In-Depth Analysis and Reflection on Film
Budget: $8 – $15 USD
In your paper, be sure to address at a minimum the following critical points:
Description of Actual Topic: Using what you’ve learned during the term, along with one or more credible references (see discussion below), provide a brief description/explanation of the theme or topic you’ve selected. For example, if you chose “memory,” you would provide a brief description or definition of memory, along with a brief discussion of the impact aging has on memory, or perhaps describe a “day in the life” of a person who is having memory issues. Remember, this description should be written for someone who does not have any knowledge of your topic.
Analysis of Portrayal: Compare and/or contrast your description above with how the topic is portrayed or addressed in the movie and discuss your opinion about the accuracy (or lack thereof) of the portrayal. In other words, discuss how your selected topic is presented and addressed by the film, any symptoms or characteristics that might be present in one or more of the characters, etc., and how accurately (or not) you feel the topic is addressed. Be sure to provide rationale to support your opinion – that is, don’t say simply, “Yes, I think the concept of memory is portrayed accurately.” Be sure to explain WHY you feel this way. Since this part of your paper requires critical thinking on your part, as well as evidence to support your thinking, it will carry the most overall weight toward the final grade on your paper. Therefore, please be attentive to it.
Implications of Portrayal: Based on what you’ve learned and your analysis of the portrayal of the topic, discuss what effect or impact you feel this movie would have on the average person’s understanding of the topic. For example, would seeing this movie help the average lay person understand better why their older loved one is having memory issues? Does the movie help or hinder in terms of reducing stigma or clearing up misconceptions about your chosen topic? Again, be sure to support your opinion – don’t say simply “This movie won’t help people understand about __________.” Be sure to explain WHY you feel this way.
Reflection: Finally, reflect on your own thoughts and feelings about the movie, especially with regard to your chosen topic and what you’ve learned throughout the term. Some questions to consider include:
Given what you’ve learned, how did you feel while you were watching the movie?
To what degree did the material you studied help you to be able to empathize with the character(s) in the movie?
How did what you’ve learned in class help you to understand what the character(s) was experiencing?
If you had seen the film PRIOR to taking this class, and then chose to watch it again, how (if at all) did your perspective change?
The overall organization of your paper should include a clear introduction and conclusion, and a logical arrangement of your ideas. It may be very helpful to include the actual headings for the required sections noted above to organize your paper, and you are welcome (though not required) to do that. Please use double-spaced, 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman, with one-inch margins. The paper also requires a title page, formatted in APA style (professional, not student, guidelines). In addition, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure conventions and usage count toward the mechanics portion of your overall score (see the Final Paper Movie Review grading rubric). Be sure to use spell- and grammar-check, and if possible, have another person read your paper before you submit it. If you need help with writing, please consider requesting free Brainfuse tutoring (accessible through any Canvas shell) or contact your advisor to request in-person tutoring. Make sure you use in-text citations within the body of your paper and a References page at the end to properly cite your sources (as well as any direct quotes that you might use!) according to current APA professional guidelines. Remember that any material that you either directly quote or paraphrase from (even in your own words) must be cited, and quotations require a page number (or a paragraph number, if no pages are given) within the citation. If it’s not your own original thought or opinion, you must pay proper credit to the author/organization through citation. This will also count toward the mechanics portion of your overall grade. If you are not accustomed to conducting and reporting Social Sciences research, you may not be familiar with APA formatting. Excellent information can be found within the APA tutorial or on the OWL website, both posted in Course Resources, or through the UNH CPS Library website. You can also see an example of APA formatted title and references pages in Course Resources.
Finally, let’s talk about “credible sources.” Again, if you’re not accustomed to conducting research, you may be tempted to choose whatever sources of information might come up when you Google search your topic. However, some resources are better than others in that they have “scholarly credibility” or “professional legitimacy.” Please consult the CPS library website, one of our librarians, or your instructor if you are not sure how to find credible sources. This will count toward the references portion of your overall grade. The different sections (as noted above) of your paper have different point values toward your overall grade, which can be found in the Final Paper Movie Review Rubric.
Description of Actual Topic: Using what you’ve learned during the term, along with one or more credible references (see discussion below), provide a brief description/explanation of the theme or topic you’ve selected. For example, if you chose “memory,” you would provide a brief description or definition of memory, along with a brief discussion of the impact aging has on memory, or perhaps describe a “day in the life” of a person who is having memory issues. Remember, this description should be written for someone who does not have any knowledge of your topic.
Analysis of Portrayal: Compare and/or contrast your description above with how the topic is portrayed or addressed in the movie and discuss your opinion about the accuracy (or lack thereof) of the portrayal. In other words, discuss how your selected topic is presented and addressed by the film, any symptoms or characteristics that might be present in one or more of the characters, etc., and how accurately (or not) you feel the topic is addressed. Be sure to provide rationale to support your opinion – that is, don’t say simply, “Yes, I think the concept of memory is portrayed accurately.” Be sure to explain WHY you feel this way. Since this part of your paper requires critical thinking on your part, as well as evidence to support your thinking, it will carry the most overall weight toward the final grade on your paper. Therefore, please be attentive to it.
Implications of Portrayal: Based on what you’ve learned and your analysis of the portrayal of the topic, discuss what effect or impact you feel this movie would have on the average person’s understanding of the topic. For example, would seeing this movie help the average lay person understand better why their older loved one is having memory issues? Does the movie help or hinder in terms of reducing stigma or clearing up misconceptions about your chosen topic? Again, be sure to support your opinion – don’t say simply “This movie won’t help people understand about __________.” Be sure to explain WHY you feel this way.
Reflection: Finally, reflect on your own thoughts and feelings about the movie, especially with regard to your chosen topic and what you’ve learned throughout the term. Some questions to consider include:
Given what you’ve learned, how did you feel while you were watching the movie?
To what degree did the material you studied help you to be able to empathize with the character(s) in the movie?
How did what you’ve learned in class help you to understand what the character(s) was experiencing?
If you had seen the film PRIOR to taking this class, and then chose to watch it again, how (if at all) did your perspective change?
The overall organization of your paper should include a clear introduction and conclusion, and a logical arrangement of your ideas. It may be very helpful to include the actual headings for the required sections noted above to organize your paper, and you are welcome (though not required) to do that. Please use double-spaced, 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman, with one-inch margins. The paper also requires a title page, formatted in APA style (professional, not student, guidelines). In addition, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure conventions and usage count toward the mechanics portion of your overall score (see the Final Paper Movie Review grading rubric). Be sure to use spell- and grammar-check, and if possible, have another person read your paper before you submit it. If you need help with writing, please consider requesting free Brainfuse tutoring (accessible through any Canvas shell) or contact your advisor to request in-person tutoring. Make sure you use in-text citations within the body of your paper and a References page at the end to properly cite your sources (as well as any direct quotes that you might use!) according to current APA professional guidelines. Remember that any material that you either directly quote or paraphrase from (even in your own words) must be cited, and quotations require a page number (or a paragraph number, if no pages are given) within the citation. If it’s not your own original thought or opinion, you must pay proper credit to the author/organization through citation. This will also count toward the mechanics portion of your overall grade. If you are not accustomed to conducting and reporting Social Sciences research, you may not be familiar with APA formatting. Excellent information can be found within the APA tutorial or on the OWL website, both posted in Course Resources, or through the UNH CPS Library website. You can also see an example of APA formatted title and references pages in Course Resources.
Finally, let’s talk about “credible sources.” Again, if you’re not accustomed to conducting research, you may be tempted to choose whatever sources of information might come up when you Google search your topic. However, some resources are better than others in that they have “scholarly credibility” or “professional legitimacy.” Please consult the CPS library website, one of our librarians, or your instructor if you are not sure how to find credible sources. This will count toward the references portion of your overall grade. The different sections (as noted above) of your paper have different point values toward your overall grade, which can be found in the Final Paper Movie Review Rubric.