Posted: July 16th, 2023

BVC ENGLISH 1201 – FINAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT

BVC ENGLISH 1201 – FINAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Research Essay – 30%
DUE: April 19 11:59 pm (this is a firm deadline, no extensions granted unless in cases of emergency verified by written documentation)
Paper length: 4-6 typed pages, double-spaced, 12point Times New Romanfont– page count does not include title page (required) or References page (required)
Paper format: according to APA 7theditionguidelines
Resources: minimumof four sources, two MUST be from scholarly peer-reviewed sources.
You can use YouTube video also.
Grading Criteria
35% – format(refer to APA End-of-Paper Checklist available in D2L under “Content”)
65% – content(presentation of argument, supporting points, development of evidence)
Grading Scale– Bow Valley College criteria available here: https://bowvalleycollege.ca/-/media/bvc/dept—office-of-the-registrar/learner-policies-and-procedures-new/500-1-6-grading-procedure.ashx?la=en&hash=9A7C5E5D65E0FD568A2D24777FC594ED7651D17E#:~:text=Bow%20Valley%20College%20employs%20a%20standardized%20grading%20system,for%20all%20Alberta%20Education%20and%20equivalency%20credit%20courses.
Prompts:
Impact of the Pink Tax on society
Cost of education
Birth control and reproductive issues
Representations of gender and sexuality
Environmental issues and climate change
Parent-child relationships
Growing awareness of ADHD
Topic of your own choice – must email Lynne and get written approval by March 15.
Or topic of your choice. should be strong topic.

Paper Outline – Due March 22 in Dropbox, 11:59 p.m.
This outline will count toward your Library Research Assignment grade. It should be an easy way to boost your grade provided you demonstrate that you are actively thinking about your paper and looking for resources to support your research. Follow the guidelines below and see the example provided.
This is NOT a draft of your essay. This is a thought map (point form) and demonstrates how your research is evolving from the prompt to initial research question(s) and working toward your thesis statement. You do not require a completed thesis statement for this outline.
Identify the prompt you have chosen
State your initial research question
Briefly outline (point form) how your research question is evolving (see example below)
Create a Resources page, properly formatted according to APA 7thedition. This is a working resources page. I expect it will change as your paper evolves. What I am looking for here is evidence that you are thinking about your paper and looking at resources.

Workshop Peer Paper Exchange (April 5) – Learning Activity Grade
You will be paired up with another person in class for the purpose of exchanging draft versions of your research papers. These drafts must be exchanged by April 5.
The purpose is to receive feedback on your essay
You must exchange a full draft with your partner, not an outline
If you want to work with a specific person, you must let Lynne know before March 15, otherwise I will create the pairings. Keep in mind, working with a close friend is not always an effective way to get feedback.
You will have a comment sheet to help you offer constructive feedback on the draft paper
You will also have an opportunity to evaluate the feedback provided by your partner. This is not so much an opportunity to say “I didn’t like what they said about my paper,” but rather a way for you to let me know that your did (or did not) receive feedback.
If you complete both the feedback form and the form on receiving feedback from your partner, you will get full credit toward the appropriate learning activity exercise.

EXAMPLE OUTLINE
Prompt:The relationship between popular media and cultural norms
Initial question: How do mainstream movies reflect Canadian (North American?) values?
Research Path:
I am interested in what horror films teach us about society. What do I mean by “horror”? What is my time frame? Am I looking at only films made in Canada or those in the USA too? What about Mexico as part of North America? Can I use an American film to talk about Canadian values? Maybe, if I can prove it was popular in Canada (box office sales?)
Category of “horror” is huge. Possible resource: Horror cinema by number https://www.popmatters.com/horror-cinema-by-the-numbers-2496198962.html#:~:text=Indeed%2C%20while%20229%20horror%20movies%20were%20produced%20in,in%20the%20number%20of%20horror%20films%20produced%20worldwide.
Defining “horror” to mean slasher films (Halloween, Friday the 13th). Define slasher – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slasher_film
All feature teen girl (single, virgin?) as only member of her friend group to survive attack by unknown masked intruder. Most of those seem to have been produced in 1970s-1980s,(“Golden Age – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slasher_film#Golden_Age_(1978%E2%80%931984)) so narrowing my focus. Identify what potential films have in common. Why did so many come out in those decades?
Why was this popular topic? What was the larger political climate? Was there a crisis or major national tragedy happening?
Need to investigate news items from 1970s and 1980s. Maybe clue?
I think I will focus only on the United States. Too difficult to identify what is unique to Canada or Mexico.
Looking at original films, not sequels (no Friday 13thPart IV)
Have identified 8 films. Creating categories of analysis.
Possible thesis –
NOTE: I do not expect you will have answers to all of your questions. I do not even expect this outline to be the end of your research, but keep in mind that you need to produce a draft of your paper two weeks after you hand in this outline, so the more thinking, planning, and outlining you can do, the more feedback I can provide and the closer you will be to actually writing your paper.
For those of you wondering about the outcome of the sample paper modeled here, this is an actual paper topic I pursued once. Turns out, there is a link between the teen slasher horror movies and mass murderers stalking co-eds and children. The films became a way for society to process what was happening on the streets.
Resources
Barnes, K. (2017. Oct 30). Monsters in modern horror culture reflect social anxieties. Folio. University of Alberta. https://www.ualberta.ca/folio/2017/10/monsters-in-modern-horror-culture-reflect-social-anxieties.html
Sharrett, C. (1993). The horror film in neoconservative culture. The Journal of Popular Film and Television, 21(3), 100-11.
Trencansky. S. (2001). Final girls and terrible youth: Transgression in 1980s slasher horror. The Journal of Popular Film and Television, 29(2), 63-73.
Tsintzuras. A. (2020, Sept 10). 10 classic horror movies that reflect society today. Screen Rant. https://screenrant.com/classic-horror-movies-predicted-present/#:~:text=10%20Classic%20Horror%20Movies%20That%20Reflect%20Society%20Today,Carrie%20…%208%20Rosemary%27s%20Baby%20…%20More%20items
Ward. O. (2019, Oct 31). What horror films reveal about society’s fears. City Stories CU Denver News. https://news.ucdenver.edu/what-horror-films-reveal-about-societys-fears/

______________________________

Introduce the topic of horror films and their relationship to society.
Define horror films and discuss their different subgenres.
Discuss the ways in which horror films can reflect society’s fears.
Body
Discuss how horror films can reflect society’s fears about:
The unknown
Death and dying
Violence
Sex and sexuality
Gender roles
Otherness
Provide examples of horror films that reflect these fears.
Conclusion
Summarize the main points of your essay.
Discuss the implications of your findings.
Here are some resources that you may find helpful in your research:

Books
Nightmare Movies: A History of Horror Cinema by David J. Skal
Horror Film: A Critical Introduction by Stephen Prince
The Monstrous Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis by Barbara Creed
Articles
“Monsters in Modern Horror Culture Reflect Social Anxieties” by Kelly Barnes
“The Horror Film in Neoconservative Culture” by Chuck Sharrett
“Final Girls and Terrible Youth: Transgression in 1980s Slasher Horror” by Steven Trentansky
“10 Classic Horror Movies That Reflect Society Today” by Alexandra Tsintzuras
“What Horror Films Reveal About Society’s Fears” by Olivia Ward