1. Guidelines for Final Paper
Your final paper should be 4-5 single-spaced pages. (If you would like to include an
image – which would be great, but is not necessary – the image should not count toward
the page length.)
It is due on Monday, May 30, and is worth 40% of your final grade. Please hand it in two
ways:
1) as a hard copy at the beginning of class
2) on-line to turnitin.com. Our class title is: cine y literature en lengua inglesa
(3993278); the password is: filologia
Your paper will advance an argumentative thesis, or main point, about one of the films
viewed for class.
• To support your argument, you should include analysis of a single shot from the
film. You should first describe the visual and formal elements of the shot you
have chosen. Then explain how information is conveyed by those visual and
formal elements.
• In addition, as part of your argument, you should refer to one of the other texts
from class, either a film viewed for class, or one of the readings.
• Your audience is a student at the Complutense who has seen the film but has not
taken this class. Use your understanding of film form and your knowledge of film
terms to convince this student of your argument about the film.
• Develop an interesting argumentative thesis, one that someone might disagree
with or resist.
• Do not describe the plot of the film. (Remember that your audience has already
seen the film!) Summarize the plot in one sentence and then focus on the shot
you have selected.
• Do not simply repeat the argument I made in class, although you may further
develop or complicate it.
• Do not analyze the scenes we have viewed and discussed in class.
• Most importantly, use only your own words in this paper. This assignment
involves no outside research. However, if you do use an outside source – which I
recommend against – be sure to provide a citation for that source.
• If you include uncited material in this paper, you will receive a failing grade for
not just the paper, but the entire class.