Introduction: Your paper will start with an introduction that introduces the issue or trend in music videos that your paper will discuss. Give your reader (me) some context about this issue. Has this always been an issue or is it a more recent development? Are there specific communities affected by this issue? Is there a long history linked to this issue within music videos? Why is this issue important? Your intro paragraph will end with your thesis. This is the argument that you will be making about this issue over the course of your paper. A good argument is not something that can be answered by “yes” or “no” answer. It is something that someone could disagree with. Please underline your thesis statement in your introduction paragraph.
Body of Paper: You will spend the remainder of your paper analyzing your sources to convince me of your argument about your issue of choice.
- You MUST engage with 4 outside sources. At least two of these MUST come from outside the class, but they can be related to articles that we have read thus far. You can use texts from our class if you like, but you can feel free to do some outside research too. Whatever is best for your argument.
Engaging with a text means that you must move beyond simply quoting a sentence or two from an article. You need to paraphrase the article’s argument, explain why you have chosen to include it in your paper, and – most importantly – explain the quote’s relevance to your argument and how you see it moving your argument/thesis forward.
· You must provide a detailed analysis of at least TWO music videos. ONE of these MUST come from outside the course. Your analysis of the music videos needs to begin with how the video connects to the trend that is the subject of your paper/thesis. Then you need to locate a pattern within the music video that substantiate your thesis. You need to explain how the three instances in the video are forming a pattern for you. How are they linked? Are they actually three visually similar things, are they three elements that are related to your issue in some way (explain!). Finally, explain how looking at this pattern you’ve discovered in this music video helps substantiate your thesis.
Conclusion: Your conclusion will not only recap your argument and issue that you paper covered, but will also speculate as to how this issue might play out in the next decade. You end, not just with rehashing, but with moving your argument forward and thinking about what it might mean for this issue going forward.
(**KEEP READING, THERE’S A SECOND PAGE**)
Keys to Success:
1) A strong thesis. Trust me, if you have a week thesis, you can expect a 3.3-3.4 at the highest. The strongest, best written papers, are those who put time and thought into their thesis. To encourage you to do this, you may email me your thesis (and briefly explain to me the issue that you paper will cover) by Monday June 18 at 5PM. If you email me by this time, I will engage with a dialogue with you via email until your thesis is perfect. This will ensure that you have a great head start on your paper. So feel free to email me your thesis, or come by to chat at office hours.
2) Follow ALL instructions: I have provided you with the exact structure that I want for this paper. This takes a lot of the “guess work” of structure out of writing this paper. That said, I am very particular about the things I want to see. If you fail to include them, your grade will suffer. Double check that you’ve followed all of the directions before you submit this assignment.
3) Use proper citation practices: I do not care if you use MLA or APA or any other valid form of citation. But you must use one. I have a VERY strict plagiarism policy. Consider this your warning. You will not get a second one. If you look something up on the internet, even if its an idea, and you use it in your paper without citing the author, you have plagiarized. You can use outside sources on this assignment. Just quote them and give those authors credit for their work. I MUST be able to tell what words and ideas are yours, and which words and ideas you got from somewhere else.
Google and research “Purdue OWL” if you need more information on the appropriate ways to quote and cite within your paper.
4) Format your paper correctly.
· 12 point Times New Roman or Garamond fonts only
·
1 inch margins
· double space (make sure that there is not an extra space between paragraphs)
· you must write a minimum of 4 entire pages (not including work cited). Not 3.75, not 3.5. Four entire pages. I strictly enforce minimum AND maximum page counts. No paper should exceed 5 pages (not including the work cited)
· No title page: All I need (single spaced at the top of your paper is your full name) Then hit enter and type the title of your paper. Then hit enter again and begin writing your paper.
** In short, I have graded so many student essays. I know all the tricks. Don’t try and be cute or get around these guidelines. It will be a tremendous waste of your time and mine**
No late papers will be accepted.
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