ENG317 Essay Topics

Critical Review:
Due in class, Thursday, 1.31
For your first formal assignment, you will be writing a "critical review." This means (at least for now) that you will be writing a four page review of _The Naked City_ from a 'critical' standpoint (rather than an explicitly journalistic one). How you go about this is entirely up to you. However, a few things you might consider: you can assume that your audience has seen the film and you can (should?) acknowledge the substantive cultural and chronological distance between when the film was made and when you are writing. Remember to keep your discussion focused; don't try to cover too much ground. (BTW: I am purposefully keeping my guidelines to a minimum as one of the goals of this assignment is to see what you think a critical review SHOULD be.) Best of luck and don't forget to look at the examples.
Sample Essays: "Who Owns This Place?"
"The Not-So-Straight Story"
"Guidelines for Writing Film Criticism"

Context Essay:
Due in front of my office, Friday, Feb. 15, at 3 p.m., 4 pages
For your second essay, you will be taking a specific moment (a particular shot, short scene, line of dialogue, conversation, etc.) from Wattstax and researching some aspect of it so as to better understand the film's context. For example, if one were writing this essay about The Naked City, one might choose the final scene and research the importance of the bridges in connecting the various boroughs of New York and its subsequent influence on cultural integration/change. Or one might research changing socio-cultural attitudes regarding law enforcement in post-war America.
While I expect this to be well argued, well written, and well researched (you should use at least two scholarly sources), the assignment's rather short length means that you might have to sacrifice coverage (trying to talk about the whole film) for specificity (delving deeply into the one point you are trying to make).
As always, let me know if you have any questions.
Sample Essays: "Covering The Cinema: On Wallpaper in Some Films"
"Cold Age War: Paul Newman Vs. Everybody Else"

First Critical Essay:
Sample Essays: "Striking Chords and Touching Nerves"
"Night of the Living Dead: Reappraising an Undead Classic"

Close Reading/Scene Analysis:
Information and Sample Essays:
Close Reading
Close Analysis of a Media Text
"Singin' in the Rain: A Hypertextual Reading"

Final Essay:
Sample Essays: "In Search of Masculinity"
"Riefenstahl's Heights and Wiseman's Follies"