In this assignment you'll write a 2-4 page (double-spaced) essay using an object of your own selection and at least one of our two conceptual models (the figure of the Mobius strip and the notion of the uncanny) for your analysis of one of the films we've seen this semester. The goal is to explore the function of the epic tradition within your selected film, and to present your findings as a free-standing work (something that would work for any curious and reasonably intelligent reader).
You're welcome to utilize other concepts from class as well. But you must quote or paraphrase Freud (on the uncanny) or Zupancic (on the mobius strip) at least once, and you must make specific references to concrete portions of your film. In referring to the film try to frame your comments in terms of the four specific elements of cinema we've been discussing (montage, mise-en-scene, perspective, and diegesis).
Use the MLA citation system to properly document your references. The MLA system calls for your paper to include a "Works Cited" page, and at the very least the list on this page will include the film you're writing about and whatever required reading(s) you're referencing. (If you quote a dictionary passage or one of my blog posts, these would need to be cited as well.) For assistance with the MLA system, see the "resources" page on our course web site and/or visit the Cornish writing center.
For Freud's essay on "The Uncanny," use the following information for your works-cited page entry: Freud, Sigmund. “The ‘Uncanny,’” in The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, vol. 17, trans. and ed. James Strachey et al. (London: Hogarth, 1955). For Zupancic's material on the Mobius strip, you'll find the necessary reference information on the page I gave you (or on the PDF posted on this website).
You're welcome to utilize other concepts from class as well. But you must quote or paraphrase Freud (on the uncanny) or Zupancic (on the mobius strip) at least once, and you must make specific references to concrete portions of your film. In referring to the film try to frame your comments in terms of the four specific elements of cinema we've been discussing (montage, mise-en-scene, perspective, and diegesis).
Use the MLA citation system to properly document your references. The MLA system calls for your paper to include a "Works Cited" page, and at the very least the list on this page will include the film you're writing about and whatever required reading(s) you're referencing. (If you quote a dictionary passage or one of my blog posts, these would need to be cited as well.) For assistance with the MLA system, see the "resources" page on our course web site and/or visit the Cornish writing center.
For Freud's essay on "The Uncanny," use the following information for your works-cited page entry: Freud, Sigmund. “The ‘Uncanny,’” in The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, vol. 17, trans. and ed. James Strachey et al. (London: Hogarth, 1955). For Zupancic's material on the Mobius strip, you'll find the necessary reference information on the page I gave you (or on the PDF posted on this website).
Your essay will be due at the beginning of class on April 10. Your submission should be at least two full pages (more is fine) not counting the "Works Cited" page. You can include images if you like, but they won't count toward the page total. Your essay must be double-spaced in 12-point font, and it should utilize standard MS Word margin settings. Number your pages, and staple your essay once in the upper left corner. Electronic copies may be submitted only with my prior consent.
CS
