Length
One thousand to two thousand words. (Minimum is strictly enforced. Quotations and citations do not count toward word total. Maximum is not strictly enforced, but recognize that good writing demonstrates discernment—more is not necessarily better.)
Description
Select a film from the list in Canvas and write a nine-paragraph research essay. Include material drawn from at least four credible sources—at least two of which must have been accessed using HCC’s library. Take as your thesis a theme of the film and structure the essay as follows:
(1) Introduction*
(2) Context (biographical, cultural, historical, or social)
(3) Setting
(4) Cinematic Technique (e.g. deep focus in Citizen Kane)
(5) Cinematic Technique
(6) Animate Figure*
(7) Inanimate Object*
(8) Reflection*
(9) Conclusion*
* These paragraphs are strategically consistent with those of the one-text analysis
essay.
Guidelines
Title the essay—the title should complement the thesis and not just be the title of the film you are analyzing.
Write in the third person for all but the eighth paragraph.
In the first paragraph, introduce the subject matter (the topic the thesis addresses, the title of the film, the director of the film) and state the thesis. To emphasize your thesis’s argumentative nature, begin the essay by establishing a point of view with which your thesis contrasts.
In the second paragraph, situate the film (and your perspective on it) in a particular context. If you write about Apocalypse Now, you might emphasize director Francis Ford Coppola’s self-debilitating investment in the film. If you write about Jeanne Dielman 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, you might emphasize the cultural context and characterize the film as an extension of the women’s liberation movement. If you write about Casablanca, you might emphasize the historical context, as the United States—Casablanca is an American film—was on the verge of entering World War II when the film was released in 1941. If you write about Parasite, you might emphasize the social context by concentrating on the subject of wealth inequality in the year of the film’s release.
In the third paragraph, highlight an aspect of setting (physical or temporal) and argue for its significance in relation to your thesis.
In the fourth and fifth paragraphs, focus on two cinema-specific methods of conveying meaning (one in each paragraph) and relate their use in the film to your thesis.
In the sixth paragraph focus on one animate figure (i.e. a human or non-human animal) in the film; in the seventh, focus on one inanimate object (e.g. a radioactive suitcase) in the film. How do both reinforce the thesis?
In the eighth paragraph, reflect on the personal significance of the thesis. Why is it important to you? (Write in the first person.)
Introduce supporting paragraphs with topic sentences, and conclude supporting paragraphs with tie-up or transition sentences.
In the final paragraph, assert the thesis’s (and secondarily the film’s) broader significance and ongoing relevance.
Thoroughly integrate sourced material: provide a context for sourced material before you use it and comment on sourced material after you have used it.
Use Modern Language Association (MLA) style for formatting and citations.
Hazards to Avoid
Asking rhetorical questions.
Beginning the essay with the thesis.
Beginning sentences using “It is… ,” “It was… ,” “There are… ,” or “There is… ,” and, more generally, overusing “to be” verbs—choose stronger verbs.
Citing a film review (a source that evaluates the film) as a source.
Citing other nonacademic sources.
Evaluating the film—an analysis does not determine whether a text is “good” or “bad.”
Making the thesis a cliché.
Making the thesis an unarguable fact.
Making the thesis a prescription.
Merely summarizing the film.
Using ineffectual adverbs such as “very” and “extremely.”
Grading
Essays will be judged on their ability to follow the above guidelines and graded on an A through F scale. The assignment will be graded before the end of the semester.
Reference
“Critical Strategies for Reading,” “Writing about Literature” (L2G)
High-Stakes Writing Assignments (from the syllabus)
Students must submit essays electronically as Microsoft Word documents or PDF files. Students unable to upload an essay to the designated Canvas assignment should send the essay to the instructor as an attachment to a Canvas message or email.
Deadlines are final. Late essays may be submitted up to one week past the deadline but are subject to a grade deduction of one letter (i.e. ten points) for every day after the deadline and an extended turnaround time. Students who fail to submit one or more of the essays will receive a failing grade for the class, even if the final average is above 70%.
Turnaround times vary, but the instructor will have timely submitted assignments graded and available in Canvas before the due date of the following similarly categorized assignment.
Revisions (from the syllabus)
Students may revise the first essay using the instructor’s comments regarding the earlier draft as a guide. Submitting a revision does not guarantee a student a higher grade. Late submissions are not eligible for revision.
Academic Dishonesty (from the syllabus)
Plagiarism is the most common form of academic dishonesty in ENC 1102. Students commit plagiarism when they use ideas, wording, or organization from another source without acknowledging the debt through careful citation—in this class, students are to cite using Modern Language Association (MLA) style. They also commit plagiarism when they repurpose essays written for another class.
The instructor discourages students from using chatbots (e.g. ChatGPT), “typing assistants” (e.g. Grammarly), and neural machine translation (NMT) services (e.g. Google Translate) to complete assignments. He understands AI-assisted essays to be plagiaristic in nature.
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Students who are caught will receive a zero for the assignment and a failing grade for the course; further, their offense will be brought to the attention of the Dean of Student Services.
Writing Commons (from the syllabus)
The Writing Commons is a free online and face-to-face writing lab. Trained tutors will assist students with any HCC writing assignment. Students can schedule appointments here: https://dm.mywconline.com/
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