be docked
points. A paper in which spelling, grammar, and sentence structure problems detract from
my ability to fully grasp your ideas will lose 15 points for this portion of the grade.

Turnitin on Canvas
To prevent cheating and plagiarism, I require that everyone upload both versions of their papers
to the “Turn it in” program on the Canvas site. Unfortunately, plagiarism is a persistent issue and
so this additional step will be necessary to prevent such activity. All papers will be checked for
academic honesty. In the event that plagiarism is found, you will fail the paper and possibly the
course depending on the severity. You can check your own results on TurnItIn, so make sure that
no plagiarism issues come up!

PART II – Social Location Analysis and Implications for Justice

Due: See Syllabus

Utilizing the various readings, videos, and discussions covered over the quarter, you will now
analyze your own biography by situating yourself in the larger social structure of society – in
relation to issues of diversity, relative power, and privilege. You will be asked to critically reflect
on and analyze your social positions and how they impact your understanding of social and
criminal justice. The final paper will be at least 7-10 pages long.

Step 1: Review your life history narrative from Part I and consider the meaning that these events
have had for you. Do not simply repeat the experiences from Part I. Instead, give thought to how
you experienced those events. Give particular attention to how these significant events have
influenced your sense of self and place in the world as well as to how your social location has
influenced these events. For this part of the assignment, you are to connect your writing from
Part I to broader socio-cultural dynamics that we have been discussing in class and you should be
displaying your capacity for self-reflection. This includes connecting the events and your
experience of them to dynamics of race/ethnicity, class, religion, gender, sexuality, ability,
nationality, language, etc. Moreover, you should consider how these events and experiences
have differentially positioned you in terms of power, privilege, and disadvantage. Focus on
connecting your own personal experiences to broader socio-cultural dynamics of social structure
and power.

This section of your final essay must in some way address the following questions:
 Which social identities and locations are currently most relevant for you (think about race,
class, gender, sexuality, religion, ability, nationality, language, etc.)?
 How do you see yourself in relation to socio-cultural dynamics of power, privilege, and
disadvantage in regards to these social identities and locations?

Step 2: Consider what it means to live in a “just society.” Create a paragraph (3-5 sentences) that
expresses your understanding of a “just society.” Consider how the events, experiences, and
socio-cultural analysis from above in Step 1 inform your understanding of what it means to live
in a “just society.” In other words, connect your life history and its implications for your past and
current social locations to your understanding of a “just society.”

This section of your final essay must in some way address the following questions:
 What is your current understanding of a “just society”?
 How is your understanding of a “just society” informed by your life history and current
understanding of yourself in relation to social identities and locations, as well as
dynamics of power, privilege, and disadvantage?
 How might all of these considerations inform your approach to working within criminal
justice systems in the future?

Step 3: You are required to cite at least 4 readings (including at least one direct quote) and 3
separate parts of class lecture of discussions. Include a bibliography page at the end of your
paper with a complete list of all sources used (the textbook, Canvas articles and videos, and/or
additional external sources). This means you will need to quote and/or paraphrase sections from
these readings and then include the proper citations afterwards. All quotations must be clearly
denoted and followed by a formal citation that includes a page number. For example, your
textbook The New Jim Crow defines an undercaste as “a lower caste of individuals who are
permanently barred by law and custom from mainstream society” (Alexander, 2012, p. 13).
Please use the American Psychological Association (APA) citation format.
Step 4: Upload your life history narrative in MS Word format to Turnitin on Canvas no later
than midnight on Wednesday December 9th. No late papers will be accepted. The Part II
Paper must be a minimum of 7-10 full pages (NOT including the cover page or the bibliography
page) – this means there must be some text on the eighth page!

Please contact me or come see me if you have any questions at all about anything pertaining to
this paper. I will be more than happy to help you with ideas, applications, concepts, and/or
citation guidelines.