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1,200 words -- approximately four pages Save this paper with the filename research_yourlastname, and put it into the shared folder before the start of the class when it is due. |
This paper may be on any topic relating to films, as discussed in class -- exploring questions about a specific movie, two related movies, a genre, a technique of filmmaking, comparisons between original and remakes or fiction to its real-life source, or ... the possibilities are open. Choose something you have a genuine interest in pursuing. You can begin researching with only a general idea, since your research will show unexpected angles that you can choose to narrow your topic. Your paper must make sense of the information you are presenting, and that would be best if it is an insight you discover as you research your material. Give the material effective shape, guided by logical development and groupings. Anticipate questions that your reader may have.
IMPORTANT: after your research, you will have a lot of copied material available to you. You must make sure that quoted passages and slightly-reworded passages do not overwhelm your own voice and your own thinking. Respond actively to what you have gathered (even disagree!), combine items to create your own summaries, discover patterns that haven't been mentioned, and introduce your own views and insights complete with your own reasoning.
Limit the amount of direct quotes to no more than 40% of the total length. Don't just drop them in chunks into your paper -- introduce them, integrate them, and paraphrase/summarize where appropriate. Your writing reference book gives good examples of this (Lunsford: Integrating Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism).
IMPORTANT: one of the skills we are practicing in this project is the ability to condense, summarize, and use efficient language. Especially with internet sources, it is much too easy to collect a huge amount of material, much more than a reader has time to read. Your job as the writer is to deliver the best in a package that is both interesting and realistic in size. Therefore ... your research paper should not exceed the 1,200 word maximum (up to 100 words over is okay, but no more).
The completed paper should use at least three different sources -- but the number past that is up to you. Finding a range of sources is necessary to encourage you to move beyond just 'parroting' someone else. Use any system of citations for sources, as long as you are consistent and complete (I recommend MLA in-text citations with endnotes, as shown by Lunsford in the section on Documentation). Be sure to include a header, and page numbers. If you have thorough endnotes, you will not need to include a bibliography.
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