ILS 2213, Essay 2
Thus far in this course, we have examined historical events and philosophical ideas and beliefs about the environment, the current scientific understanding of how human behavior is currently affecting the planet, how American attitudes toward the natural world may have affected the planet in detrimental ways in our current time, and have also begun to examine how various human scientific decisions may place the Earth in peril in ways we have not yet considered.
For this assignment, you are to choose a film from this list. Next, watch it carefully with a critical eye and identify what you see as it's central message/theme, then choose a three to five minute scene that you think best communicates this theme.
Having completed each of the steps above, answer the following questions:
How does the director make use of the film tools at their disposal (lighting, camera shot, sound, etc.) to communicate this theme and how does the director's message form a conversation with other texts related to human attitudes toward nature and about the environment?
The term "texts" here is used in a very broad way and can include other films, documentaries, short fiction, novels, poetry, non-fiction essays, academic and scholarly articles and books, etc. These can be texts we have examined together as a class or outside viewings and readings of your choosing.
These texts can be recent (in the last five years), but that's not required. You may also make comparisons to older texts to demonstrate changes in historical attitudes, evolution of thinking, etc.
NOTE: YOU MAY NOT USE INFORMATION TAKEN FROM THE WORLD WIDE WEB. ALL SOURCES IN YOUR PAPER MUST BE FILMS, BOOKS, OR ACADEMIC AND SCHOLARLY ARTICLES TAKEN FROM A LIBRARY OR LIBRARY DATABASE.
You are required to cite sources in-text and include a works cited page.
Your General Purpose: To argue
Your Audience: When you begin writing, assume that you are writing this essay for publication in an academic journal. This means your audience is highly educated and includes professors, Ph.D's, and other academics and scholars (experts in their fields). Your diction and content should reflect this.
NOTE: SOURCES USED IN YOUR PAPER MUST COME FROM THE READINGS WE HAVE COMPLETED TOGETHER AS A CLASS OR FROM A LIBRARY OR LIBRARY DATABASE.
Format: Your essay should have a title. It should also be typed, double spaced, with one-inch margins all around, Times New Roman Font, & 12 pt. Your paper should be 5 FULL pages up to 7 FULL pages and have a works cited page. The works cited page does not count as part of the required number of pages. Refer to OWL at Purdue for questions about MLA format and citations.
Final Draft, evaluated on the following criteria:
Total Possible Points: 80/
Focus (22 points): Does essay have a clear purpose? Focus on a main idea and clearly identifiable thesis? Are reader’s expectations set and then met? Ideas, examples, and reasons developed in the body of the paper are clearly related to the main focus?
Development (22 points): Are supporting examples, showing details, and data rich and relevant to the main idea? Are the writer’s assertions immediately followed by supporting evidence? Appropriate research supports the writer’s main idea or thesis? The writer shows how or why evidence is relevant to main idea or claim?
Organization (22 points): Do ideas and paragraphs proceed in logical and apparent sequence or pattern? Does writer use sufficient audience cues to let the reader know what has been discussed, what is being discussed, or what will be discussed? Does writer use attention-getting title and lead-in, essay map, summary and forecasting statements, paragraph hooks, transitional words and phrases? Do effective conclusions guide the reader from beginning to end?
Style (8 points): Is language clear direct and readable? Are sentences clear, concise, and easily read by intended audience? Is word choice appropriate for audience? Do sentences reveal and sustain appropriate voice and tone?
Mechanics (6 points): Are there obvious errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar? Are there patterns of error?
NO 1ST DRAFT ON DUE DATE (-7 POINTS)
NO REFLECTION (-7 POINTS)
NO PEER CRITIQUE (-7 POINTS)
NO PROCESS OR PROPER CITATION OF SOURCES=NO GRADE
Grading scale:
A 72-80
B 64-71
C 56-63
D 48-55
F 0-44
