Emc__Final_Exam_Paper

CRITICAL PAPER Choose one of the following films (substitutions may be made by approval of instructor only): “Democracy on Deadline“ (Calvin Skaggs) “Fahrenheit 911” (Michael Moore) “Control Room” (Jehane Noujaim) “Bowling for Columbine” (Michael Moore) “Outfoxed” (Robert Greenwald) “Sicko” (Michael Moore) “The Corporation” (Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott, Joel Bakan) “Capitalism: A Love Story” (Michael Moore) “Super Size Me” (Morgan Spurlock) “An Inconvenient Truth” (Davis Guggenheim, Al Gore) “This Film Is Not Yet Rated” (Kirby Dick) “Waiting for Superman” (Davis Guggenheim) “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” (Alex Gibney) “Religulous” (Larry Charles, Bill Maher) “South of the Border” (Oliver Stone) The assignment is to view the film, research the filmmaker and public reaction to the film, identify the central theme and write a critical analysis. Put names and titles of publications, articles, reviews, films, etc. in quotations or italics. Your paper should be double-spaced, 12-point type, with 1” margins. List sources at the end of each section. PART I (25 points): Define the following terms and list your sources:  Documentary  Objectivity  Propaganda  Conservative / Right Wing  Progressive / Left Wing PART II (15 points):  Write a brief (at least one-half page) biography of the filmmaker.  Cite sources for your research (magazine, website, newspaper, etc. by including title, author, publication, date & year). If you use wikipedia, you must cite a secondary source. Do not copy and paste from a website! PART III (20 points): Research and write a synopsis of:  A positive review of the film  A negative review of the film  Summarize two professional film critics’ reviews in your own words, using quotations and excerpts for emphasis. Again, do not copy and paste from a website. Write at least eight to ten sentences on each review.  Your reviewers must be legitimate film critics working for credible media outlets (not just an individual’s blog or website; no peer-edited sites like rottentomatoes, imdb or wikipedia).  Cite sources (magazine, website, newspaper, etc. by including title, author, publication, date & year). If you use a source other than a member of the establishment media (like Variety, The New York Times, CNN, ABC, NPR, etc.), you must include a written biography of the critic to establish legitimacy. Refer to the media resource list provided at the beginning of the semester (under Resources and Relevant Links). See me if you have questions.  Attach copies of the original articles with your paper.  Do not state your opinion as to whether you agree or disagree with the reviewer - this part is just factual.  You must submit your sources in advance by November 18. PART IV (40 points):  Write a critical analysis essay that fills at least two pages.  First, identify in one sentence the overall theme of the film. Then, using specific dialogue and scenes, explore whether you agree or disagree with the film’s premise. You may agree with some parts and not others.  Summarize by explaining why you think the film was (or was not) successful in getting the filmmaker’s message across. You must assemble all parts of the paper together with a cover page indicating your name, the name of the film, the course and section number. The paper must be turned in during class – no e-mails will be accepted. In addition, late papers will not be accepted and will receive a failing grade.