Thursday, April 13, 2006

Final Paper Assignment

Important Dates:
Paper proposal due: Wednesday, April 19
First 2-3 paragraphs due: Writing Workshop, Monday, May 1
Peer Review Session: Wednesday, May 3
Papers due: Monday, May 8, at the beginning of class

REMINDERS: This paper will constitute 30% of your final grade. Attendance at writing workshops and peer review sessions is mandatory.

Paper Topic:
Expanding on the model of critical writing initiated in the first paper, students will present a critical essay with a major research component. Research components may include: historical background on the context of the film, biographical research on the filmmaker (only if two films by the same artist are being compared), and theoretical research on the cultural or philosophical issues at stake in the film.

These essays must discuss two films. One of the films must be on our syllabus. The student may choose a second film from syllabus, or a film not viewed in class.

Paper Format & Guidelines:
The paper must be 10-12 pages long. (As always, it should have a title, your name, and page numbers, and it should be stapled.) This paper will require you to reflect critically on two films, offering a coherent thesis in relationship to the interpretation of the works. Formulation of this argument should be dependent upon the formal components of the film, which will also entail contextualizing the relationship between form and content.

I will be evaluating your ability to formulate a clear thesis, to argue in favor of this thesis, to identify and analyze the works' formal elements, and to synthesize and apply the vocabulary we have established through our readings and discussions. Your thesis should make a concise statement about what the works signify and the way in which they do so.

Paper Proposals:
You must turn in a 1-2 page paper proposal, outlining your topic, thesis, the main points you anticipate making in support of your thesis, and three potential research references, at least two of which must be from outside of the syllabus and not from the internet. Proposals must also address the research component of your project. These proposals must be turned in, in class, on Wednesday, April 19.

Writing Workshop:
On Monday, May 1, we will have a writing workshop. Please bring three copies of your first 2-3 paragraphs to class, on this day.

Peer Review:
On Wednesday, May 3, we will have a peer review session. Please bring three copies of your first draft to class on this day.

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