Requirements for the paper are the following:
it must be typed in Times, 12 point font,
and be double-spaced, justified, and include page numbers at the bottom. You do not
need to submit a cover page for your assignments, but each assignment should have your 4
name and date on the top of the first page. Your paper should be 6-7 pages and,
additionally, must also include citations and references. I expect final papers to be proof
read and free from grammatical errors. For bibliography and in-text citation, you can
choose the American Psychological Association (APA) guide or the Modern Language
Association (MLA) guide to write your papers—however, be consistent with the style
you chose. You can find more information and direction for these guides here:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ .Your paper will be graded on the
following: grammar, organization, meeting paper requirements, use of scholarly sources,
history of the film, context in which the film was produced, and analysis of the aspects of
the film you are focusing on.
Paper instruction:
You will write one research paper focusing on cinematic representations of
race relations/racism in (and/or related to) the U.S. is required for the course. In the
paper, you critically analyze the way race relations/people of color/racism are presented
by closely focusing on one or two commercial films of your choice. Each paper should
focus on a specific topic/theme that concerning race relations/people of color/racism.
Your critical analysis could focus on a character(s), theme(s), and/or the film(s) itself.
For example, you can focus on the representation of Latinas in two contemporary film,
family relationships among African Americans in one film, interracial romance between
whites and Native Americans in two films, etc. Also, your paper should draw upon
theories or important concepts presented in the course as well as the general field of
race/Ethnic Studies. That is, in addition to scholarship presented in class, you must use
new material that includes at least two scholarly books and academic articles (4 total)
Outline(Due on 03/12/2013) :
You are required to submit 1-2 page outline of your proposed final
paper (see options below). The outline should include the following information: 1)
your outline should include which film or films you are choosing to analyze/present and
date they were produced ; 2) Provide a brief synopsis of the film(s) ; 3)
You should include what aspects of the film(s) you are focusing on (for example, race
relations, interracial relations, minority representations, comparative analysis, ideology,
etc.), and provide examples to highlight the aspects; 4) Which scholarly material
(material found via the library) you are planning to use to make your argument/analysis
(at least 2 journals and 2 books).
Films that are baned for this paper:
The Lion King (1994) ,Birth of a Nation (1915),Imitation of Life (1959),Guess Who’s Coming Home for Dinner? (1967),The World of Susie Wong (1960),Maid in Manhattan (2002),Bringing Down the House (2003),Blackboard Jungle (1955) ,To Sir, with Love (1967),Dangerous Minds (1995),Freedom Writers (2007),Namesake (2006),Sin Nombre (2009),A Better Life (2011),Gran Torino (2008),Apocalypto (2006),Avatar (2009),Sankofa (1993),Smoke Signals (1998),Sleep Dealer (2008)
