Cinema Criticism

CTVA 319—Theory and Criticism in Cinema/Television Spring 2018 Final Theory Analysis Paper Length: 5-7 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font Preliminary Assignment Due: Monday, April 23rd Final Draft Due: Monday, May 7th Please read entire assignment carefully and thoroughly. Topic:

Choose a film that you would like to examine for your paper. You may choose any film other than those I’ve shown in class or that are discussed in-depth in our text. Develop a topic and thesis statement related to the particular aspect of the film that interests you. The focus of your thesis should be a thematic, cultural, or ideological topic, utilizing theoretical and methodological approaches we’ve explored in the course. In support of your thesis, you will present a detailed critical analysis of ONE important scene from the chosen film. You will develop your analysis be employing at least TWO theoretical approaches—which two you choose will be entirely up to you and your determination about the relevance or effectiveness of the theoretical tools. One theory may prove to be dominant in your analysis but you should anticipate integrating the tools into a single cohesive approach. Choose the tools wisely, both considering how they can be applied to the text of your film, and also how they may complement one another to produce an effective argument. Providing a theoretical framework for your analysis will depend greatly on providing definitions and context of the theories being employed. You should briefly define and explain your chosen theories and then provide justification for their use in your analysis. You will conclude by providing interpretive criticism on how these theoretical models help communicate specific meanings and support your proposed thesis. In other words, how do the theories help to explain and elaborate on your specific ideas of the film being analyzed? Sample paper topics (examples only—please develop your own personalized topics)

Examples of some thematic, cultural, and ideological analysis topics: “Chaos and Race in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction” “The Poetic Impulse in Malick’s The Tree of Life” “Historical Trauma in McQueen’s Twelve Years a Slave” “Nationalist Ideology in Eli Roth’s Hostel” “Representations of Gender in Ridley Scott’s Alien” “Age and Sexuality in Coppola’s Lost in Translation Guidelines: Choose your analysis scene carefully. A scene is usually understood to be action occurring in one specific time and place. However, as we have seen in the numerous examples presented in class, time and space may be manipulated in the function of non-linear narrative structures. Choose a scene that will provide you with enough information to do an adequate analysis, but also be

CTVA 319 S’18—Final Paper 2

careful of extensive sequences that may prove to be too dense and beyond the scope of the paper. While you are focusing on one single scene for your analysis, remember that you are attempting to place that scene within the context of the overall film. Remember that this is a synthetic and integrated analysis. The length of the final paper should be a minimum of five (5) pages for the main analysis and conclusion, not including work cited or bibliographic pages. Format should be double-spaced, 12-point font, and normal margins. Outside research and citation of at least three (4) critical sources (not including your class text, which may also be cited) is required for the final draft of this assignment. These must include at least one book source, at least one scholarly or academic resource, and at least one popular review (magazine, newspaper, or website). These sources should be integrated into the text of the paper with clear references or citations to the source you are quoting, paraphrasing, or referencing. Avoid using questionable sources taken from the internet, particularly Wikipedia. The internet can certainly be used to start your research and to access scholarly databases where you’ll find full-text versions of articles from newspapers, popular periodicals, and academic journals. However, much of the material found on the internet in blogs, review sites, and social media is of questionable worth and usually lacking in references, citations, and legitimate fact-checking. Any paper submitted with such web-based sources ONLY, will be given an automatic failing grade. Look for critical analyses of your chosen film that support or compliment your analysis and interpretation of the work. However, do not simply repeat the analysis as presented in the sources—develop your own critical response using your own observations and examples. Proper citation and bibliographic form (MLA or Chicago, but be consistent) is required. Keep in mind that this is an analytical essay that is making an argument about the film’s meaning, that is, one or more of the many possible interpretations of the film. In that respect, there is no right or wrong meaning to a film. You will be making an argument for the interpretation of the film in light of your own thesis and the theoretical models you are employing. Notes:

A well-written paper has a strong, clear, well thought-out thesis or main idea that is presented succinctly in the opening paragraph and then developed in an orderly fashion throughout the body of the paper. All significant main ideas included within the body of the paper should be included in the order in which they appear in the opening paragraph. Finally, a well-written paper is free from grammatical errors, misspellings, and typos. Please note that if you have difficulty writing papers, or have never written an analytical type paper before, there are a multitude of resources on campus to help you in this endeavor. Search them out and utilize them if necessary. Of course, I will always be personally available to assist you with any questions or problems that you may have. Get started immediately and finish early if you would like me to review your draft. Once again, a note on plagiarism. Plagiarism is more than simply taking the words of others and presenting them as your own; it is also taking the ideas of others and presenting them as your own. If you use another author’s words or ideas, you must cite them properly. Please refer to the Corrigan text or another appropriate style manual for guidelines on how and when to properly cite another author’s work. I will not tolerate plagiarism or academic dishonesty in any form. All suspected cases are automatically turned over to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.

CTVA 319 S’18—Final Paper 3

Preliminary Assignment and Final Draft Due Dates: THE DUE DATE FOR THE FINAL PAPER IS MONDAY, MAY 7th. However, there is a PRELIMINARY ASSIGNMENT that will be due MONDAY, APRIL 23rd. This PRELIMINARY ASSIGNMENT should include your film choice, scene selection, theoretical approaches to be used, and a preliminary annotated bibliography of at least 10 (ten) potential sources for the final paper. The preliminary assignment is a required part of the paper and will count as twenty-five percent (25%) of the final paper total grade. THE DUE DATES ARE FIRM AND NON-NEGOTIABLE—late preliminary assignments will not be accepted and submission of the final draft paper is required to pass the course. Late final papers will be graded down one whole grade EACH DAY that they are late (i.e. and “A” becomes a “B” etc.). Absolutely no papers will be accepted after the final day of class. FINALLY, the only way to NOT do well on this paper is by submitting work that is not your own. A random selection of students from the class will be instructed to further submit their papers electronically via TurnItIn for closer scrutiny. Plagiarizing or otherwise submitting “acquired” work will not be tolerated and is not worth the potential consequences.

Preliminary Assignments are due April 23rd, at the beginning of class. Final Draft Papers are due May 7th, at the beginning of class. Good luck.