Queer Media

Assignments

Course Participation (10%, 100 pts.)

• Preparation for class, in addition to the quantity and quality of your contribution to class discussions.
• Miscellaneous in-class assignments or quizzes.

Reading Reflections (20%, 200 pts.)

• To make our discussions as fruitful as possible, students will be directed to write short, informal reading reflections.
• Students will be expected to share information from their reflections during class for part of this grade.

 

Reading/Media Presentation(s) (20%, 200 pts)

• Each student will present at least one critical response to a course reading; a second presentation may require students to work in pairs.
• Part of this grade is also based upon your level of engagement during other student presentations.
• Individual Reading Presentation: You will provide a critical response to a course reading through an informal 10-15 minute presentation (excl. audiovisual media) and should include the following:
  • A structured handout providing information about the authors’s general aims (e.g. paraphrased arguments or summary points), key terms (optional: connect terms/concepts to their use in previous readings), and at least 4-5 discussion points (optional: questions to initiate discussion or requiring clarification).
  • An audiovisual media/text example to illustrate/complicate something the author addresses (media/texts can be mentioned in the reading but locating different options is preferred).

 

Research Paper Draft (15%, 150 pts.) DUE on 3/30

• You must receive approval for your paper topic (in person or by e-mail). I will not read paper proposals if I have not approved your topic, resulting in less feedback to incorporate in your final paper.
• This assignment constitutes a first review/draft of your paper. Make it as strong as you can, so that I can provide adequate feedback for you to incorporate in your final paper.

(Minimum) Draft Requirements:

• Broad Introduction to Topic (~1 pages), including:
  • A short description of the the media object(s) you are addressing.
  • A clear & precise thesis statement (designated in BOLD), which indicates HOW you will situate and critically analyze your media object(s) within the context of queerness.
  • A summary of the main arguments you intend to make in the paper (using signposts like “first,” “second,” etc. can be useful). Each summary point should indicate WHAT you will address, but should also foreground HOW or WHY the topic is addressed.
• Analysis (at least 5 pages): The form of analysis and critical engagement will differ based upon the topic, but should provide at least 5 pages of analysis to illustrate HOW you plan to engage with (one or more of) the arguments previewed in the introduction. If it is not addressed in your introduction, you should also clarify how you are operationalizing a definition for queerness (e.g. how and why are you defining queerness in a specific way throughout your paper).
• Bibliographic Sources:
  • Include and cite (at least) four sources that are NOT from course readings.
  • These sources should be referenced with Chicago Manual of Style, including in-text citations and full citation information in a bibliography at the end of your draft. I have prepared a citation format guide that should help you with this citation style; additional writing resources are referenced on the course website.
  • NOTE: I will be assessing the relevance of sources you select. This means you should have read each source to determine whether or not it is applicable to your overall argument.

 

 

Final Research Paper (35%, 350 pts.) DUE on 4/17, submitted online by 11:59pm

• Research Paper Description
• A 15-page research paper (approx 3800 words, excluding bibliographic information), including a minimum of 12 scholarly sources (at least 8 sources must be located outside of course readings).
• Bibliographic sources must be referenced with in-text citations using the Chicago Manual of Style footnote format and in a bibliography at the end of your paper. Remember how, in addition to checking for the appropriate quantity of sources, I will also be evaluating the quality/relevance of your sources.
• Your final submission should build upon feedback you receive in your draft and will be graded based on criteria found on the feedback sheet in your draft.

Grading Breakdown

Grading Criteria

“A” indicates truly exceptional work, which demonstrates command of concepts and theories, presenting them in a well-argued and logically structured manner. “A” work significantly surpasses the expectations of the assignment, is free of spelling and grammatical errors, and does not merely address the questions through a repetition of course material or lectures. It provides fresh, creative, and original perspectives with a unique voice, offering connections between the topic and broader issues and contexts. Superior research skills are demonstrated with relevant citations and quotations advancing the argument.

 

“B” indicates above-average work that clearly achieves the goals of the assignment, providing smart and solid analyses with thoughtful and organized arguments I expect any diligent student to be able to produce. “B” work offers some originality, contains few (if any) typos, spelling errors, or grammatical mistakes, and addresses most questions directly by citing specific materials from the texts and lectures to illustrate points being made.

 

“C” indicates meets the course requirements in an adequate fashion by addressing the questions without sufficient engagement with materials from texts or lectures. “C” work tends to recycle examples from discussion without providing connections to the analysis, contains unfocused, uncritical, or insufficiently supported arguments, and typically contains acceptable but awkward prose with various typos, spelling errors or poorly structured sentences that result in vague arguments.

 

“D” indicates work that is off-topic, poorly written, disorganized and, instead of the course materials, utilizes “personal experience” or inapplicable research materials or support (such as readings obviously applicable in other subjects or classes). In other words, the assignment shows little to no evidence that a student was paying attention in class, does not incorporate materials used in course readings or class discussion, and sounds like a summary or review of materials rather than critically engaged analyses. This type of work may also fall short or far exceed the page limits or time constraints for the assignment and typically contain many spelling and grammatical errors and/or show no signs of being proofread.

 

“F” indicates work that dramatically fails to meet the goals and expectations of the course. “F” work is incoherent, plagiarized, and/or never submitted.