1. Make sure your paper is in order:
- check the MLA format of your paper (use your book or OWL Purdue resources to check your format)
- make sure you cite your information correctly
- check for grammar, spelling, and capitalization errors
2. Make sure your letter is in order:
- Your letter should be typed and should be addressed to me
- The question your letter should address is: "If you had 100 dollars, how would you divide this money between you and your group mates from your project."
- Please give a rationale for your decision and make sure that it follows a proper business letter format.
- Check for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors in your letter.
3. Make sure your folder is in order:
- Letter
- Final Draft
- Works Cited (at least 4 sources)
- Rough Draft
- Outline
- Quizzes (4)
- Alt: your articles with highlights
4. 5 Extra Credit:
- If you would like extra credit, be prepared to stay the whole class time. We will be viewing "Brick" and the run-time for this movie is roughly 2 hours. Afterwards, we will have an informal discussion about the film and how it can be used in this class. I will only award points if you stay the whole time.
Click Here to Read More..
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Shakespeare and Romance
From the Wikipedia Page on Shakespeare Romance:
"The category of Shakespearean romance arise from a hesitation among critics to categorize them as comedies (though all but Cymbeline, which was listed among the tragedies, were considered so by John Heminges and Henry Condell when they edited the First Folio), because they bear similarities with medieval romance literature and are different from comedies in many ways. Shakespeare's romances share the following features:
* A redemptive plotline with a happy ending involving the re-uniting of long-separated family members;
* Magic and other fantastical elements;
* A deus ex machina, often manifesting as a Roman god (such as Jupiter in Cymbeline or Diana in Pericles);
* A mixture of "civilized" and "pastoral" scenes (such as the gentry and the island residents in The Tempest);
* "...and the poetry is a return to the lyrical style of the early plays, though more mellow and profound.""
Most of the Romance plays, while not "Romantic" in the modern sense, have surreal settings and plotlines dealing with magic or unorthodox lifestyles. Romance plays are also the main point of contention for those who believe that Shakespeare wasn't a "real" person, because they aren't written like the tragedies or comedies in the past.
HOMEWORK:
WRITE a rough draft of your paper for next class Click Here to Read More..
"The category of Shakespearean romance arise from a hesitation among critics to categorize them as comedies (though all but Cymbeline, which was listed among the tragedies, were considered so by John Heminges and Henry Condell when they edited the First Folio), because they bear similarities with medieval romance literature and are different from comedies in many ways. Shakespeare's romances share the following features:
* A redemptive plotline with a happy ending involving the re-uniting of long-separated family members;
* Magic and other fantastical elements;
* A deus ex machina, often manifesting as a Roman god (such as Jupiter in Cymbeline or Diana in Pericles);
* A mixture of "civilized" and "pastoral" scenes (such as the gentry and the island residents in The Tempest);
* "...and the poetry is a return to the lyrical style of the early plays, though more mellow and profound.""
Most of the Romance plays, while not "Romantic" in the modern sense, have surreal settings and plotlines dealing with magic or unorthodox lifestyles. Romance plays are also the main point of contention for those who believe that Shakespeare wasn't a "real" person, because they aren't written like the tragedies or comedies in the past.
HOMEWORK:
WRITE a rough draft of your paper for next class Click Here to Read More..
Monday, August 3, 2009
Signs, Symbols, and History (UPDATE WITH HOMEWORK)
From the Wikipeida Page on Shakespeare's "History Plays":
"Shakespeare was living under the reign of Elizabeth I, the last monarch of the house of Tudor, and his history plays are often regarded as Tudor propaganda because they show the dangers of civil war and celebrate the founders of the Tudor dynasty. In particular, Richard III depicts the last member of the rival house of York as an evil monster ("that bottled spider, that foul bunchback'd toad"), a depiction disputed by many modern historians, while portraying his usurper, Henry VII in glowing terms. Political bias is also clear in Henry VIII, which ends with an effusive celebration of the birth of Elizabeth. However, Shakespeare's celebration of Tudor order is less important in these plays than the spectacular decline of the medieval world. Moreover, some of Shakespeare's histories -- and notably Richard III - point out that this medieval world came to its end when opportunism and machiavelism infiltrated its politics. By nostalgically evoking the late Middle Ages, these plays described the political and social evolution that had led to the actual methods of Tudor rule, so that it is possible to consider history plays as a biased criticism of their own country."
Consider this in the context of the two television show's we're discussing today. Both shows are politically minded, but both also appear to be taking place in far off places with science fiction twists. I place these alongside history because Science Fiction is one of the best way to convey events of today through the context of ray guns and space ships. The original Star Trek was very evocative of its time, showing a hopeful idealism of space based on Kennedy's proclamation that we will send a man to the moon. The X-Files was a very conspiracy-filled show that commented on the US Government as a large institution that only cares about the rich and powerful, while keeping the true innovations in science and supernatural secret.
Battlestar Galactica and Kings are both commentaries on today, by evoking familiar signs and symbols that we recognize in recent history to illicit an emotional and intellectual response today. Consider the following clips:
The key part of our class today will be looking at how we can understand the symbols, signs, and relationships between the events happening in the shows and the events that have happened in the past. This is where an understanding of clothing, set design, and camera positioning really play a part in understanding the subtext of the story.
HOMEWORK:
1. Don't think I forgot about the "Left Field Cinema" articles. I will be quizzing you on your reading of Left Field Cinema for Wednesday class, as well as checking your outlines. Read the essays before you write your outline.
2. Look up the entries for Multiple Personality Disorder and Color Meaning (Symbol and Psychology) in Wikipedia.
3. Look up the images of United States of Tara and Pushing Daises in Google Images. What do you notice? What are some of the visual characteristics of both shows? Click Here to Read More..
"Shakespeare was living under the reign of Elizabeth I, the last monarch of the house of Tudor, and his history plays are often regarded as Tudor propaganda because they show the dangers of civil war and celebrate the founders of the Tudor dynasty. In particular, Richard III depicts the last member of the rival house of York as an evil monster ("that bottled spider, that foul bunchback'd toad"), a depiction disputed by many modern historians, while portraying his usurper, Henry VII in glowing terms. Political bias is also clear in Henry VIII, which ends with an effusive celebration of the birth of Elizabeth. However, Shakespeare's celebration of Tudor order is less important in these plays than the spectacular decline of the medieval world. Moreover, some of Shakespeare's histories -- and notably Richard III - point out that this medieval world came to its end when opportunism and machiavelism infiltrated its politics. By nostalgically evoking the late Middle Ages, these plays described the political and social evolution that had led to the actual methods of Tudor rule, so that it is possible to consider history plays as a biased criticism of their own country."
Consider this in the context of the two television show's we're discussing today. Both shows are politically minded, but both also appear to be taking place in far off places with science fiction twists. I place these alongside history because Science Fiction is one of the best way to convey events of today through the context of ray guns and space ships. The original Star Trek was very evocative of its time, showing a hopeful idealism of space based on Kennedy's proclamation that we will send a man to the moon. The X-Files was a very conspiracy-filled show that commented on the US Government as a large institution that only cares about the rich and powerful, while keeping the true innovations in science and supernatural secret.
Battlestar Galactica and Kings are both commentaries on today, by evoking familiar signs and symbols that we recognize in recent history to illicit an emotional and intellectual response today. Consider the following clips:
The key part of our class today will be looking at how we can understand the symbols, signs, and relationships between the events happening in the shows and the events that have happened in the past. This is where an understanding of clothing, set design, and camera positioning really play a part in understanding the subtext of the story.
HOMEWORK:
1. Don't think I forgot about the "Left Field Cinema" articles. I will be quizzing you on your reading of Left Field Cinema for Wednesday class, as well as checking your outlines. Read the essays before you write your outline.
2. Look up the entries for Multiple Personality Disorder and Color Meaning (Symbol and Psychology) in Wikipedia.
3. Look up the images of United States of Tara and Pushing Daises in Google Images. What do you notice? What are some of the visual characteristics of both shows? Click Here to Read More..
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Comedy, Tone, and Left Field Cinema
Comedy is the focus for today's class. While many might see Comedy as something that shifts as time and culture shifts, the virtues of the Comedy genre do not change. Consider the main characteristics of Shakespearean Comedies (from Wikipedia with my annotations):
A Shakespearean comedy is one that has a happy ending, usually involving marriages between the unmarried characters, and a tone and style that is more light-hearted than Shakespeare's other plays. Patterns in the comedies include movement to a "green world", both internal and external conflicts, and a tension between Apollonian (wholeness) and Dionysian (individualistic) values. Shakespearean comedies tend to also include:
* A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty, often presented by elders
* Separation and re-unification
* Mistaken identities
* A clever servant
* Heightened tensions, often within a family
* Multiple, intertwining plots
* Frequent punning
We can think about the structure of the two shows we are watching today as the carriers of these main attributes. Pam and Jim can be seen as the struggling lovers in the Shakespearean sense. Mistaken Identities can be shown by Amy's revelation of her true identity and Ken's questioning his own identity based on this revelation. Heightened Family tensions can be seen in the Weir's household as they're going to meet George Bush or from the upcoming job interview that might disrupt their "office" family. Even the punning (or clever word play, where words have more than one meaning) can be seen throughout the Office and Freaks & Geeks ("How are you doing, guys.").
While even some of the tragic shows display similar attributes, one of the things that separates comedy from tragedy is the tone, which is something that we'll discuss in today's class as we try to link these shows with the previous shows we've watched together.
Modern television is the inheritor of Shakespearean tradition, especially current American television which is based on British Television's finite series formulas and character-intense plots.
HOMEWORK:
READ/LISTEN to episodes of "Left Field Cinema." This an excellent example of film criticism which attaches a theme or idea to a film(s) and uses the film(s) (as well as an understanding of the film creator's style and tone as gleaned through interviews) as an attempt to understand the underlying message of the piece of film. Listen or read a few of the episodes (2-3) before next week's class and come prepared to talk about ideas for your paper.
READ the Wikipedia entries for "Kings TV Show" and "Battlestar Galactica TV Show" Click Here to Read More..
A Shakespearean comedy is one that has a happy ending, usually involving marriages between the unmarried characters, and a tone and style that is more light-hearted than Shakespeare's other plays. Patterns in the comedies include movement to a "green world", both internal and external conflicts, and a tension between Apollonian (wholeness) and Dionysian (individualistic) values. Shakespearean comedies tend to also include:
* A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty, often presented by elders
* Separation and re-unification
* Mistaken identities
* A clever servant
* Heightened tensions, often within a family
* Multiple, intertwining plots
* Frequent punning
We can think about the structure of the two shows we are watching today as the carriers of these main attributes. Pam and Jim can be seen as the struggling lovers in the Shakespearean sense. Mistaken Identities can be shown by Amy's revelation of her true identity and Ken's questioning his own identity based on this revelation. Heightened Family tensions can be seen in the Weir's household as they're going to meet George Bush or from the upcoming job interview that might disrupt their "office" family. Even the punning (or clever word play, where words have more than one meaning) can be seen throughout the Office and Freaks & Geeks ("How are you doing, guys.").
While even some of the tragic shows display similar attributes, one of the things that separates comedy from tragedy is the tone, which is something that we'll discuss in today's class as we try to link these shows with the previous shows we've watched together.
Modern television is the inheritor of Shakespearean tradition, especially current American television which is based on British Television's finite series formulas and character-intense plots.
HOMEWORK:
READ/LISTEN to episodes of "Left Field Cinema." This an excellent example of film criticism which attaches a theme or idea to a film(s) and uses the film(s) (as well as an understanding of the film creator's style and tone as gleaned through interviews) as an attempt to understand the underlying message of the piece of film. Listen or read a few of the episodes (2-3) before next week's class and come prepared to talk about ideas for your paper.
READ the Wikipedia entries for "Kings TV Show" and "Battlestar Galactica TV Show" Click Here to Read More..
Monday, July 27, 2009
Introduction to Project 3, Project 4, and Drama...(Updated with Homework Clips 7-28-09)
So far, we've discussed three different media forms:
1. In our first section, we discussed how comics relate theme, mood, characters and settings through a combination of words and pictures in order to create a story that talks about broader ideas.
2. In our second section, we discussed how music and lyrics can be translated into music videos, and how these changes can affect our own view of the overall message the piece is trying to convey.
In our third section, we are going to look at the concepts of theme, mood, characters and setting in a plot as it translates into the visual medium of television:
Project 3: Comparing and Contrasting Television Shows
In keeping with our focus on drama, I will focus on how each of these shows relate to specific Shakespearean categories of Tragedies (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Mad Men), Comedies (Freaks and Geeks and Mad Men), Histories (Battlestar Galactica and Kings), and Romances (United States of Tara and Pushing Daisies).
Remember, your paper will be about two of these shows. I have most of these shows downloaded onto my flash drive or I can point you to where you can view these shows online. It is in your best interest to watch these shows, or to be familiar with these shows, before the presentation so you can ask relevant questions and begin to write your paper as soon as you can.
Along with our examination of these shows, you will quiz your fellow students, give brief presentations, and hold a discussion after the show is viewed.
Project 4: Mixed Media Presentations
By the end of class, it is up to you to grade your fellow classmates on the poll listed in our website. Make sure you vote only once. If there are more votes than there are students in the class, I will take this part of the grade out of the equation when figuring your final grade.
HOMEWORK:
READ:
1) The background section of the wikipedia article on The Office (U.S. TV Series)and the summary for "The Job" episode (located on the sidebar)
2) The background section of the wikipedia article on Freaks and Geeks and the summary for "The Little Things" (located on the sidebar)
3) The background section of the wikipedia article on Shakespearean Comedy
Expect a quiz on each of these sections by next class. Click Here to Read More..
1. In our first section, we discussed how comics relate theme, mood, characters and settings through a combination of words and pictures in order to create a story that talks about broader ideas.
2. In our second section, we discussed how music and lyrics can be translated into music videos, and how these changes can affect our own view of the overall message the piece is trying to convey.
In our third section, we are going to look at the concepts of theme, mood, characters and setting in a plot as it translates into the visual medium of television:
Project 3: Comparing and Contrasting Television Shows
In keeping with our focus on drama, I will focus on how each of these shows relate to specific Shakespearean categories of Tragedies (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Mad Men), Comedies (Freaks and Geeks and Mad Men), Histories (Battlestar Galactica and Kings), and Romances (United States of Tara and Pushing Daisies).
Remember, your paper will be about two of these shows. I have most of these shows downloaded onto my flash drive or I can point you to where you can view these shows online. It is in your best interest to watch these shows, or to be familiar with these shows, before the presentation so you can ask relevant questions and begin to write your paper as soon as you can.
Along with our examination of these shows, you will quiz your fellow students, give brief presentations, and hold a discussion after the show is viewed.
Project 4: Mixed Media Presentations
By the end of class, it is up to you to grade your fellow classmates on the poll listed in our website. Make sure you vote only once. If there are more votes than there are students in the class, I will take this part of the grade out of the equation when figuring your final grade.
HOMEWORK:
READ:
1) The background section of the wikipedia article on The Office (U.S. TV Series)and the summary for "The Job" episode (located on the sidebar)
2) The background section of the wikipedia article on Freaks and Geeks and the summary for "The Little Things" (located on the sidebar)
3) The background section of the wikipedia article on Shakespearean Comedy
Expect a quiz on each of these sections by next class. Click Here to Read More..
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Addendum: Check Your Citations Before Class...
Many of your received your papers with points taken off because of citations and format of sources. Here are some sources to help you correct your MLA format before you come to class:
1. Proper Paper Format for MLA
2. Proper In-text Citations for MLA
3. Proper Works Cited Page for MLA
It is up to you to ensure that your MLA format is correct. Please check these sources before you turn in your next paper. Click Here to Read More..
1. Proper Paper Format for MLA
2. Proper In-text Citations for MLA
3. Proper Works Cited Page for MLA
It is up to you to ensure that your MLA format is correct. Please check these sources before you turn in your next paper. Click Here to Read More..
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Thinking, Feeling, and the School of Rock
Quiz #3
- What does Chuck Klosterman think about Chinese Democracy?
- How does Lester Bangs feel about Astral Weeks?
- How does your song/music video make you feel?
- What do you think about your song/music video?
Thinking and Feeling are two terms that are both tough to wrap your head around when contemplating music, but they are the two essential points your paper must convey. They provide the direction of your paper and also how you wish to express your ideas through this paper.
Remember that this is still an analysis, not a review. You are to examine how this song/music video reflects eachother as well as American culture as a whole. Don't lose sight of those two points.
Other things to take into account when discussing the song:
1) You should know how your music fits into a specific genre/place/band. What songs came before it? What songs came after it? What is the history of the artist? Klosterman makes it a point to really delve into the history of the album and what he thinks about the band is parsed out by what details he gives describing the history of the band up until this album.
2) You should also know who is in the band. Lester Bangs takes into account a lot of different aspects when he talks about Van Morrison. He talks about how the band is portrayed and who plays what in the band. He is very meticulous on this point and drives home his feelings by describing how the music and the band interacts on the album and on stage.
You don't need to write "I think" or "I feel." Let your information and your descriptions give us those components in your paper.
HOMEWORK
WRITE your final paper. You will need 3 quizzes, your outline, your rough draft, and your final draft in your packet. Make sure you have your works cited.
READ (GROUPS 1&2, please let me know if you want me to add onto you homework by noon on Friday)
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Homework: Read over the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (tv series) wikipedia entry.
- Mad Men Group Homework: Check out advertising of the 1960s (bring 2 examples for class) and read over the Wikipedia entry on Mad Men tv show.
- The Syllabus to Project 3 Click Here to Read More..
- What does Chuck Klosterman think about Chinese Democracy?
- How does Lester Bangs feel about Astral Weeks?
- How does your song/music video make you feel?
- What do you think about your song/music video?
Thinking and Feeling are two terms that are both tough to wrap your head around when contemplating music, but they are the two essential points your paper must convey. They provide the direction of your paper and also how you wish to express your ideas through this paper.
Remember that this is still an analysis, not a review. You are to examine how this song/music video reflects eachother as well as American culture as a whole. Don't lose sight of those two points.
Other things to take into account when discussing the song:
1) You should know how your music fits into a specific genre/place/band. What songs came before it? What songs came after it? What is the history of the artist? Klosterman makes it a point to really delve into the history of the album and what he thinks about the band is parsed out by what details he gives describing the history of the band up until this album.
2) You should also know who is in the band. Lester Bangs takes into account a lot of different aspects when he talks about Van Morrison. He talks about how the band is portrayed and who plays what in the band. He is very meticulous on this point and drives home his feelings by describing how the music and the band interacts on the album and on stage.
You don't need to write "I think" or "I feel." Let your information and your descriptions give us those components in your paper.
HOMEWORK
WRITE your final paper. You will need 3 quizzes, your outline, your rough draft, and your final draft in your packet. Make sure you have your works cited.
READ (GROUPS 1&2, please let me know if you want me to add onto you homework by noon on Friday)
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Homework: Read over the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (tv series) wikipedia entry.
- Mad Men Group Homework: Check out advertising of the 1960s (bring 2 examples for class) and read over the Wikipedia entry on Mad Men tv show.
- The Syllabus to Project 3 Click Here to Read More..
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