Generally, if you write while looking at a source or while looking at notes taken from a source, a footnote or reference should be given. We encourage students to explore, appreciate, and use the ideas of others, but we expect proper attribution of those ideas. Even when describing the arguments or opinions of others entirely in your own words, you must give credit to the original author. Paraphrasing is the expression of another writer's words and ideas. A primary source is a document or artifact written or created during the period you wish to study.
Secondary works are books or articles written after the fact.
Rousseau is well known for his sharp criticism of contemporary society and his vision of radical social change. Rousseau's conservatism about women may well have served to make his radical comments about men's behavior more palatable. Kerber questioned Rousseau's reputation as a social critic, noting that he always endorsed conventional views of women's roles. Rousseau was a prominent Enlightenment philosopher whose statements about women usually reinforced the existing order. Rousseau is generally perceived to have been a radical social thinker.