ENG 5049r. Studies in Critical Theory.

Final Paper Information

Note: Your draft and final essay grade will be based on the following criteria. Each category will be compiled of whole points, no partial points will be given. All of these criteria are equally weighted.

1) Spelling Mechanics Structural Detail: These essays are to consist of 5-7 pages for the draft and10-15 pages for the final paper, typewritten in a standard APA or MLA format, double-spaced, with 12 point font and 1 inch margins. If you use films, you must confer film credits ( http://us.imbd.com) and spell the characters' and actors' names correctly. Your essay must have a clear thesis, which is to be followed by a series of arguments that support your thesis, using specific examples from texts.

2) Examples of Critical Theory, in its various iterations: The essay must make reference to and apply ideas found in at least five required texts listed in the syllabus, and five new references, which you must research on your own. You must illustrate the interrelations of class, race, gender, embodiment and sexuality, where such is relevant. 

3.) Application or Contemporization: Explain fully in detail how textual content and the critical mode of narration/persuasion/genre conventions inform your thesis. Which type of critical theoretical framework are you employing, and to which medium, and why? You should ask, for example, what is the thematic material or ideology of class, race, gender or sexuality in the selected text/s and how does the form of the text (whether it be a film, a scientific model, a painting, etc.) interact with, or enunciate, this theme or ideology? How does, for example, the filmmaker or artist attempt to express ideas and elicit emotional responses from spectators, using genre conventions? In what ways does the text you have chosen to write about, whether artistic or scientific, persuasively "address" an implied spectator by reference to codes of class, race, gender or sexuality?

4) Synthesis of Critical Theory: Evaluates the overall synthesis of ideas derived from the theories presented in the course readings and their relationship to the formal structuring of the selected texts, with an eye to both form and content.

5) Quality and creativity of thesis and arguments:  Be specific in your arguments and try to avoid obvious or far-reaching statements. Creativity is assessed by your ability to often put unrelated ideas into a single conceptual framework and back these up with adequate and compelling proof.

Threaded Conversations Grading Criteria:

In order to receive any grade higher than 40 points on a 100 point scale, the student must meet the word limits set, which is between 250 to 500 words. At the top of the post, kindly indicate the word count and double space your entries (hit enter twice at the end of every line). To check your word count, in MSWORD use "Tools" -> "Word Count" and look at the number after 'words.' Failure to do so results in deductions to the next lower grade per omission (i.e., not having a word count moves you from an A to an A-; not double spacing, on top of that, leaves you with a B+ as the highest mark possible).