Revisioning Paper Assignment

Prospectus due Nov. 8th (in class and online)

Paper Draft One: Due Nov. 22nd (in class)

Paper Draft Two: Due in office hours meeting (hard copy or laptop)

Final Paper: Due Dec. 8th (online)

 

TOPIC SUGGESTIONS

Suggestions (you do not need to follow the suggestions below; they are simply there to help you brainstorm ideas – do not attempt to answer ALL the questions in any given suggestion):

- Using Brave New World, make a claim about Huxley’s view on gender, genetic engineering, eugenics, race, and/or imperialism. Which characters might appear as Nietzsche’s “ubermensch,” and which would be “unfit” – and by whose standards?

- Compare multiple versions of Macbeth: the play, V for Vendetta the graphic novel, and/or the V for Vendetta film). What do the alterations made to the play from its original state do to the “moral” or “goal” of Shakespeare’s original? What is the “new” version trying to say or do? You may also include a different revision, such as Throne of Blood, Sweeney Todd, Scotland, PA, or Hocus Pocus, OR a production not from class.

- Compare the ideologies of utopia and dystopia a pair of the following: Utopia, Macbeth, The Tempest, We Live in Public, Brave New World, and/or V for Vendetta (film and/or graphic novel). What are the ideologies displayed in each work? How do they agree or disagree with one another? If they agree, what makes them similar? If they disagree, why do they do so? (Do not simply state that they are from different places or time periods. Be more specific.)

- Look at the rising movement toward dystopian understandings of the world. Choose one to three exhibits (from class or not) that portray a dystopian world/event/universe (The Tempest, Macbeth, Brave New World, V for Vendetta are all in-class examples). What is the message that work is trying to communicate? What “needs to change” and how? Possible out-of-class examples:

Books: Children of Men, 1984, Animal Farm, We, Atlas Shrugged, The Road, The Stand, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, World War Z, Swastika Night, Liberation of the Slick Six, A Scanner Darkly, War of the Worlds, Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking-glass, Woman on the Edge of Time, Lord of the Flies, the Dark Tower series 

Films: Children of Men, 1984, any Romero zombie film, 28 Days Later, Mad Max (any of the three), Bladerunner, The Matrix, Fido, Shaun of the Dead, Dark City, Soylent Green, A Scanner Darkly, They Live, GATTACA, The Island, City of Lost Children, Surrogates, Metropolis, Equilibrium, A Clockwork Orange, Watchmen, Minority Report, the Batman movies (any), Star Wars (episodes 4-6)

Graphic Novels: Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, Dark City, the Dark Tower series

TV: V, War of the Worlds (or radio version), The Twilight Zone, Firefly, Dr. Who, Battle Star Galactica

Videogames: Bioshock (1 and/or 2), Fallout (any), Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead (1 and/or 2), Resident Evil (any), Half-Life 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, Diablo (1 and/or 2), American McGee’s Alice, Arkham Asylum, Borderlands

- A modified version of any of the above OR another topic. If you choose an exhibit from outside of class, you MUST get it approved by me before you begin your project.

- If you choose to keep one or more exhibits from Paper One or Two, you MUST substantially revise your thesis by introducing at least one new exhibit source and/or altering the focus of your argument.

 

PROSPECTUS

Goals:

- To clearly and concisely state your thesis or driving argument

- To identify your major exhibit(s) and theory sources and explain their use and interpretation in your project

- To illustrate your use of significant argument and fact sources in your project

 

Methodology:

In 500-750 words, your Prospectus should contain the following pieces:

- An introduction that clearly and concisely states your thesis or driving argument (not a question - your proposed answers to your main questions).

- Any theoretical ideas that you need to present in order to make your argument (i.e. the premise behind your interpretation of your exhibits).

- A quick analysis of your exhibit(s), without using direct evidence.

- An explanation of other major sources that directly addresses only the most significant argument and fact sources to your project. In this section, I do not want to see the phrase "this source will give me information on..." This section is only for major contributions; include a critic whose ideas has shaped your argument, a fact source that provides the basis for your claims, and/or a critic against whom you argue throughout a large portion of your project. You may only have one or two of these sources.

- A bibliography of all the sources you have used or intend to use in your project so far (non-annotated). This list does not contribute to the required words for the assignment.

 

FINAL PAPER

Goals:

- To articulate a clear argument about multiple exhibit sources.

- To situate a clear argument in relation to multiple argument sources.

- To incorporate both theory and fact sources into an argument.

 

Methodology:

Paper Three:

Your Third Paper forms the central artifact for your Final Portfolio. Your paper’s analysis should be structured around the following components:

            - 1,500-2,000 words in length

- must have a clear thesis that addresses your chosen exhibit sources

- must address at least two argument sources

- must address at least one fact and one theory source

- should use clear, formal language (avoid contractions, colloquialisms, and other “informal” types of speech)

- should present a clear structure that follows the logic of your argument

- should include a title and a correctly formatted list of works cited

Additionally, you will be required to provide comments on one of your peers’ papers.

 

Assignment:

Choose one or more exhibit sources and articulate a clear argument using specific evidence and clear reasoning. You may not repeat a thesis/argument from your earlier papers. Your paper may focus on a single exhibit or may be a comparison of two or more exhibits. Choose at least four non-exhibit sources to help you in making your claim. You are not required to use outside sources for this assignment, but you may do so if you wish.

 

Rubric: Your paper will be graded according to your analysis of exhibits, your use of non-exhibit sources, the clarity of your diction, and your ability to use evidence to argue for your claim. It counts as 30% of your final course grade.