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MCS 275 Final Paper Criteria
Worth: 30%
Due: End of Week 10 (see specific deadline on D2L!)
Length: 5 to 6 pages (I.e. 1500 – 1800 words, excluding bibliography and title page)
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1.0 – Overview
Students will analyze a case study of their choice using various course theories and readings. Your case study can be drawn from course-related titles, or other comics of your own choosing. The only real requirement is that the topic be related to comicsstudies and engage on some level with one of the subtopics discussed over the semester (I.e. form, content, industry, culture, aesthetics, nationality, etc.). These are broad, so it really opens up the possibilities. You can choose to look at a single case study, compare two titles, or look at a larger phenomenon across multiple comics.
2.0 – Narrow Your Focus
Choose an aspect of comics studies that interests you and that you would like to explore, investigate, and analyze.
Possibilities might include, but are not limited to, issues of comics form, mode of production, industries, aesthetics, politics, representation, identities, audiences, distribution/reception… or any possibility that has not been suggested here, so long as you check with me advance as to its appropriateness.
3.0 – Formulate a central thesis
In relationship to the aspect of the text(s) that you have chosen for exploration, investigation and discussion, and in relationship to the scene/sequence(s) that you have chosen as illustrative of, or engaging with that aspect, sharpen your focus even further and devise a question that you want to address. As your preparation develops, a thesis, argument, or line of inquiry should develop. Your work will be enquiring and analytic in its approach. It will not be primarily descriptive – I.e. simply a recounting of the story or production origins of the comic.
Do not write in the first person – this is an objective essay, so don’t write about yourself as the subject of your essay using “I”, or about your own personal process in how/why you chose to write about what you’re writing about in the essay… focus instead on the ideas and analysis of the texts, people and/or events being analyzed, not yourself!
4.0 – Support Analysis with Examples
Refer to specific pages and panels from the text(s) that in your judgment particularly illustrates or engages with the aspect of the text that you have chosen to focus on. By citing specific aspects from your case study, you will be able to balance your objective analysis and theoretical material with specific, concrete examples from the text itself. This will allow you to strike a well-rounded balance between theory (I.e. course ideas, readings and other scholarly sources), analysis (your own critical inquiries, observations and patterns) and example (specific aspects from the text itself that proves your argument).
5.0 – Research
The essay should be critically based and sound in its reasoning. This means that in researching and in writing it, you need to take into account the relevant readings in respect to the text itself, and in relation to the aspect of the text that you are working with. You also need to engage with the readings, closely, critically, and thoughtfully. At the same, time, and this is very important, your work must be directed by your own critical and independent thought, observation and analysis. In a sense, your own ‘voice’ should be present in the essay, i.e. this is not to be just a well-digested summary of what others have written about. A key part of your work here will be to find a good way to combine what others have written with your own critical independent thought, inquiry and analysis.
**A minimum of 3 academic sources is expected, in addition to any particular comics chosen to analyze (I.e. your case study and other comics examples). You can use Power of Comics and/or Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics as one of these sources, but you will need to do some independent research for the rest. Be sure to find scholarly journal articles, books, etc. You may also use things like journalist reviews/articles, blogs and databases only in addition to your 3 outside sources. Also note that class lectures/PPTs are not included as part of the 3 academic sources… (you can use them, but you need to do more extensive research as well).
6.0 – Discuss your project.
If you experience any problems at any stage in this process, please come and see me. Especially if you feel lost or very uncertain with respect to choosing your topic, or you cannot make up your mind between several possible choices, come and talk to me about it and will find a way of clarifying things for you. Do not leave this until the last week of the quarter, when it is too late to be of any real assistance, and when our time becomes much more limited.
7.0 – Bibliography
You must provide a bibliography of all sources used, I.e. a list of all books and articles that you have actually and directly used in your work, whether quoting or paraphrasing. You must use Chicago Style citations, which is the leading citation style in the field of media studies. A minimum of 3 scholarly sources is expected (I.e. academic books, journals, etc.). See above for the criteria about what kinds of sources are acceptable (I.e. class vs. outside sources).
