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RESEARCH PAPER INSTRUCTIONS
A) FILM
Your film and specific topic must receive my approval by Nov. 28th. I won’t accept a paper that
hasn’t received my approval. See p. 3 of this handout for instructions and the sample paper
handout.
1) You may choose to write about one of the films shown in class or another film by one
of these films’ directors (i.e. Ridley Scott). I encourage this option because of the wide range of
critical materials available for these films.
2) You may choose your own film to analyze, but I must be familiar with the film. Since
I don’t have to time to view each student’s choice, it’s a good idea to consider several
films for this project and then to choose the one that works best in term of your thesis
and research materials.
3) Please focus on one film in your paper. You may refer to other films by way of
comparison or contrast, of course.
B) THESIS/FOCUS
It’s up to you to create the thesis/focus of your paper. Here are some ideas to help you
get started. Keep in mind that these approaches may overlap.
1) Select a certain theme and trace it through a film. For example, how is the fear of
escalating technology and overwhelming corporate and/or governmental power represented
Alien, Children of Men, Metropolis, The Matrix, or District 9?
2) It might be interesting to analyze issues pertaining to gender or race in a SF film. For
example, how does a film like Alien, District 9 or The Terminator approach contemporary race
and/or gender issues?
3) You may choose to write about a film from a particular sub-genre of SF film such as
animation, zombie, or fantasy (i.e. Star Wars) or choose a film from a specific country or culture.
In this approach, you might consider the ways in which the film both conforms to and challenges
generic expectations.
C) STYLE AND FORMAT
1) Organize the paper as a formal composition, including an introduction, statement of
thesis or focus (the main idea you’ll be exploring), development of the thesis supported
with plenty of examples from the film and with material from your research, and a
conclusion. See the sample paper handout. PLEASE NOTE: the sample analysis from
the textbook does not include documented research.
2) The paper must use The Hacker Manual for MLA documentation format (p. 105
141) including in-text citations (p.107-118 and 121-130) and a Works Cited page
(p.130-131).
3) The Student Success Center in C204 can help you with language and writing issues as
well as the correct use of MLA format. The tone of the paper should be serious and academic;
therefore, the first and third person (I, we, you, etc.) are not appropriate for this assignment.
D) RESEARCH
All research materials must be turned in with the paper in the form of photocopies, printed downloads, and/or detailed note cards. Put the paper and research materials in a folder and write your name, course name, and semester on the front.
• The research should help to explain, clarify, support, and expand upon your own ideas. DO NOT simply write a summary of available information.
• Research usually begins in the CCS, Wayne State or other university libraries, the
main branch of Detroit Public Library, or on the internet. See pp. 89-100 in Hacker. Use
academic databases such as WorldCat.org. (The CCS librarians can tell you which ones you
have access to.) Vary your search terms. For example, if you were researching Persepolis,
you could try animated films, biographical films, Iran, Islamic fundamentalism, Marjane
Satrapi, motion pictures, etc.
• Research sources should be as current and authoritative as possible. You are also responsible for providing the credentials of the sources used in your references. See the instructions on p. 4 of this handout and pp. 98-102 in Hacker.
• Use professional and academic periodicals and books whenever possible. See p. 94-99 in Hacker. Internet sources must include complete bibliographic information (author, date, professional affiliation, credentials, etc.) and should be from separate sites. You may use material from the class lectures and the textbook as long as they are correctly documented in MLA format. The lecture notes and textbook do NOT count towards your three research sources.
• PLAGIARISM: The use of all research materials including words, ideas, descriptions, facts, analysis, etc. must be completely and accurately documented in MLA format. Any and all uses of research materials must be documented both in the paper itself and on the Works Cited page. This includes direct quotes which must be enclosed in quotation marks as well as material put into your own words (summaries and paraphrases). See pp. 107-30 in Hacker for instructions on how to document your sources correctly. Any use of outside material that is not documented completely and accurately will result in a low or failing grade for the assignment and may result in a failing grade for the course. Please read the plagiarism handout attached to the syllabus carefully
SafeAssign
You will be required to submit the final version of your research paper to SafeAssign located on the Blackboard website for the course. DO NOT wait until the last moment to submit your draft: heavy use of the site can cause long delays. Note: SafeAssign accepts files in .doc, .docx, .odt, .txt, .rtf, .pdf, and .html file formats only. Do not upload files in any other formats. Students submit a paper to SafeAssignment by doing the following: 1.Go to the content area where the SafeAssignment is located. 2. Click the >>View/Complete link. 3. Optional: Enter comments. 4. Attach a document using Browse…. 5. Click Submit to turn in the assignment.
Research Paper Proposal
DUE: Nov. 28th at 4:00 pm. You may email your proposal to me before the due date if you want to get a head start, including multiple proposals for different films.
LENGTH: 50-100 words (you may exceed this)
FORMAT: MLA layout (heading, spacing, margins, etc.)
Please note: Your research paper will not be accepted unless you have submitted a proposal and it has received my approval.
Separate your proposal into four sections with these headings:
1) Film (name, director, country of origin, date, running time)
2) Thesis (main idea, focus, and/or argument)
3) Proposal (how you plan to develop the thesis; your main points or ideas)
4) Research sources: do NOT say “the library” or “the internet” or “a book.” You need at least three specific sources that you found yourself. DVD features and commentaries may be used IN ADDITION TO your three scholarly and/or professional sources.
In order to ensure that your research project is appropriate, focused and contains a workable argument, the specific topic and approach you choose MUST receive my approval (you may submit more than one proposal). For the proposal, please write approximately 50-100 words in which you describe your film, thesis, and a rough outline of development. You must also include a minimum of three (3) research sources. The more information you provide, the more help I can offer. If you have questions about the project, include those as well.
Credentials Page for Research Paper
The very last page of your research paper (after the Works Cited page) will list the credentials of your sources. Here’s how to proceed:
1) Use standard MLA layout in terms of margins, spacing, etc. Put your last name and the page number in the upper right corner. Center the words Source Credentials at the top of the page.
2) List each of your sources alphabetically by name or title.
Moveon.org
Smith, Jane.
Wilson, Andre.
3) List significant and relevant credential such as degrees, titles, publications, awards, honors, professional and/or academic affiliations. This information should be provided either at the beginning or the end of a book or article; it can be more difficult to locate on websites or in electronic sources. Bibliographic indexes as well as simple Google searches might help.
4) Keep the information simple and focused. A sentence or two is all you need.
EX: Moveon.org. The following quote is taken from their homepage. You should put it into your own words.
“The MoveOn family of organizations consists of two entities. MoveOn.org Civic Action, a 501(c) (4) organization, primarily focuses on education and advocacy on important national issues. MoveOn.org Political Action, a federal political committee, primarily helps members elect candidates who reflect our values.”
EX: Smith, Jane. Smith is the Pulitzer prize-winning senior Washington correspondent for The Los Angeles Times. She is also the author of four books on American politics and history.
EX: Wilson, Andre. Dr. Wilson is the chief of pediatric surgery at The Cleveland Clinic. He is the author of numerous articles on childhood disease and has worked as an advisor on childhood health issues for three presidential administrations.
Research Paper Checklist
This checklist will be used to grade the research paper assignment. Please see the research paper handout for detailed instructions.
CONTENT AND STRUCTURE
_____The thesis (claim) makes a specific point about the film.
_____Reasons and evidence are presented to support the thesis.
_____The paper is organized to develop the thesis logically.
_____The paper contains a balance of information and analysis, of source material and your own ideas.
_____The paper meets the minimum length requirement of 5-7 full pages. DO NOT include a title page or outline.
_____The paper is your own work.
RESEARCH SOURCES AND MLA FORMAT
_____ All uses of source material including direct quotes (with quotation marks), paraphrases, and summaries are documented using MLA in-text citations.
_____ All source material is framed with a signal word or phrase (i.e. according to, in an essay by).
_____A credentials page establishes the credibility of the sources cited. See p. 4 of this handout.
_____The complete bibliographic information for each source is provided on the Works Cited page.
EDITING AND FINAL PREPARATIONS
_____ Copies of sources and/or detailed note cards have been turned in with the paper.
_____The paper has been carefully proofread for errors such as spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. See pp. 1-90 in Hacker. Tutors at the Student Success Center in B204 will also review your paper with you before you turn it in.
_____The pages of the paper are stapled together.
_____The instructions in the handout have been carefully reviewed.
_____The paper (including the works cited and credentials pages), the research materials, and this checklist have been put into a folder to be turned in. Please put your name, the course name, and the semester and year on the folder.
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