DiBenedetto First name Last name
- 1. DiBenedetto First name Last name Prof. DiBenedetto Course Date Documentary Research Paper Documentary. Articles. Controversy Introduction: Nonfiction, visual culture, media, graphic, and argument---these elements of reading and writing converge in documentary film, making it an ideal way to understand how we create and receive arguments. What, after all, is a documentary except someone’s argument on a topic? Documentaries suggest that the audience (you) should accept the viewpoint, take the action, make commitment, understand the rightness/wrongness of this policy, etc. To achieve this purpose, the filmmaker (director) must understand the audience and appeal to them---ex, using the rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos). All in all, documentaries build upon the visual world while focusing controversial and overlooked issues in your lives. Your research will culminate in a 3-4 page research paper and visual presentation. Expectation: In this research paper, you will use the arguments made in one documentary and 3 -4 additional texts to answer your own research question (at least 4 total annotated bibliographies). Writing Prompt: What is the controversy addressed in your documentary? What problem does the documentary address? What is your stance on
- 2. the controversy or solution to the problem? Research Requirements (3-4 pages): Types of sources: This includes: 1. Documentary Film 2. News Magazine, newspaper, history of topic → this should include unbiased & objective 3. Opinions Blogs, speeches, TV/radio transcript, columns, editorials. This should come from a personal perspective 4. Visuals Charts, graphs, images, political cartoons Format: In your research essay, you must provide the following information about the topic in question: 1) Background information explaining the topic. 2) Your overall perspective/position of it. 3) Media coverage of the matter. 4) Discuss political proponents and opponents of the issue. 5) 4 different perspectives of this issue. 6) Closing reflection Your research paper will include all of the following: · Final draft · Works Cited · Drafts · Annotated Bibliographies Argument-Based Documentaries
- 3. Government & Security · The Hacker Wars · The Haystack (could possibly go under political) · State of Surveillance · We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists Food / Food Industry · Food Fight: The Debate over GMO Labels · Food Inc · Fed Up · McLibel · Farmaggedon · Forks Over Knives Environmental Issues · Disobedience · Fossil Free · Fracking in America · The 11th Hour · An Inconvenient Truth · Democracy Political Issues · Brexit: The Movie · Bowling for Columbine · Innocents Betrayed (gun debate) · Gun Nation · Operation Hollywood · Failure to Obey · Restrepo? · Dirty Wars · The Biggest Prison System in History · These Streets Are Watching (police accountability) · Policing the Police · The Invisible War
- 4. Social Issues · Don’t Panic: The Truth About Population · Under the Knife (plastic surgery as vanity) · Maternity Leave · Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price · White Like Me · How to Live to 101 · Blackfish · Merchants of Cool · The Hunting Ground Gender Issues · Killing Us Softly 3: Advertising’s Image of Women (short: 34 min) · The Codes of Gender · Miss Representation · The Mask We Live in Drug/Medical Issues · Pot Fiction · Vaccines: Calling the Shots · Cloning the First Human · Sicko · Prescription Thugs The Arts · Why Beauty Matters · Ai Weiwei: Without Fear or Favour · Hollywood and the War Machine Education · Waiting for Superman · A Subprime Education Sports · Concussion Watch · League of Denial · Bigger, Faster, Stronger · Schooled: The Price of College Sports
- 5. *most of these documentaries can be viewed onwww.freedocumentaries.org Topdocumentaryfilms.com documentaryheaven.com documentarywire.com Netflix Hulu
- 6. From Notes to Draft: Writing the Research Paper The format for your papers should be Times New Roman in a 12 point font and double spaced. These papers should be written
- 7. primarily in third person(he/she/they)with the exception of Part 4 . They also should be in past tense. Here are the steps you need to complete: Writing: 1) Background information explaining the topic along with thesis statement: Your thesis is the theme or big idea that you see governing your research. You must clearly state your topic and the predominant editorial perspectives of the topic/ event in your unifying statement. 2) The national and/or international response to the topic/ event: In this section, you should provide an overview of the impact(s) this event had on the nation as whole and beyond. Did the topic/event have an only a local impact or national/international impact? 3) Media coverage of the event: Identify 4 different perspectives on the event. Be sure to comment on both national and international coverage of the event. 4) Your perspective: Considering the different perspectives that you have researched, forge and extrapolate your own perspective of the event. Citing Your Sources:
- 8. In a research paper, you have to show where you get your information from. You will be using your annotated bibliography to prepare a Works Cited page (more later). As you write, you need to cite where you got your information from. Whenever you have information in your paper that you didn’t know already or a quotation, you need to put where that information came from in parentheses, using the source’s last name (or last name, first name if you have sources with the same last name. This is called parenthetical notation.