Social Responsibility in Cinema Paper

Paper Two will be a 3-page typewritten report on Social Responsibility In Cinema, and how cinema recognizes, addresses, and impacts societal issues. For this paper will require you to watch and analyze a film of cultural significance. (The film cannot have been used for Paper One.) This outline will cover Paper Two.

Written assignments will be checked for originality and plagiarism through a digital service. Please make sure that your work is original. Written submissions that are found to be copied (from fellow students or online) will be given zero points for the assignment, and the incident will be reported to the Dean of Students office.

Social Issues in Cinema Report Paper Two Points

Submitted at the end of the DUE DATE. Late papers will be reduced by 5 points off for every class they are late.

Papers must be three (3) fully typed pages. Papers less than 3 full pages will receive 10 points off immediately.

Along with your name, please write which paper you’re submitting (Sub-Genre, Auteur, or Social Responsibility) as well as your CWID number.

Please double-space, use 12-point font, and a universal font (Arial, Times / Times New Roman, Helvetica, Courier New / Couriere, or Verdana.)

Please make sure that you ITALICIZE or UNDERLINE film titles. The first time mentioning the film, please add the year it was released.

This report is not about summarizing the story. You should assume that the reader is familiar with the subject matter in question and any story synopsis should be confined to NO MORE THAN A FEW SENTENCES.

Refer to people by their full names the first time and then by last name only in subsequent mentions. (Example: Steven Spielberg’s first commercially successful film was Jaws [1975]. With the movie, Spielberg created the first summer blockbuster.)
Utilizing the Writing Center for extra credit** (5 points). You will need to complete any revisions given to you in order to receive any credit (meaning several revisions). Also be aware that you need to make an appointment! You must submit the ticket / response from the Writing Center to receive credit.

Criteria For Social Responsibility in Cinema PAPER [due Nov. 18]

Films, like all art, are a reflection of the world around them. They are time capsules that capture and mirror the thoughts, cultures, ideologies, and social cues and customs of the period in which they’re made. While many see cinema (literally) as an escape from the pressures of daily life, films have to power to educate, inform, and enlighten their audiences in both broad, and subtle ways.

In this assignment, you will choose a film that deals with, or makes a commentary on a societal issue. You will be submitting your idea to the instructor before writing the paper, OR you may also choose one of the films listed below*.

OUTLINE

A simple, general outline for the paper would be to find a film that deals with a significant social issue. The issues at hand don’t have to necessarily be a large part of the plot, but it must be significant enough that it plays a part of the narrative.

Plot: Give a brief plot of the film, which includes when and where in history the film takes place.

Societal Issue: Identify the issue and describe its history and its impact. Was the issue influenced by a political movement, a moment in time/history, class system, or religion?

Communities: Who are the people, or the cultures that are involved or affected by the societal thoughts or issues. What is their story? How are they impacted? Is there an antagonistic group or culture involved?

Presentation: How does the film lay out the information? Is it head-on, or a subtle part of the back-story? Do the characters or situations represent actual issues, or are they used symbolically?

Answers: Does the film merely shed light on the issue, or does it offer a solution? Is it merely presenting the information as educational, or does it ask for a call-to-action.

Reflection: Did the film change your perspective, affect you, or change your stance on cultural issues? What solutions could you provide?

Relevance: Are the issues remnants of the past with no current iterations or is the film a reflection of current times? Are the social issues relevant today?

Production: Discuss the background of the film’s production. Is the time the film was made significant to the issues at hand?

Grading For Film Reports

The reports will be graded on the following scale:

0-10 points – Demonstrated understanding of cultures. Did the student understand the characteristics (perspectives, beliefs, traditions, or needs) of communities and/or cultures?

0-10 points – Recognizing principals of social or civic responsibility. Did the student

understand how societal issues can affect or impact communities and cultures?

0-10 points – Understanding the issues of social elements can influence behavior and decision making. Did the student understand how social constructs and elements, such as history, religion, politics, and economics can influence outcomes?

0-10 points – Recognizing the impact of social engagement. Does the student

recognize the power of personal/social actions on communities?

0-5 points – Correctly following the instructions for the assignment. This includes

font size, double spacing, number of pages, and correctly italicizing, or underlining all film titles.

0-5 points – For the grammar and spelling of the report. Was the report clear and free of run-on sentences and grammatical errors? Was the paper checked for spelling