An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture by Dominic Strinati
American veda by Phillip Goldberg
Darsan by Diana L. Eck
Hindu Primary Sources by Carl Olson
1) The title should be the question: How does television (The Simpsons “The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons” and The Office “Diwali”) affect the portrayal of Hinduism in western country (USA)?
2) The first paragraph should set up the question, list the major points of the paper, and state the thesis
(which is a one-sentence answer to your question).
3) Each paragraph should follow from the previous one, include a topic sentence, and unfold according
to the stated framework. Prove the thesis with evidence, emphasizing citations from the readings in the appropriate section of the course but also including references from class notes, etc.
4) End with a conclusion that summarizes the argument, restates the thesis, and reflects on the wider implications of your argument. The reflective portion of the conclusion should draw on Eck and
Goldberg to articulate how your analysis sheds light on the significance of enduring ultimate questions,
the ways in which those questions are historically and culturally conditioned, and the extent to which
Hinduism has become a part of American culture.
Method of Analysis
1) Survey: Map the Context, Medium, and Perspective(s) The context: Background on the cultural expression, religious beliefs of the artists, etc. The medium: Information on the form of cultural expression and how the medium shapes that expression The perspectives: Different perspectives that shape and complicate the expression (various audiences,
producers, cameras, directors, writers, actors, etc.)
2) Excavate: Uncover the Cultural Materials and Artifacts
Identify all the cultural ?materials? and ?artifacts? that communicate meanings and values (dialogue, lyrics, props, costumes, lighting, instruments, etc.)
3) Analyze: Understand the Meanings/Values Being Communicated
Theology: How does the cultural expression interpret/reinterpret religious communities/beliefs/practices?
Does the expression reflect an accurate or responsible theology? And to what end? How might theologians understand what meanings and values are being communicated? What would they say about what is really going on? Theory: How might cultural theorists understand what meanings and values are being communicated?
What would they say about what is really going on? -at least 2 theories from Strinati
In order to write this essay you will need three books and you can only use these books as source. In addition to that, there are 2 television episodes that
you can use to analyze which are The Simpsons “The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons” episode and The Office “Diwali” episode. Please compare
and contrast these two episodes in regards to how Hinduism is portrayed in pop culture in USA.
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Choose a movie to watch and then write an essay of at least two full pages, double-spaced. How historically accurate are popular Hollywood movies? Does popular cinema offer historical lessons? Compare a film below with your new understandings of United States history. Clearly state the concepts and the movie event, character action(s), events, etc. that relate to the concept in your paper – prove to me that you’ve watch the whole film.
Find out when the film was produced. In what ways do you think the time in which the film was made?
Explain the context or background of the film. What is the film’s time period? Do the film’s characters represent real historical persons or are they fictional? Are the events portrayed in the film real or made up?
Cold War Culture
Salt of the Earth (1954)
On the Waterfront (1954)
Pillow Talk (1959)
Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Touch of Evil (1958)
War and Memory
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Patton (1970)
First Blood (1982)
Race in America
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Sweet Sweetback’s Baad Asssss Song (1971)
Gone With the Wind (1939)
Native Son (1951)
Mississippi Burning (1988)
SAMPLE ANSWER
Full Metal Jacket
The following exercise is a brief comparison of the film “Full Metal Jacket” and how it compares to actual events in the history of America. The film was produced in 1987 but it was set during the Vietnam War which ended 12 years before. This was a war in which the United States participated in, joining sides with the South Vietnamese government in an effort to stop the Northern government backed by Communists from taking over. While the film uses the Vietnam War as a background, it has over time come to be generally accepted to have two parts that take place in succession in the film. The first part of the film is focused on the boot camp where new marines that have been drafted are undergoing their military training.
To achieve the required time period relevant for filming, the director had to ensure that the elements of fashion used corresponded to the time period. At the same time, some scenes had to be shot in location while others needed to be improvised. In some cases archive footage was likely used where there was no need to focus on specific characters.
The movie is centered on a platoon that has just joined boot camp as marines. They have an unusually harsh drill sergeant who takes them through the paces of becoming a disciplined officer. In the course of their training one of them experiences a mental breakdown and he ends up shooting a friend then killing himself. The buildup to this is however mostly comical. The second part of the film focuses on their deployment to war with each key character being assigned a specific profession. Joker is the protagonist in this part of the film and many of the horrors of war are portrayed from his perspective.
While the film portrays fictional characters, the story that took place was real though controversial hence making it difficult to draw the line between the reference to actual events that took place and exaggeration for entertainment purposes. The basic facts about the war such as the American soldiers engaging the Viet-Kong in battle is an accurate description of the war. The large scale loss of lives depicted in the film on both the Vietnamese and American side is also true (Havens and Thomas, 2014). Part of the story is also representative of the attitude that was carried by the anti-war protestors who saw it as an engagement in futility whose victims were innocent Vietnamese civilians and American soldiers. The war portion of the film looks at things from Joker’s point of view and this compels the viewer to consider the ethical issues of war and possible war crimes that were committed by American soldiers. At the same time, his point of view exposes the audience to the senseless deaths that took place combined with the fact that military training completely ruined some individuals beyond the point they would be helped.
The characters in the film were undoubtedly made up since there is no reference to the film being a portrayal of actual events. The comic elements present in the film coupled with the fact this film won entertainment accolades and not journalistic ones helps to affirm this point. The use of made up characters however really helps the story since the author is able to tell the story from the perspective of an analytical individual who didn’t really fit in. Joker’s not fitting in made him the ideal character to notice the barbaric nature of war.
Works Cited
Full Metal Jacket film, 1987
Havens, Thomas RH. Fire Across the Sea: The Vietnam War and Japan 1965-1975. Princeton University Press, 2014.
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Lesson Eight Assignment
Answer the following question with a 600-800 word essay. Be sure to refer to specific scenes and passages in formulating your answers,be as detailed as
possible.
Coriolanus in the House of Aufidius. Act 4, scenes 4 and 5. These two scenes are really one scene, and can be so regarded. Coriolanus, in disguise, visits
the house of Aufidius, his mortal enemy. Discuss this scene in some detail, and consider how it reflects on the character of Coriolanus as we have seen it
thus far in the play.
Ask yourself some questions as you prepare to write:
Why does Coriolanus come to the house of Aufidius?
Why does he visit the Volscians at all?
What reasons does he give for his own behavior?
What is the role of the servants in this scene?
How does Coriolanus interact with them?
How does Aufidius greet Coriolanus?
How does Coriolanus greet Aufidius?
How, in general, would you describe the relationship of Aufidius and Coriolanus?
Please remember that these questions are meant as encouragements to thought,your essay should not be a simple list of answers.
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1. Write about 1-2 paragraphs regarding one thing that you found interesting/surprising in the second half of Dracula.
2. Write 1-2 paragraphs describing the ways that the idea of “monster” is presented in Dracula compared to Frankenstein.
3. Ask one question about the text. This could be a clarifying question or a discussion question.
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Specifications: Typed, 3 pages (cover the topic), double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12 point font.
Task: Begin by finding a television show “breaking bad” that uses accent in an interesting way. You will need to watch it more than once. In order
to organize the data, make a list of all the characters and the accents they have. Then decide if the characters are good, bad or mixed (both).
Next, decide what feature/personality trait the accent was meant to reinforce. Then, read the credits, find out who portrays the character and find out if they use their native accent or not (the Internet will be useful for this). You will need to figure this out for all the major characters. Lastly, write this up. You may do a movie or show in a foreign language that you speak.
Writing: Part 1 will be an introduction (why you chose the program/movie, how you approached the data). Part 2 will be your analysis of the data. What does
the use of accent mean? If the accent is not native, what features of the accent are there to make you think it is native. Do natives sound like that? What
stereotypes are evoked by the accent (positive or negative)? Part 3 is your conclusions. What does the use of accent mean to the entirety of the
program/movie? Is this good or bad or neutral in this case? How is the use of accent in film/TV a positive or negative thing?
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This is a movie critique; The movie I choose is “My Sisters’s Keeper” is a 2009 drama. See Instructions below. (APA Format). Areas that must be covered:
• Storytelling
• Acting
• Cinematography
• Editing
• Sound
• Style and Directing
• Impact of society on the film and vice versa
• Genre
• Application of at least one approach to analysis and interpretation
• Overall textual themes
Writing Tips:
• Students must select a film that they have not previously explored in class, either in written assignments or discussion posts.
• Students must establish a coherent thesis statement in the introduction of their paper with a claim that they intend to prove. The body of the essay serves
to support the thesis through an analysis of the film and other relevant material. Avoid simply rehashing descriptive material from other source.
• Support your thesis through textual and formal analysis. Refer to specific shots, scenes, characters, stylistic devices, and themes in the film.
• As much as possible, use technical, literary and industry terms to make your points.
• If needed, you may use additional resources to support your claims. Suggested sources might include academic books and articles; film reviews; and personal opinions from reputable film critics and scholars. Information other than production details obtained from popular sources such as The Internet Movie Database and Wikipedia is not considered reputable.
• Only use plot information to support the thematic points of the paper. Include only one to two sentences of plot summary when explaining each of the required filmic elements.
• Also, students should not choose a film that the authors of the textbook have analyzed in detail.
Writing the Final Film Critique
The Final Film Critique:
1. Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages (excluding the cover and reference pages) in length and formatted according to APA style as outlined in your approved style guide.
2. Must include a cover page with the following:
o Name of paper
o Student’s name
o Course name and number
o Instructor’s name
o Date submitted
3. Must include an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
4. Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
5. Must conclude with a restatement of the thesis and a conclusion paragraph.
6. Must use APA style as outlined in your approved style guide to document all sources.
7. Must include, on the final page, a Reference List that is completed according to APA style as outlined in your approved style guide.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.
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Horror zombie genre film posters design and content
Horror zombie genre film posters design and content
A practice led research about horror zombie genre film posters design and content. The result of the research is creating 2 film posters and why did you do
these posters ( these posters will be provided in the uploads). The methodology of the research is searching for the horror zombie genre posters and what are the difference between them and doing some content analysis.
The research must be in this structure:
Introduction
Literature review
Methodology
Results ( The film posters I will design and provide them in the uploads section)
Conclusion
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Research Essay on Pather Panchali by director Satyajit Ray based on the book Pather Panchali by Bibhutibhushan Bandhopadhyay
Individual Research Essay on Pather Panchali (mainly movie with reference to the book)
To be submitted at the start of lesson week 13
A 1000-2000 word paper (about 5?10 A4 pages) which should be word- processed 12 point Times New Roman or Arial).
An essay is not valued for the length of its text but by its analysis and critical arguments, and also new knowledge from reflexive thinking that only the student writer can bring to the writing.
The essay improves if you can say what you want to say, in the least number of words. You can help yourself in this regard by practising pre´cis writing.
The essay should be a critical paper that takes a strong position on a socio- economic or socio-cultural or socio-political issue and presents arguments that support the proposition.
The essay must refer only to film/s (one or more) that have been shown in class.
The essay is an academic paper and should be written in a suitable style. No chit-chatty language, good grammar and syntax, tight editing, coherent.
Photos should not be included unless necessary for illustrating a socio-cultural point
we have copyright issues, and the use of photos may cause students to be distracted by the form of the film. If images are used in the text, they should be in black and white. The photos may be used only in the hardcopy essay and not the soft-copy submitted to e-Learn Dropbox for Turnitin is unable to read photos.
The text should be printed on A4 sheets stapled at the left-hand corner. No need for colour printing, or folders, the academic style should be suitably sober and formal.
The hardcopy should be submitted for examination at the start of lesson 13, and a soft-copy must be submitted to e-Learn Dropbox for Turnitin (scrutiny for academic integrity
see SMU’s Code of Academic Integrity) by 11.59pm at the end of that day.
An example of a Film Research essay follows. Please note the in-text citation, and the citation used in the bibliography and filmography (please refer to the Chicago Manual of Style guide in e-Learn), and the design of the text with the first paragraph not indented, but following paragraphs indented.
Research Outline I submitted:
ARTS007 – Society and Culture in Film-G1 Research Essay Outline
Working Title: “A Series of Unfortunate Events”: Pipe Dreams and Abandonment in a Poverty Stricken Life. Thesis Statement:
The selfish and opportunistic character of Harihar Roy (father) resulted in his alienation from the reality of his familial poverty and led to a bitter sequence of events that culminated in the death of his daughter Durga.
Abstract:
Despite the good intentions of Harihar for his family, he was too absorbed in his own selfish desire to continue in his family footsteps and be a poet/scholar even though it earned no money. This essay investigates the feature film; Pather Panchali, and suggests that Harihar’s blindness to the reality of the poverty and starvation that his family was in and building up of pipe dreams led to the complete breakdown of the family and the loss of their one and only unmarried daughter. Harihar’s abandonment of family and departure in search of an income changed the course of the family life forever. Harihar should have opened his eyes and ears to his family and listened to his wife whose concerns of fixing the house, buying medicine for Durga, and finding a suitable suitor for Durga could have saved her life and a future for their family.
Point 1 – Opportunistic and Selfish Character Evidence:
a) He was telling his wife, Sarbajaya, that he must continue to be a scholar and poet
b) He wanted to continue his family legacy
c) He took a job with a wealthy farmer despite no steady wages from his for many months
d) He wanted to continue also performing rituals as his father had done
Point 1 – Unwilling to Listen and See Reality Evidence:
a) His wife had on many occasions questioned and confronted him about many legitimate concerns
b) He dismissed all these outright and kept repeating “Do not worry”
c) He blamed situation on God saying, “Whatever God does is for the best”
d) He paid no attention to how Durga was behaving with stealing food from neighbors orchard (because she was so hungry) and how Apu only could eat rice all the time.
e) He did not see that Durga was of marriageable age and to find her an appropriate suitor to take care of her, especially considering this was in 1955 Bengali village where women get married early.
Point 3 – Abandonment of family and no communication for many months Evidence:
a) He left one day abruptly saying he was going to seek employment in the city but did not provide Sarbajaya with enough money or food to sustain herself or the family.
b) He did not respond for many months at a streth and did not inquire about the family’s condition despite knowing the house was falling apart and the poverty was unbearable.
Bibliography:
Bandopadhyay, Bibhutibhushan. 1929. Pather Panchali. Bengal: Ranjan Prakashalay.
Parsipur, Shahrnush. 1989. Women Without Men. Tehran: Iran Filmography:
Pather Panchali. 1995. Dir.: Satyajit Ray. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_1n3Tt1RtE&list=PL0vj7O8wvGCoS11FvReUUOhYUjLrIcfaq
Comment from Professor for the Research Outline:
Here are some comments on your research outline. Don’t panic if I seem to think that you’ve not got your proposition spot-on. I can see if you tried your best and gave your research outline the thinking that it requires, which means I do know when you’ve not given your best (for whatever reasons), and you must allow that I will be objective.
So why this assignment to blight your evening? The whole idea of this research outline: 1) it starts you thinking about research and writing to prepare you for your essay assignment 2) it allows you to have a PhD level supervisor, think on your ideas and respond to them, and guide you into considering other directions or seeking more depth 3) it is one way to give you grades for a mid-term component, which is a requirement. I think this assignment is more beneficial to your growth of thinking than an MCQ. Do realize it gives me a lot of work, and don’t think I gave the assignment out of sadism, neither am I a masochist, just an instructor is doing what she thinks is the needful.
Note well: You do not have to research according to the lines I suggest. You make your own choices. Feel free to write on a different topic if this is what you want, or write on different movies, or continue with the investigation you started with your research outline. I will grade your essays on that assignment’s own terms. The research outline and the research essay are 2 discretely different assignments. In the next few days in class, you can consult me on your essays, but I can only respond to questions and ideas and not suggest my own, because I have to be objective. Again, remember, you are not bound to follow my suggestions. The essay is yours alone.
Late: The research project does not move beyond a description of what you see as the portrayal of the selfishness of the father character (Hatihari) in Satyatjit Ray’s "Pather Panchali". Scholarship must move beyond the descriptive to the analytical and then to higher order thinking. So if Hatihari ‘s selfishness is the point being made, we can begin to ask why was the man so intent on writing plays when it was clear that he needed to go out to earn money to feed his family and repair the house. We learn that the man is a Brahmin, a member of the highest, priestly caste. A person brought up on literature, since all Hindu teachings are by way of stories including the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The movie’s motif of the train, the evidence of the creep of the marketplace into the village points to the changing times. It is not enough to depend on traditions of the caste system for one to hold a place in society. In the modern consumerist society, it is the person who has wealth that is situated high in the social hierarchy. This is the analysis. Higher order thinking come when we extrapolate further to a proposition that the movie comments on a stagnant Indian economy because its people will not do the needful to survive in today’s world of transnational markets. Thus like Harihar’s family, the majority in India are abjectly poor. I do not understand the bibliography. It should list articles and texts that have been referred to/and will be referred to in the essay.
Did you read Bandopadhyay, Bibhutibhushan. 1929 book Pather Panchali? or Parsipur, Shahrnush’s "Women Without Men?" Why read the latter book for a discussion of Pather Panchali? And is Bandopadhyay’s book available? The title should be something pithy that makes the point being made in the essay, for example: "Progressive India is but a pipe dream: Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali. The thesis statement is along the lines: Satyatjit Ray’s Pather Panchali is a neo-realist film which tells the story of a Brahmin, Harhar Ray (not Roy) who clings to his traditional role as a man of letters. In the 1920s, the time in which the movie is set, the marketplace has crept into Ray’s rural village in Bengal. Money, earned in the marketplace, and not pipe dreams is needed to survive. Harihar’s blithe fatalism and his lack of response to the changing times reduces his family to an abject poverty that ends in tragedy. This essay argues that Satyatjit Ray’s film "Pather Panchali" is a depiction of modern Indian society where little is done to improve the economy and raise the majority of its people out of abject poverty.
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This assignment requires to write an essay on representation of mental illness and people with mental illness found in the popular media. for this assignment will need to describe how the media portrays mental illness and people with mental illness through language, images and news.Also need to provide example of the ways in which mental illnesses are characterised in media. To do this you should analyse television and radio program, movie, magazines, photographic media, newspaper items, or advertisements.you may fine it helpful to identify media representations of a particular form or aspect of mental illness, such as depression, schizophrenia or attempted suicide, and search for sources around these.The important things to remember is to focus on the media representations of these illnesses rather than the illness themselves.you will also need to provide academic evidence from peer-reviewed research through the essay to support the points the points you make and the example you provide.
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First World Cinema Essay
Choose one of the following topics and develop it into a 1500 word typewritten paper. You must use at least three outside sources taken from Cahiers du Cinema du Monde, articles distributed in class, or documentaries from the Criterion DVD Rome Open City to support your ideas. Make sure you use specific
details and examples from the film to develop your paper. Your answer must demonstrate a close familiarity with the film through the use of specific examples as evidence. Your grades depends on this knowledge of the film .
Remember essays have introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions. Your thesis statement located in your introduction should state the point of your essay. The body paragraphs should begin with topic sentences that indicate how you will develop that point. Each body paragraph must include specific evidence from the film to support your topic sentence as well as references to outside sources. Your paper must be formatted using MLA style, include parenthetical citations, and have a Works Cited page.
Consult A Short Guide… for help in structuring this essay and for citing outside sources. I strongly encourage you to develop an outline or rough draft and consult with me before completing your final draft. Do not be tempted to "borrow" an essay and claim it as your own. You will most likely be
discovered, and you will not only fail the class but you will also be reported to the Academic Standards Committee.
If you have a different idea for a paper, please see me for approval.
1. State what you consider to be an intention of the filmmaker and use characters to demonstrate that
intention. For example, Rossellini has said in regard to the war that ?we were all its victims.? A
paper could discuss the characters in Rome Open City that represented particular types of victims
such as Marina.
2. Some critics and even Rossellini say that Rome Open City was not ?completely? a neo-realist film,
that much of traditional filmmaking, for example narrative structure, was a part of the film. Write a
paper that demonstrates where the film deviates from the characteristics of Neo-realism.
3. In a quote from the article ?Myth and Manipulation,? Rossellini says ?We were emerging from the tragedy of the war. We had all taken part in it, for we were all its victims. I sought only to picture
the essence of things. I had absolutely no interest in telling a romanticized tale along the usual lines
of film drama. The actual facts were each more dramatic than any screen clich. In an interview he
stated, ‘Above all I wanted to give an honest account, to show things exactly as they were. The
important thing was to take a serious look at the things around us.? Discuss techniques used by
Rossellini that were able ?to show things exactly as they were.?
4. Pick a scene or several scenes, state their importance to the film as a whole, and demonstrate how they represent neo-realism.
5. Satyajit Ray said that the central purpose of filmmaking is ?the revelation of the truth of human
behavior.? In the film, Aparajito what truth about human behavior is revealed? Use acting, setting, or a particular film technique to support your assertion.
6. Scholars note that Satyajit Ray ?slowly accumulates moments that reveal a character?s feelings.? Choose a character and demonstrate what he or she is feeling and how Ray expresses this feeling through ?slowly accumulated moments.?
7. Ray repeats visual motifs. Find one and explain the meaning of this repetition.
8. You may, also, write about La Trema. In this essay, you would discuss how the qualities of Italian Neo-Realism apply to this film and how they contribute to the success of the film. See me about finding outside sources to support your ideas.
9. In addition, you may choose to write about Lagaan. In this essay, you would discuss that although this film has characteristics of a Bollywood film, it still supports the ideas of Swadeshi and independent Indian films such as celebrating Indian culture and focusing on rural concerns, oppression, and the cast system. There are characters who seem to represent these concerns.
See me about finding outside sources to support your ideas.
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