media Short Paper 2
Short Paper 2
TOPICS and Guidelines
1250 Words (min) – 1450 Words (max), Bibliography and Titles not counted.
3+ outside academic sources (blogs, wikis, pop websites are permitted, but do not count for these 3 scholarly sources). Sources should be good journal articles or academic books.
Avoid Google. For academic articles, search https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/research/art…
Writing Tips:
—MLA or APA format required: quotes and paraphrasing need page numbers APA: (Smith, 2000, p. 235). MLA (Smith 235). Quotes are best. Avoid footnotes in any form, or the Chicago style of citation.
—State your thesis at the end of Paragraph 1 — what will you claim? –Include a copy of small image as an Appendix after your Works Cited, if you analyze an ad or other visual item you want me to see (if I haven’t likely seen it).
“Quote” if you can. Paraphrase secondarily. Introduce/integrate quotes. As Smith suggests, “Ads are a system…” that can “educate us…” (Smith, 2005, p. 5)
Quotes cannot stand alone.
Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence and address that topic. The topic sentence tells readers what the topic is. For example: “Historically, ads were outdoors…” OR you can use a question “How did we move from a needs society to a wants society?…”
Use transitions between paragraphs. “But Farnsworth was not only the creator of TV, he also…”
Block quotes (more than 3 full lines) should NOT be used, or only in rare cases when you cannot summarize the gist, and almost never in short papers.
TOPICS
TELEVISION 1. Select 2 Reality TV Programs, particularly hour-long shows that focus on the participants in some depth. An episode of “Next in Fashion” or “Survivor” or “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” or “RuPaul’s Drag Race” would provide an exemplary case study. (Episodes of “The Bachelor” or “Dancing with the Stars” or audition programs may focus on too many people and prove challenging for this paper). Look for patterns and differences concerning conflict in the ways stories are told in the two episodes you choose. At a general level, 1. what are the conflicts about? (roommates versus roommates, men versus women, managers versus employees, tradition versus change, individuals versus institutions, honesty versus dishonesty). 2. how are problems resolved? Is someone removed from the show? Do people reconcile? Importantly, what comes through as the “message” of the episode: does the scheming person on “Survivor” succeed, or is s/he punished? Does the Diva on “Drag Race” succeed, or is that person disciplined? Are women punished for appearing ambitious? Are they treated as “emotional” or told to suppress emotion?
Select 2+ scenes from each show and describe them in detail. Focus on the people and their conflict. Write a Compare and Contrast style essay, showing how the 2 shows present and resolve the conflict.
Compare and Contrast:
Intro
Show 1
Show 2
Show 1
Show 2
Conclusion
