Progressivism: the response to industrialization

For this final paper you will write a research paper that addresses a topic and/or theme we have covered over the course of the semester and that analyzes a feature film. (Industrial Capitalism) The paper should be three to four pages (double-spaced) with 12-point font, one inch margins, and your name, the name of the class, the assignment name, and the date at the top left hand corner. This paper is basically a source analysis paper with one added requirement: You must do some outside research. That means that you MUST locate at least two outside sources for this assignment. Outside research IS A MUST for this assignment. You must read and cite at least TWO outside sources. An outside source is a source not in the syllabus; that is, a source not assigned for the course. You can, of course, use the course textbooks and PowerPoints for this paper; just remember that they must be supplemented—backed up with—with an outside source. Like the source analysis papers, you should aim to incorporate the following three elements of writing into your essay: 1. Description (exposition): This is the basic, most elementary form of writing. Before you can say anything about anything, you must first say what it is you intend to discuss. Describe the film you are analyzing. Be sure to briefly outline the plot and themes of the movie. 2. Context (explication): Provide some context for the movie. What year was it produced? What was going on in the world, or country, at the time it was produced? To what end or purpose was it produced? Who might its intended audience have been? Does the source directly comment on current events? Does it have an obvious—or not so obvious—political bias? Is it meant to lend or reinforce a certain political, economic, or social system or order? 3. Analysis (argument): What conclusions, based on our description, and the context you’ve provided, can you arrive at a conclusion regarding the source? Is the source representative of the context you’ve outlined—does it support or confirm the basic terms of your contextualization— or does it differ or vary from, or critique, its historical context? NOTE: I’ve listed multiple questions or elements for each of the levels of analytical writing listed above. You are writing short papers, so don’t try to answer each and every question. Each question is meant to provoke you—give you a jump start. Pursue one, no more than two, aspects of each when your write your paper. This is not a book report. The focus of these papers should be on providing context and analyzing your primary source. Don’t just describe the document—explain it to me. An “A” paper will each of the following: (1) briefly describe the film you have chosen; (2) provide historical context for the content of the film (i.e. the film’s characters, plot, setting, etc.); (3) present an argument/analysis regarding how the source operated or functioned in the social/cultural context you’ve assigned to it; (4) incorporate at least one outside source into your discussion/analysis of the film. Remember all three tasks—description, context, analysis—are interrelated. You cannot analyze a primary source without providing some information about what it is and the time and place in which it was produced. Before you can analyze, interpret, or explain your document, you will have to provide the reader with some sort of idea about where it comes from. That is what it means to provide context. Again, if you need additional information, take a look at the PowerPoints and, if relevant, the Down to Earth and The Status Seekers/American Social Classes in the 1950s.