Presentation Schedule:
Room 315
Monday: "Bible", "Jesus Camp"
Wednesday: "Sicko", "Super Size Me"
Friday: "Electric Car", "Inconvenient Truth"
** "Deliver Us"-- be ready to present all week. If I'm guessing right, I'm thinking you'll likely have time on either Wed. or Fri. :)
Turnitin final drafts due Monday before class starts. Bring a hard copy for me to grade.
Room 315
Monday: "Bible", "Jesus Camp"
Wednesday: "Sicko", "Super Size Me"
Friday: "Electric Car", "Inconvenient Truth"
** "Deliver Us"-- be ready to present all week. If I'm guessing right, I'm thinking you'll likely have time on either Wed. or Fri. :)
Turnitin final drafts due Monday before class starts. Bring a hard copy for me to grade.
Your Final Act: The Research Paper
Scott and I in California.
The Final Project: Research English 1301: Research Project: A Researched Evaluation of an Argument
Propaganda: Material disseminated by the advocates of a doctrine or cause.
turnitin ID: 3635236; password: fall10
Directions: Write a 3 full to 4 page (don't go over) research paper that “reviews” or “evaluates” a documentary film that educates the public on a specific issue. The essay should be in correct MLA style format with a header, centered title, Works Cited, and internal citations. You will also provide an annotated bibliography of the sources used in the essay.
The paper will comprise 3 elements: 1. An evaluation of the film backed by 3-5 film reviews that have appeared in nationwide, credible newspapers or magazines that have been written by distinguished critics in the field. 2. An overview of the topic being presented in the film backed by 3-5 scholarly journal articles (or books) written by experts in the field of study presented in the film. 3. An evaluation of the rhetorical presentation of the topic (the techniques the director uses to convey the point). You should use your Patterns book for this part.
Total Sources: No less than 8: 3 film reviews, 3 journal articles (or books) related to the topic of discussion presented by the film, your textbook, and your film. You can have up to 12 sources; adding more journal articles and reviews is helpful. Each body paragraph should contain internal citations (approximately 3-5 per paragraph). They should be correctly formatted to MLA guidelines. Use your sources to back up your evaluation, not to summarize the plot of the film. Also, make sure that your sources are valid.
Helpful Questions for Evaluation: What does the subject try to achieve? Who is the audience for the subject? In what particular way(s) does the subject achieve its goal? What specific parts, tools, or strategies help the subject to achieve its goal? What goals may have been ignored? What is unique about your directors’ approach or strategy toward achieving the goal(s)?
Brief Outline: [Start with a creative title!]
Paragraph 1: Introduction. Give a brief overview of the film (1-3 sentences). Introduce the director and “actors” or contributors to the project. Give a brief overview of the topic being discussed in the film. You must provide the context for the paper here-- you must list basic "plot", "theme", and introduce the director and "characters" or "participants" in the film. You might discuss the goals of the film & list awards. Include an evaluative thesis that captures the basis of your argument (whether or not the film is successful and why or why not).
Paragraph 2: Go into detail about the ISSUE presented in the film. Cite articles that explain and elaborate on that issue. Transition to connect the issue to the film that you are reviewing.
Paragraphs 3,4: This is where you will discuss specific aspects of the film that contributes to the worthiness of the film and how it achieves its goal. Examples of this may be camera work, narrative devices, music, emotional appeals, characters or actors, cinematography, etc. Give specific examples from the film to back up your evaluative claims. You should quote the film or refer to specific scenes, as well as cite critics’ views. You should also incorporate your research in these body paragraphs; in other words tie in the "aspects" of the film to the research that you find on the topic itself. Please stay focused: 1 topic per body paragraph. *Approx. 3-5 quotes per paragraph; all sources should be cited at least once somewhere in the paper.*
Paragraph 5: A concession: You've just spent 2 paragraphs evaluating the film. If you say the film works, then discuss parts or aspects of the film that could have been improved or done differently in order to improve effectiveness. If you say the film didn’t work, then list aspects of the film that were particularly effective. Be detailed and give examples. You should also incorporate a brief discussion on the type of logic used by the filmmaker, as well as any “fallacies” in the logic (refer to Patterns). The quotes (internal citations) for this paragraph will mainly come from your textbook. In the end, transition back to your point of view; for example, "Despite the play to emotional appeal, the film remains triumphant in successfully getting its point across."
Conclusion: Restate the film & filmmaker in this paragraph. This should be your overall thoughts about the film—your commentary on the work as a whole and what it contributes to the arts. You will also specifically state the value of the film to society. Finally, you will give your recommendation for the film: thumbs up or down, target audience, etc. However, you will not use 1st or 2nd person... remain objective.
Notes on finding and incorporating sources: Sample sources for movie reviews would be Roger Ebert from The Chicago Sun-Times, A.O. Scott or Vincent Canby from The New York Times, Nick LaSalle from The San Francisco Chronicle, Peter Travers from Rolling Stone, etc. For an easy search, type in your film title at www.imdb.com, and click on “external reviews”, which will bring you to a page of links to reviews of your film. ONLY use respected sources! Your ideas should be the basis for the essay, and using critics’ reviews should only serve to compliment, explain, support, and expand upon YOUR ideas about the film.
* Students should make appointments with the writing center tutors NOW in order to have papers revised by the due date. There will be no extensions granted with this paper. Students who submit proof that they received tutoring either from the writing lab or online through ANGEL will receive extra points on the final paper.
NO HANGING QUOTES! Work each quote in as part of your own sentences in a grammatically and mechanically correct way. Cite the critic’s last name and page or paragraph number in parenthesis directly after the quote. Example:
The director uses first person narrative accounts, which “provide an emotional connection between the film and the audience” (Ebert, par. 4).
or (Jones 151)—depending if you are using paragraph or page #’s.
The topic-based research can come from scholarly journals or books in the field of study. You must get this research from the LIBRARY! Only library databases such as Ebscohost, Infotrac, etc. will lead you to “expert” articles; do NOT rely on the internet! You can also research books on the topic; however, make sure that the book is scholarly and by an expert in the field. For example, a political account of global warming would not be appropriate, but one written by a leading researcher in the scientific community would. Which database you use will depend on which topic you pick; ask the librarian for help.
Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated. This includes using the EXACT standards for MLA citation. All points, ideas, or information that is not your own requires citation, whether it is quoted directly or not. This is YOUR evaluation, YOUR argument… the outside research will be used only to back up YOUR ideas.
Remember: We write in the 3rd person (no I’s or You’s) and in the PRESENT TENSE.
Presentation: You will lead a 15-25 minute presentation on your film project [time depends on how many presenters we have]. You will do this presentation with your partner (if you have one). You must turn in separate research papers, but the presentation is a collaboration. The presentation must include a 2-3 minute film clip (or youtube trailer), a handout (about the issue presented in the film), and some other visual element (poster, collage, material objects that represent something about the film, etc.). You may also bring refreshments during your presentation. You should not read your essays to the class; instead, give the class an overview of the film, the topic presented in the film, and how the film has impacted or can impact society. Please be ready to ask questions of your classmates, as well as answer them about your project. This is worth a significant portion of your grade, and credit for the assignment is partially dependent on showing up for ALL presentations. We will develop a presentation schedule in the coming weeks.
[Note: I expect all students to be PREPARED, ORGANIZED, KNOWLEDGEABLE, ENTHUSIASTIC, PARTICIPATORY, and PRESENT. ]
Film Clip (10); Handout (10); Props (10); Attendance to all presentations (30); Content- organization/preparation/knowledge/flow (20); Content- creativity, enthusiasm, participation, punctuality (20)]
++Outlines and drafts will also be graded. The rough draft for this essay will be worth at least 20 points.
Film Choices: Environment: Who Killed the Electric Car?, An Inconvenient Truth; Corporations and Consumerism: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room; Capitalism: A Love Story; Guns/Media: Bowling for Columbine; Health: Sicko, Super Size Me, Food, Inc.; Religious Abuses: Jesus Camp, Deliver Us From Evil;
LGBT Issues: For the Bible Tells Me So
Directors (in order of list above): Chris Paine, Davis Guggenheim, Alex Gibney, Michael Moore (x3), Morgan Spurlock, Robert knner, Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady, Amy Berg, Daniel G. Karslake
*These films have been chosen for their relevant content, exceptional delivery, critical acclaim, and research availability. Approach each subject intellectually and with tolerance for varying opinions. Part of your education is to realize that you are all part of a global community and to teach tolerance and promote understanding of otherwise “taboo” issues.
If you feel you will have a hard time remaining objective about a topic, please choose one that you aren't as emotionally attached to. All of these films have value and appeal, and it would be great if you could all choose films that you actually like and can write posively about; this is not required, but students do report having an easier time with the assignment when they enjoy the material.
Propaganda: Material disseminated by the advocates of a doctrine or cause.
turnitin ID: 3635236; password: fall10
Directions: Write a 3 full to 4 page (don't go over) research paper that “reviews” or “evaluates” a documentary film that educates the public on a specific issue. The essay should be in correct MLA style format with a header, centered title, Works Cited, and internal citations. You will also provide an annotated bibliography of the sources used in the essay.
The paper will comprise 3 elements: 1. An evaluation of the film backed by 3-5 film reviews that have appeared in nationwide, credible newspapers or magazines that have been written by distinguished critics in the field. 2. An overview of the topic being presented in the film backed by 3-5 scholarly journal articles (or books) written by experts in the field of study presented in the film. 3. An evaluation of the rhetorical presentation of the topic (the techniques the director uses to convey the point). You should use your Patterns book for this part.
Total Sources: No less than 8: 3 film reviews, 3 journal articles (or books) related to the topic of discussion presented by the film, your textbook, and your film. You can have up to 12 sources; adding more journal articles and reviews is helpful. Each body paragraph should contain internal citations (approximately 3-5 per paragraph). They should be correctly formatted to MLA guidelines. Use your sources to back up your evaluation, not to summarize the plot of the film. Also, make sure that your sources are valid.
Helpful Questions for Evaluation: What does the subject try to achieve? Who is the audience for the subject? In what particular way(s) does the subject achieve its goal? What specific parts, tools, or strategies help the subject to achieve its goal? What goals may have been ignored? What is unique about your directors’ approach or strategy toward achieving the goal(s)?
Brief Outline: [Start with a creative title!]
Paragraph 1: Introduction. Give a brief overview of the film (1-3 sentences). Introduce the director and “actors” or contributors to the project. Give a brief overview of the topic being discussed in the film. You must provide the context for the paper here-- you must list basic "plot", "theme", and introduce the director and "characters" or "participants" in the film. You might discuss the goals of the film & list awards. Include an evaluative thesis that captures the basis of your argument (whether or not the film is successful and why or why not).
Paragraph 2: Go into detail about the ISSUE presented in the film. Cite articles that explain and elaborate on that issue. Transition to connect the issue to the film that you are reviewing.
Paragraphs 3,4: This is where you will discuss specific aspects of the film that contributes to the worthiness of the film and how it achieves its goal. Examples of this may be camera work, narrative devices, music, emotional appeals, characters or actors, cinematography, etc. Give specific examples from the film to back up your evaluative claims. You should quote the film or refer to specific scenes, as well as cite critics’ views. You should also incorporate your research in these body paragraphs; in other words tie in the "aspects" of the film to the research that you find on the topic itself. Please stay focused: 1 topic per body paragraph. *Approx. 3-5 quotes per paragraph; all sources should be cited at least once somewhere in the paper.*
Paragraph 5: A concession: You've just spent 2 paragraphs evaluating the film. If you say the film works, then discuss parts or aspects of the film that could have been improved or done differently in order to improve effectiveness. If you say the film didn’t work, then list aspects of the film that were particularly effective. Be detailed and give examples. You should also incorporate a brief discussion on the type of logic used by the filmmaker, as well as any “fallacies” in the logic (refer to Patterns). The quotes (internal citations) for this paragraph will mainly come from your textbook. In the end, transition back to your point of view; for example, "Despite the play to emotional appeal, the film remains triumphant in successfully getting its point across."
Conclusion: Restate the film & filmmaker in this paragraph. This should be your overall thoughts about the film—your commentary on the work as a whole and what it contributes to the arts. You will also specifically state the value of the film to society. Finally, you will give your recommendation for the film: thumbs up or down, target audience, etc. However, you will not use 1st or 2nd person... remain objective.
Notes on finding and incorporating sources: Sample sources for movie reviews would be Roger Ebert from The Chicago Sun-Times, A.O. Scott or Vincent Canby from The New York Times, Nick LaSalle from The San Francisco Chronicle, Peter Travers from Rolling Stone, etc. For an easy search, type in your film title at www.imdb.com, and click on “external reviews”, which will bring you to a page of links to reviews of your film. ONLY use respected sources! Your ideas should be the basis for the essay, and using critics’ reviews should only serve to compliment, explain, support, and expand upon YOUR ideas about the film.
* Students should make appointments with the writing center tutors NOW in order to have papers revised by the due date. There will be no extensions granted with this paper. Students who submit proof that they received tutoring either from the writing lab or online through ANGEL will receive extra points on the final paper.
NO HANGING QUOTES! Work each quote in as part of your own sentences in a grammatically and mechanically correct way. Cite the critic’s last name and page or paragraph number in parenthesis directly after the quote. Example:
The director uses first person narrative accounts, which “provide an emotional connection between the film and the audience” (Ebert, par. 4).
or (Jones 151)—depending if you are using paragraph or page #’s.
The topic-based research can come from scholarly journals or books in the field of study. You must get this research from the LIBRARY! Only library databases such as Ebscohost, Infotrac, etc. will lead you to “expert” articles; do NOT rely on the internet! You can also research books on the topic; however, make sure that the book is scholarly and by an expert in the field. For example, a political account of global warming would not be appropriate, but one written by a leading researcher in the scientific community would. Which database you use will depend on which topic you pick; ask the librarian for help.
Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated. This includes using the EXACT standards for MLA citation. All points, ideas, or information that is not your own requires citation, whether it is quoted directly or not. This is YOUR evaluation, YOUR argument… the outside research will be used only to back up YOUR ideas.
Remember: We write in the 3rd person (no I’s or You’s) and in the PRESENT TENSE.
Presentation: You will lead a 15-25 minute presentation on your film project [time depends on how many presenters we have]. You will do this presentation with your partner (if you have one). You must turn in separate research papers, but the presentation is a collaboration. The presentation must include a 2-3 minute film clip (or youtube trailer), a handout (about the issue presented in the film), and some other visual element (poster, collage, material objects that represent something about the film, etc.). You may also bring refreshments during your presentation. You should not read your essays to the class; instead, give the class an overview of the film, the topic presented in the film, and how the film has impacted or can impact society. Please be ready to ask questions of your classmates, as well as answer them about your project. This is worth a significant portion of your grade, and credit for the assignment is partially dependent on showing up for ALL presentations. We will develop a presentation schedule in the coming weeks.
[Note: I expect all students to be PREPARED, ORGANIZED, KNOWLEDGEABLE, ENTHUSIASTIC, PARTICIPATORY, and PRESENT. ]
Film Clip (10); Handout (10); Props (10); Attendance to all presentations (30); Content- organization/preparation/knowledge/flow (20); Content- creativity, enthusiasm, participation, punctuality (20)]
++Outlines and drafts will also be graded. The rough draft for this essay will be worth at least 20 points.
Film Choices: Environment: Who Killed the Electric Car?, An Inconvenient Truth; Corporations and Consumerism: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room; Capitalism: A Love Story; Guns/Media: Bowling for Columbine; Health: Sicko, Super Size Me, Food, Inc.; Religious Abuses: Jesus Camp, Deliver Us From Evil;
LGBT Issues: For the Bible Tells Me So
Directors (in order of list above): Chris Paine, Davis Guggenheim, Alex Gibney, Michael Moore (x3), Morgan Spurlock, Robert knner, Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady, Amy Berg, Daniel G. Karslake
*These films have been chosen for their relevant content, exceptional delivery, critical acclaim, and research availability. Approach each subject intellectually and with tolerance for varying opinions. Part of your education is to realize that you are all part of a global community and to teach tolerance and promote understanding of otherwise “taboo” issues.
If you feel you will have a hard time remaining objective about a topic, please choose one that you aren't as emotionally attached to. All of these films have value and appeal, and it would be great if you could all choose films that you actually like and can write posively about; this is not required, but students do report having an easier time with the assignment when they enjoy the material.
OUTLINE
Introduction:
Lead In [This sentence should introduce the general topic at hand, i.e. ‘global warming’, ‘universal healthcare’, ‘religious indoctrination’, etc. It should not mention the film or research, just a general acknowledgement, observation, or comment about the topic in general].
Connection [This sentence connects the general topic to the research project specifically.]
Film Synopsis [1-3 sentences max]
Goal of Film [You should state the intended goal of the filmmaker (inform, persuade, call to action, enlighten, etc.) and how it was received by the critics (Did it win awards? Acknowledgements?)
THESIS STATEMENT 2-Parts [Should be evaluative in stating whether or not the film (mention title and director(s) succeeds in whatever its goal is… it should also clearly sum up the “plot” of the film]
BODY PARAGRAPHS
Fill out one of the following for EACH body paragraph:
TOPIC STATEMENT: _____________________________________________________________________
Point:________________________________________________________________________________
Proof (quotes): ________________________________________________________________________
Discussion:____________________________________________________________________________
Point:________________________________________________________________________________
Proof:________________________________________________________________________________
Discussion:____________________________________________________________________________
Transition:____________________________________________________________________________
Key Words [list key words from the topic here]:
NOTES:
· I want to see one of the above filled out for each of the following paragraphs:
1. The issue—further introduce the topic at hand and present the overall research about the topic. The end of the paragraph should bridge the topic to the film and maybe set up a context (the whos/whats/whens/wheres/whys) of the film.
· · 2. Film stylistics (this can be a paragraph on a type of shot, narrative device, etc. choose from your film terms).
· 3. Another aspect of a stylistic device used in the film.
· 4. Concession / Fallacy (if you are praising the film, here’s where you talk about the weakest aspect of it; please mention and give an example of at least one fallacy discussed in your textbook. Remember to transition by bringing it back to your point of view).
· Write something in each blank, including the key words box, for EACH body paragraph!
Conclusion:
Recap (but don’t restate in the same way) the thesis. Give final evaluation (something like a thumbs up or down, but you can be creative). Also, update readers on the issue—what has changed in regards to the issue since the film was released? What impact did the film have and could it have if viewed on a more massive scale? What is the overall message of the film, and what overall impression do you want readers to take away from the research? Recap. End by circling back to the beginning; referencing your title is a nice touch. Make some notes about how you’ll approach this; write them on the lines below.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Lead In [This sentence should introduce the general topic at hand, i.e. ‘global warming’, ‘universal healthcare’, ‘religious indoctrination’, etc. It should not mention the film or research, just a general acknowledgement, observation, or comment about the topic in general].
Connection [This sentence connects the general topic to the research project specifically.]
Film Synopsis [1-3 sentences max]
Goal of Film [You should state the intended goal of the filmmaker (inform, persuade, call to action, enlighten, etc.) and how it was received by the critics (Did it win awards? Acknowledgements?)
THESIS STATEMENT 2-Parts [Should be evaluative in stating whether or not the film (mention title and director(s) succeeds in whatever its goal is… it should also clearly sum up the “plot” of the film]
BODY PARAGRAPHS
Fill out one of the following for EACH body paragraph:
TOPIC STATEMENT: _____________________________________________________________________
Point:________________________________________________________________________________
Proof (quotes): ________________________________________________________________________
Discussion:____________________________________________________________________________
Point:________________________________________________________________________________
Proof:________________________________________________________________________________
Discussion:____________________________________________________________________________
Transition:____________________________________________________________________________
Key Words [list key words from the topic here]:
NOTES:
· I want to see one of the above filled out for each of the following paragraphs:
1. The issue—further introduce the topic at hand and present the overall research about the topic. The end of the paragraph should bridge the topic to the film and maybe set up a context (the whos/whats/whens/wheres/whys) of the film.
· · 2. Film stylistics (this can be a paragraph on a type of shot, narrative device, etc. choose from your film terms).
· 3. Another aspect of a stylistic device used in the film.
· 4. Concession / Fallacy (if you are praising the film, here’s where you talk about the weakest aspect of it; please mention and give an example of at least one fallacy discussed in your textbook. Remember to transition by bringing it back to your point of view).
· Write something in each blank, including the key words box, for EACH body paragraph!
Conclusion:
Recap (but don’t restate in the same way) the thesis. Give final evaluation (something like a thumbs up or down, but you can be creative). Also, update readers on the issue—what has changed in regards to the issue since the film was released? What impact did the film have and could it have if viewed on a more massive scale? What is the overall message of the film, and what overall impression do you want readers to take away from the research? Recap. End by circling back to the beginning; referencing your title is a nice touch. Make some notes about how you’ll approach this; write them on the lines below.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
05 November: Research Paper Assignments/Research M 08 November: Typed Casebook Reports Due; Presentations 1 &2 W 10 November: CB Presentations 3 & 4 F 12 November: CB Presentations Wrap-Up M 15 November: Outlines/Prelim Research Due W 17 November: Annotated Bibliographies F 19 November: Drafts Due for Editing (Paper & Bibliography)
M 22 November: Rough Drafts Peer Editing
W 24 November -28 November: [No Class/Thanksgiving Holiday]
M 29 November: Final Typed Research Papers Due (Paper & Annotated Bibliography); Presentations W 01 December: Presentations
F 03 December: Presentations December 6-9: Final Exams
M 22 November: Rough Drafts Peer Editing
W 24 November -28 November: [No Class/Thanksgiving Holiday]
M 29 November: Final Typed Research Papers Due (Paper & Annotated Bibliography); Presentations W 01 December: Presentations
F 03 December: Presentations December 6-9: Final Exams
