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ENC 1102 Instructor: Scott M. Irwin
Research Paper on a Western or Gangster Film/TV Series
FIRST DRAFT DUE DATE: TUESDAY, APRIL 24
SECOND DRAFT DUE: THURSDAY, APRIL 26
FINAL DRAFT DUE DATE: TUESDAY, MAY 1*
(*electronic submission via Word attachment from fscj email account)
DIRECTIONS: Your comprehensive assignment to conclude the semester is to write a research paper on the Western or gangster film/TV series that you have selected from the list I provided. Your research paper must analyze the ways in which ideologies of race, class, and/or gender get reflected in the film. To that end, you are expected to research, and write about, contemporaneous events (i.e, current events taking place at the time—or leading up to—the making of the film. The research paper must be at least 2,000 words and include at least 8 sources not found in the textbook. Additionally, students may use sources from the textbook, but not sources used in the first essay.
GRADING CRITERIA:
- SUPPORT FOR YOUR IDEAS: Remember that analysis, and not plot summary, should be the focus of your essay. Take specific lines from your song (no more than two at a time) and analyze their significance in the context of what you have read.
- INCORPORATION OF SECONDARY-SOURCE MATERIAL: We have spent considerable time in class addressing various ideologies of race, class and gender in the Western and gangster genres. When you begin to write your paper, remember that all secondary-source material (summary, paraphrase, and quotation) must be accompanied by an in-text citation. Additionally, keep the following rule in mind: Analysis should exceed secondary-source material by a ratio of 2:1. To prevent “data dumps,” block quotations (four lines or more) are not allowed. Research papers that include “data dumps” will earn a deduction of 20 points (half a letter grade).
- MLA FORMAT: Inclusion of all necessary in-text citations and works cited are requirements of every college research paper. Additionally, in our class, students are required to use proper MLA format. Consult “The Owl at Purdue” online and your Writing Lab tutor to answer any questions about MLA format for in-text citations and a Works Cited page. Your tutor also can supply you with a handout that will help you to format your research paper correctly. Research papers that do not adhere to proper MLA format will earn a deduction of 40 points (one letter grade).
- GRAMMAR/MECHANICS: The final draft of your essay should be virtually free of grammatical and mechanical errors. Final drafts with multiple errors in grammar and mechanics (5 per page) are subject to failure.