The End Of The Semester Will Culminate In Your Choice Of A F

The End Of The Semester Will Culminate In Your Choice Of A Final Resea

The end of the semester will culminate in your choice of a final research paper or creative project. The project needs to demonstrate active research into some topic raised by the films we have read. The key here is to take an issue that motivates you, and deepen your intellectual and creative engagement with it. You will present your research and/or creative projects during the last two weeks of the semester in a mini-conference. With the first option, you will analyze some key issue from the course with a research paper.

Using the critical readings in our class as a model, write a scholarly piece that makes an original argument or insight into gender issues in film. You can then submit this paper for a WGS, FST or ENG prize for best critical essay. Think of yourself as a film critic or blogger bringing fresh insights about a film (or range of texts) and/or particular production. In other words, what “cultural work” does your topic produce? Why should we care about it? What are the stakes? You may agree or disagree with others who are writing about this topic (and it is a good idea to reference those critics), but don’t merely repeat their arguments. Most important is for you to articulate your own scholarly voice here and say something about the stakes of a particular work.

The final paper should be 8 - 10 typed, double-spaced pages plus appropriate bibliography in MLA or Chicago style. You should consult, and cite within the paper, at least 8 scholarly sources (i.e., articles from scholarly journals and books)—but why not use more? Three of these sources can be from our course readings—the rest comes from your own research.

Paper For Above instruction

The culmination of this course involves crafting a final research paper or creative project that showcases active research and critical engagement with a theme or issue raised by the films studied. The core focus is to select a topic that personally motivates you, allowing for a deep exploration of its cultural significance, especially regarding gender issues in film. This paper presents an opportunity to contribute original insights or arguments, positioning you as a critical voice analyzing how certain films or texts produce social and cultural effects related to gender representations and norms.

Structurally, your paper should be between 8 and 10 pages, double-spaced, with appropriate scholarly citations in either MLA or Chicago style. It must incorporate at least eight scholarly sources, including journal articles and books, to substantiate your analysis. While three sources may come from our course readings, the remaining should be drawn from your independent research efforts. The paper must articulate an original argument or perspective—either aligning with or challenging existing critical positions—and consider the broader stakes involved, such as how these films or texts influence cultural understandings of gender.

As you formulate your argument, consider the “cultural work” your chosen topic accomplishes—such as reinforcing or challenging stereotypes, fostering awareness, or shaping societal values. Address why the audience should care about this issue and what the implications are for gender representations in film. In referencing critics and scholars, you are encouraged to position your work within ongoing debates, but originality and clarity of your voice are paramount.

This research paper not only assesses your analytical skills but also your ability to communicate complex ideas effectively within academic conventions. Your presentation will take place during the final two weeks of the semester, offering an opportunity both to demonstrate your research findings and to participate in scholarly or creative dialogues through a mini-conference setting.

References

• Bordwell, David, and Kristin Thompson. Film History: An Introduction. McGraw-Hill, 2010.
• Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Screen, vol. 16, no. 3, 1975, pp. 6–18.
• Jane Gaines. Contested Lives: The Abortion Debates in an American Community. University of California Press, 2008.
• hooks, bell. Reel to Real: Race, Sex, and Class At the Movies. Routledge, 1996.
• Kaplan, E. Ann. Women and Film: Both Sides of the Camera. Routledge, 2000.
• Neill, Bill. "From Sexual Politics to Representational Politics." Film Quarterly, vol. 40, no. 4, 1987, pp. 10–17.
• Rabiger, Micheal. Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics. Focal Press, 2015.
• Sontag, Susan. On Photography. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1977.
• Starrett, Emily. "The Gendered Gaze: Visual Politics of Power." Journal of Gender Studies, vol. 29, no. 4, 2020, pp. 504–517.
• Vitali, Valentina. "Feminist Film Criticism: Theory and Practice." Film Criticism, vol. 34, no. 2, 2010, pp. 56–72.