Assignment: This 6-8 page paper (double-spaced) should advance a focused, argumentative thesis about 1-3 films (at least one of which we’ve seen in class) and should support this thesis with persuasive analysis of specific scenes and formal choices. Use definitely the film called, “Passion Joan of Arc.”
Process: To arrive at a thesis, I recommend that you think about the topics and films that have interested you the most over the course of the semester. Think about what questions, themes, and ideas you’d like to explore further in these films (or a single film). A great way to derive a thesis is to think of an essential conflict arising from a theme/idea expressed in a film (or up to 3 films). This can be a matter of social or cultural commentary expressed through the film’s formal techniques or you can focus on the meaning-making of the aesthetics of formal techniques themselves. This assignment is essentially a longer version of your scene analysis. Please refer to the scene analysis guidelines for concrete writing suggestions.
Review Comments on Scene Analysis: It is also a good idea to review the comments I made on your scene analysis and to keep those in mind as you draft your final paper. For instance, if you struggled with logical transitions between ideas or paragraphs in your scene analysis, you will want to make sure to attend to similar problems as they may arise in your final paper. Similarly, if you struggled with a focused thesis, you will want to make sure that you are more concrete and explicit in your final paper. If your scene analysis had a lot of “Significance” tags, you need to do a more thorough job analyzing the significance of your observations to the thesis you are advancing.
Final Paper Due via Turn-It-In link –December 13th, Noon
Grading Rubric: Please keep the following rubric in mind as you write your final paper.
A/A+ –
· Clear, focused thesis communicating a persuasive and unique argument about to a well-defined central theme/idea of the film(s) in question.
· Close-readings and analyses of scenes and specific elements from the film(s) that are persuasive and specific and provide evidence/support for the paper’s argument.
· Unique observations and well-developed analysis throughout.
· Logical transitions between sentences, ideas, and paragraphs that build an argument rather than create a laundry list of examples.
A-/B+ –
· Many unique observations but perhaps lacking in a focused enough or argumentative enough thesis.
· Alternately, a focused thesis with weak/vague analysis and language throughout or close-readings that are not persuasive or specific enough or are presented without strong logical transitions and thus read as a laundry list.
· Papers in this range all at least attempt analysis (rather than simply making observations).
B/B-
· Functional observations but no central thesis or a weak/vague thesis.
· Some legitimate observations but generally absent analysis or unpersuasive analysis or analysis of a scene’s entertainment value rather than of a theme/idea central to the film.
· Papers that do not present enough evidence from the film(s) in question or present such evidence in insufficient depth.
· Papers with generally vague language and unspecific citations/discussions.
C+/C
· Bare minimum for the assignment.
· Vague citations of scenes and/or undeveloped analysis and/or absent thesis.
· Papers that are only half the minimum length.
Scene Analysis is attached below for help. The sources listed as mandatory are only the suggested amount of sources. You can use less sources.
