Final Project Assignment - Overview
FINAL PROJECT--OVERVIEW
** REVISED DUE DATES AND POINTS **
Fall 2018
(400 points; 40%)
DUE DATES
Sept. 13: Bring 3 ideas to class (ungraded)
Sept. 27: One-Pager Research Question (2.5%)
Nov. 1: Proposal (10%)
Nov. 15: Theory Paper (10%)
Dec. 4: Draft 1 of Research Paper (10%)
Dec. 6 & 11: Class Presentation (5%)
Dec. 11: Creative Project (10%)
Dec. 20: Draft 2 of Research Paper (replaces grade on everything except the Creative Project)
ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW
This assignment asks you to use one or more of the critical approaches we will study in class to present your analysis of a media text of your choice in relation to either its social context or its industrial context. For the purpose of this paper, a “media text” can be a television or radio program, a video game, an advertising campaign, a social media account or hashtag, or news coverage of a specific event/controversy/person. The goal of this assignment is to practice using key critical approaches and methods developed for media studies in order to develop a degree of mastery in one or more of these approaches and methods.
Your Final Project should thus directly engage with one or more of the following critical approaches: ideological analysis, critical race studies, feminist media studies, algorithmic media, political economy, and participatory media. [Kearney’s essay from 9/13 and Beltran’s essay from 9/25 will be particularly helpful in deciding which approach to use.] Your choice of critical approach will serve as a frame or structure that will guide how you formulate your research question, craft your thesis, decide on what you research and how to do that research, and decide on the best research method.
Your Final Project should use one or more of the following methods to conduct research into the aspect of media that interests you and to analyze your object of study: semiotic analysis, narrative analysis, discourse analysis, and audience interviews.
Your Final Project, especially the Research Paper part, is not a description of your media text, although there will be some description in it. It is not a summary of what other scholars have written. You will use what you have learned in class and the research that you have done to come up with an argument (a thesis) about some aspect of the relationship between your text and its industrial or social context; and, you will use one or more of the critical approaches and methods covered in this course to make that argument. Look to the articles on the syllabus for examples of how this is done.
You will work toward this goal in a series of smaller assignments that each focus on one aspect of the Final Project. The Final Project itself has two parts:
- A 7-9 page Research Paper that demonstrates your ability to conduct scholarly research and your ability to write a scholarly essay that presents the results of your research.
- A Creative Project that engages with or responds to the aspect of media that you have decided to study in a way that complements the thesis of your Research Paper.
CHOOSING A TOPIC/FORMULATING A QUESTION
It’s always best to begin with a research question. What do you want to know? What do you want to figure out? What are you genuinely curious about? However, most of us normally start with a topic, i.e. with a text or dynamic that intrigues us. That’s fine, but as soon as you start brainstorming topics, think of a specific question that you have about the topic. For example, if I’m interested in how Latinas are represented in the media (topic), the next step is to think of a question. For example, “Are Latinas represented the same way as White women are?” However, both my topic and my question are much, much too broad in scope! See Beltran’s essay, “Representation” (for 9/25), for an example of how this particular topic & question can be productively focused.
It is crucial to craft a focused and appropriate research question and topic. The key to a good research paper is to formulate a research question that is specific enough that you can actually do justice to it in 7-9 pages, and broad enough that your research doesn’t turn up a blank. The single best way to do this is to focus your question on ONE specific media text. For example, even though her project was much larger in scope than yours, Beltran focused on only five films (see. p. 103 of her essay) and asked, “What does the representation of the Latina protagonist in these films tell us about how Latinas are perceived in our culture?” Remember also that the text you choose is only a starting point: your actual research question will be about a much more focused aspect of that text, e.g. Beltran focused on how the protagonist was represented.
Keep in mind that other scholars have almost certainly already conducted research on your text or asked a question similar to yours. It is thus very likely that an “answer” to your initial question already exists. So, do not finalize your research question/topic until you have actually done some research on it! [See the section “Research Resources” for tips on how to begin.]
FORMULATING A THESIS
As discussed above, once you have an initial topic, you have to formulate a research question. This could begin with something as simple as, “Why is Hoarders a popular show?” You then have to refine this question and give it a clearer focus. For example, “What does Hoarders tell us about the relationship between consumerism and identity in the United States?”
Your thesis or argument is going to be an answer to this question. It therefore must follow the structure of:
Thesis = Claim + Reason.
For example, “Hoarders raises but then defuses American anxieties about overconsumption [claim] because [reason] it frames hoarding only as an individual psychological issue and not as a social issue.”
Remember, you have to convince your readers both that your claim is correct and that your reasons are valid and relevant. See the link to “Using research and evidence” under the “Links and Resources” section of the course website to see how to support your reasons with evidence and how to support your reasoning with warrants your reader will accept as relevant and valid.
RESEARCH RESOURCES
Your research must draw upon popular (newspapers, magazines, popular books), trade (specialized publications such as Broadcasting & Cable, Variety, Mediaweek, Advertising Age, Adweek, Electronic Media, and Hollywood Reporter), and scholarly (academic journals and monographs) sources. You must also use both primary and secondary sources in doing your research. Primary sources are popular or trade articles on your topic that are from the same time period. For example, if you are writing about the sitcom All in the Family, your primary sources will be from the 1970s. Secondary sources are scholarly articles (they may also sometimes be popular or trade articles) that are written later about a particular topic and provide a history, analysis, or other kind of reflection on that topic.
A number of excellent online databases that you can use to do your research are listed under “TV & Radio” on the Brooklyn College Library’s “Research guides” page.
LexisNexis (for newspapers and magazines), Communication and Mass Media Complete (for scholarly sources), and Academic Search Complete are probably the three most useful databases. I would also strongly encourage you to browse through the stacks—you often come across useful material that you didn’t know you were looking for—and to draw upon the knowledge of the reference librarians.
Using web sources
An internet search—of Wikipedia for example—is a fine place to start your search. However, I expect you to use only reliable and verified sources for any factual information that you use in your paper. Google Scholar is another excellent resource for getting a quick sense of academic writing on a topic. However, Google Scholar is not comprehensive, does not provide full text for most essays, and does not distinguish between academic essays published in reliable journals and commercial writing or student papers. Popular television criticism and commentary has increasingly moved from print to online publications. Online publications and blogs such as Salon, HuffingtonPost, Jezebel, Vulture, Colorlines, and The Root frequently feature writing on television that is both well-informed and influential. In addition, websites such as deadline.com, indiewire.com, and tvbythenumbers.com all provide industry news that is reliable. I encourage you to visit these sites and to look to academic blogs (see our course website for a list) as you conduct research for your paper. However (cautionary note ahead), unlike print publications, there is no easy rule for assessing the reliability, significance, or quality of online sources. Therefore, you must be especially mindful of how you treat online sources and we will further discuss how to evaluate these sources in class. Finally, you are expected to do the bulk of your research using the library databases. A web search complements library research; it cannot replace library research.
FORMAT
For all assignments: Please write your name, the name of the course, the title of your paper, and the date at the top of the first page. Going a line or two over or under the specified length is fine. Use a 12-point font with standard (1-inch) margins and double-space the text. Remember to number your pages and to STAPLE your paper. Bibliographies do not count towards page length.
Always cite the source for any quotes or ideas taken from your readings. Use APA style for citations and for your bibliography. See the Online Writing Lab (linked from the website) for guidelines on how to cite any kind of source material (e.g. an article from a journal, an episode of a television series, a chapter in a book etc.).
Proofread your paper. Numerous typos or grammatical errors will result in a lower grade.
All components of this final paper assignment will be marked down by one grade (e.g. from B+ to B) for each day they are late. Remember, you can revise any assignment that you hand in on time.
** Keep all the graded copies of your assignments (topic ideas, one-pager, proposal, theory paper etc.) with my comments on them. You will be required to hand them in with each successive assignment. **
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Review the information about academic dishonesty outlined on your syllabus. Do not cut and paste sections (no matter how brief) of other published or unpublished sources or papers. Do not turn in another person’s work as your own. Do not falsify sources or citations. Any assignment that does of any of the above, or otherwise violates the University’s guidelines about academic misconduct will receive a failing grade, with no possibility of makeup. In addition, further action may be taken at the College level.
Assessment Rubric for the First Draft of the Research Paper
| Exceeds Expectations | Meets Expectations | Does Not Meet Expectations | |
| Thesis Statement | - Makes a clear and precise argument about how the text and social or industrial context are linked. - The argument is original and substantive. - The thesis provides insight on the theory used as well as on the text. | - Makes a clear and precise argument about how the text and social or industrial context are linked. - The argument is substantive if not original. - The thesis directly employs theoretical terminology. | - Makes an observation rather than an argument, or makes an overly broad argument. - The argument is obvious and/or stays at a surface level. - The thesis does not indicate understanding of media theories. |
| Theoretical framework and method | - The choice of theory/method is explained - The theory/method used is perfectly suited to the research question/thesis. - Key concepts and terms are defined and explained before being used. - Existing scholarship on this topic is referenced. | - The choice of theory/method is explained - The theory/method used adequately fits the research question/thesis. - Key concepts and terms are defined and explained before being used. | - The choice of theory/method is not explained - The theory/method used do not fit the research question/thesis. - Key concepts and terms are not defined and explained before being used. |
| Social or industrial Context | - The context is clearly defined and described. - All claims about social beliefs, attitudes are fully supported. | - The context is clearly outlined. - All claims about social beliefs, attitudes are adequately supported. | - The context is simply mentioned. - Most claims about social beliefs, attitudes are not fully supported. |
| Analysis | - The analysis follows the theory/method laid out. - Correctly uses concepts and terminology from the theoretical framework. - Correctly uses the chosen methodology - Gives concrete examples that are appropriate and representative. - Analysis recognizes and addresses the contradictions in the text, i.e. acknowledges the text’s polysemy. | - The analysis follows the theory/method laid out. - Attempts to use concepts and terminology from the theoretical framework. - Attempts to use the chosen methodology - Gives concrete examples that are appropriate and representative. - Recognizes the contradictions in the text, but does not modify the analysis to address these. | - The analysis does not fully follow the theory/method laid out. - Does not use concepts and terminology from the theoretical framework, or uses them incorrectly. - Does not use the chosen methodology, or uses it incorrectly - Gives only few examples. - Does not recognize or addresses the contradictions in the text. |
| Exceeds Expectations | Meets Expectations | Does Not Meet Expectations | |
| Organization | - Main points previewed - Transition sentences - Main points are clear, follow logically from each other & add layers of depth to the argument - Conclusion reflects on implications of analysis for the theory used. | - Main points previewed - Some transition sentences - Main points are clear and follow logically from each other - Conclusion reflects on implications of analysis for the theory used. | - Main points not previewed -Few/no transition sentences - Main points are not clear and/or do not follow logically from each other - Conclusion does not reflect on implications of analysis for the theory used. |
| Writing | No spelling, grammar, or vocabulary mistakes | Very few mistakes in spelling, grammar, and vocabulary | Significant writing errors |
| Bibliography | Uses APA style perfectly | Uses APA style almost perfectly | Does not use APA style correctly |