Human, Animal, Machine/MDSB01H3F/Fall 2017

  Instructor: Dr. Taylor Short Assignment Guidelines This assignment asks you to use some of the concepts (e.g. “the medium is the message,” animals as symbols, Marxist analysis, global capitalism) we have discussed so far in class to analyze a media text. It should be a 4-5 page paper which uses any of the course readings from weeks 2 through 4 to make an argument about either one of the media texts we have watched in class (e.g. Metropolis, Sleep Dealer, other short videos) or your own choice of media text (see below for restrictions). If you are having difficulty deciding on a media text, I recommend coming to office hours to discuss it with me. For our purposes, books are not acceptable as a choice of text, but you may choose a film, television episode, webisode, videogame, music video, advertisement, or a form of media I haven’t thought of (check first for this one). If you choose Sleep Dealer, make sure your argument goes beyond that found in the Wells article on the film. The paper should have a clear thesis and structure. It should not be simply descriptive, but should make an argument. This argument should be supported in the paper by evidence and direct quotations from (or references to) both the course readings and the chosen media text. You do not need to do any reading beyond the course readings. Details:  This assignment is worth 20% and should be 4-5 pages long (not including works cited)  Hand in an electronic copy to Blackboard/Learning Portal by the beginning of class October 16 (9am)  Please double-space your assignment, use 12-pt font (Times New Roman), and number your pages  Give the assignment a title; include your name, the date, and the course code  Submit the assignment in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format, with a clearly labelled name (e.g. MDSB01_Assignment 1_J Taylor 2017.doc)  Please use in-text Chicago Style of citation and referencing (see http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html for examples)  See the syllabus for late penalties, the process for handing in late papers, and the extension process