Take-home essay assignment: "Reading" a historical film Due the day your take the final; submitted along with your final in-class exam) >Late submissions--for whatever reason--are penalized one letter grade for each 24 hour period (counted from the end of the final exam period) so get started now! PURPOSE: For better or worse, most people get their understanding of history from the media (TV, movies, etc).  Therefore it is important that a student of history be able to discern the difference between fact ("Real History") and fiction ("Reel History"). Take-home argumentative essay grading checklist (penalty for each missing/incorrect item): __ FORMAT: No more, no less than 7-8 typed pages (insert page numbers), doubled-spaced; regular margins & fonts __ TITLE PAGE.  With three parts: >1) your name, course title, semester & year >2) title of the film & your unique subtitle that makes it clear what you will be saying about the movie >3) Your list of sources (instead of a Bibliography page including the two outside (not assigned in class) sources __ FOOTNOTES.  At least ten (10) correct footnotes.  See guidelines below. __ HISTORICAL ANALYSIS.  Read and incorporate Furay / Salevouris chap. 8: "History on Film" (potential use of some ideas for a few footnotes) as well as two outside (not assigned in class) sources which are at least one book/scholarly journal article and a webpage.  See below for guidelines. __ DUE DATE & LATE PENALTY:  Due the day you take the final exam.  Late papers--for whatever reason--are penalized one letter grade for each 24 hour period (starting from the end time of the exam period).  Plan accordingly (i.e., keep an extra ink cartridge; extra back-up copy; etc.). __ INTRODUCTION.  Clear position statements on these two points in your first paragraph: > How close/far the movie comes to depicting what actually happened (this of course requires research on your part to get the facts straight). > Your statement as to why the event/person the movie touches on matters; what is significant about the historical event/issue/person etc. (this is an argumentative part of your essay) __ GROUP FILM VARIETY.  Two or more people in each group should not select the same film for analysis, to allow for group discussion variety. If something is not clear to you then ASK!    OBJECTIVES:  Beyond the regular expectations of form (spelling, organization, etc.) the content aims are: Demonstrate an ability to analyze historical sources, specifically analysis of Text vs. Subtext.  For example, how does the film try to finesse the viewer into accepting a moral of the story?  What is the direct or sometimes subtle message being conveyed?  etc. Effective argumentative essay, putting forth a persuasive case as to the significance of this film in relation to American history. Verification.  Include at least TWO outside sources (two not assigned for this course).  What can you find on websites or in books, newspapers, etc. that substantiates your thesis.  Include direct, select portions of these in your paper.  These selections (and keep them concise) need to be well introduced and linked to your thesis statement. CONSULTATION.  I am not able to offer the reading of rough drafts of papers, BUT we can speak together about your first paragraph.  Come by during any of my posted office hours, with a copy of your introductory paragraph (which should be no more than one page), and we can discuss together how you are going about structuring your argument to make sure you are on the right track. STEP 1 of 4: Pitfalls you ought to avoid: > Procrastination. Not watching or choosing your film early on will have serious ramifications for your essay later; > Excessive plot summary/subjectivity.  This essay is not a movie review or a summary. You are not telling the reader what this movie is about, nor are you telling me why you liked the film or not. You are trying to help the viewer "read" a historical film > Choosing a different text/Constantly choosing something different. Try to get a feel for the movie which MOST appeals to you, then stick to it. > Not getting help, especially when you need it. This might be the most difficult essay of the semester because you are mostly on your own to develop this, so I'd encourage that you get assistance on it. STEP 2 of 4:  Historically "Reading" a film. Read and incorporate Furay / Salevouris chap. 8: "History on Film"  Take a look at some SAMPLE FILM ANALYSES to familiarize yourself with form and content of this assignment.  Do some research and read some reviews of the film you have selected.  A place to begin is LINKS TO MOVIE REVIEWS. STEP 3 of 4:  FORM REQUIREMENTS This paper assignment will require documentation; i.e., the use of a minimum of TEN footnotes.  This does not mean ten different sources--you can re-use the two or so sources that you have selected.  Ten times you will be required to back up what you say with an outside source.  "Foot"notes are to be located at the bottom of the page (see below for how to do these).  This means do not use endnotes in a list on the last page, or parentheses in the middle of the text to cite a book.  Historians prefer--and this assignment requires--a specific format so follow the guidelines below.   FOOTNOTE GUIDELINES WHY FOOTNOTES?  Historians are fond of footnotes because they provide: substance (demonstrating the scope of your research; quantity does matter) verification (allowing readers to confirm your evidence and to establish that you are NOT arguing simply by assertion) and elaboration (allows you to further develop select points that would take you away from the main narrative).  AUTOMATIC FOOTNOTE INSERTION.  Inserting footnotes is quite easy using current computer software programs.  For example, in Microsoft Word you click on the "Insert" link on the top menu bar and then in the pop-up menu you have "footnote" as a selection and you click there.  Type footnote in your program's help section for specifics.  The number automatically comes up and now you just type in the data following the examples below and the program automatically inserts it at the bottom of your page.   QUALITY OF RESEARCH.  You will be evaluated on the quality of your selected sources.  A batch of websites is not very impressive; traditional books and articles [on the shelves in libraries] are recommended.  Again, DO NOT simply rely on Internet sources.  Note that the minimum of ten footnotes does not mean that you need ten different sources; some of course can be repeated.     FOOTNOTE SAMPLES.  There are various ways that your work can be documented/cited and you probably learned one or more ways of doing this for another class.  Historians prefer the Chicago style and we will utilize that format in this paper assignment.  A footnote number should come at the end of the sentence.  Sometimes, you might want to combine several footnotes together at the end of a paragraph.  Please follow these guidelines as you reference your sources at the bottom of the page: IF A BOOK:  Author(s).  Book title.  Place of publication: Publisher, year of publication.  Page(s).  For example: Ronald T. Takaki, Iron Cages:  Race and Culture in Nineteenth-Century America (New York:  Alfred Knopf Publ., 1979): 2. or Allen, Robert and James Brandon.  World History.  New York:  Dodd, 1999.  *Note, with two or more authors, the additional author’s names are listed first name then last name.  For a book editor, include a coma and the abbreviation ed. for editor after the individual’s name.   IF AN ARTICLE:  author, title, journal title, volume and page number.  For example: Ronald T. Takaki, “Within the ‘Bowels’ of the Republic,” Journal of History Vol XX, No. 5: 4.     MAGAZINE/NEWSPAPER ARTICLE:  Author.  "Article Title."  Title of Publication.  Day Month Year: page number(s). Williams, James.  “New York Tips.”  Newsweek.  9 July 2002:33  *Note:  for newspapers, section and page number should be included (ex: C3).   ANTHOLOGY / REFERENCE BOOK:  Author (if known).  "Article Title."  Book author or editor.  Anthology or Reference Book Title.  Place of Publication: Publisher, year of publication. Page(s). For example:  Creasy, James.  “George Washington.” Bloom, Harold, ed.  Encyclopedia Americana.  New York: Groliers, 2001.   FOR A WEBSITE:  Author(s) if known.  Name of Page.  Date of publication (if known).  Name of institution/organization affiliated with site.  Date of access <URL address> “Thomas Jefferson on Slavery” in Afro-American Almanac, http://www.toptags.com/aama/voices/commentary/jeff.htm (25 March 2001).   or Cook, James. Webdoctor. 2004. American Medical Society. 3 September 2004 <http://webdoctor.com>.   FOR A FILM:  Citizen Kane. Dir. Orson Welles. Perfs. Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton. RKO Radio Pictures, 1941.  or Fahrenheit 9/11. Dir. Michael Moore. Lions Gate Films, 2006. SAMPLE PAGE THAT USES FOOTNOTES Here is a sample page that uses footnotes.  The regular text of your essay should be double-spaced.  At the bottom if there are footnotes, the text will appear single-spaced [note that this is automatically inserted this way].  Example: Here is a sample page that uses footnotes.  The regular text of your essay should be double-spaced.  At the bottom if there are footnotes, the text will appear single-spaced.    Note that with the automatic insertion feature of your software program that footnote numbers go forward from 1 and that you need not adjust the footnote numbers.  If you repeat a footnote source it should have a different number. HOW TO QUOTE.  Frame your quotation.  Don't just drop your quotation into your paper; provide an introduction of your own and explain its significance. Indicate where your quotation begins and ends.  Indent long quotations.  If your quotation is more than four typed lines, this is a called a block quotation.  Indent this quotation and in this case, quotation marks are not necessary (the indented portion indicates it is a quotation). Integrate your quotations grammatically Keep quotations brief Note that with the automatic insertion feature of your software program that footnote numbers go forward from 1 and that you should not change the footnote numbers.  If you repeat a footnote source it should have a different number, and usually a different page that you drew from.
STEP 4 of 4:  Film choices (if there is another film you would prefer to analyze, please speak with Dr. Y for approval).  Make sure that your choice is commercially available on video or D.V.D. for sale or rental so that you can watch it several times.
	Based on the letters of Colonel Robert G. Shaw. Shaw was an officer in the Federal Army during the American Civil War who volunteered to lead the first company of black soldiers. Shaw was forced to deal with the prejudices of both the enemy (who had orders to kill commanding officers of blacks), and of his own fellow officers.
	Amistad is the name of a slave ship traveling from Cuba to the U.S. in 1839. It is carrying a cargo of Africans who have been sold into slavery in Cuba, taken on board, and chained in the cargo hold of the ship until a mutiny frees them--or so it seems.  In American custody, the enslaved are threatened with a return to slavery. An abolitionist lawyer decides to take their case, arguing that they were free citizens of another country and not slaves at all. The case finally gets to the Supreme Court, where John Quincy Adams makes an impassioned and eloquent plea for their release.
	After proving himself on the field of battle in the French and Indian War, Benjamin Martin wants nothing more to do with such things, preferring the simple life of a farmer. But when his son Gabriel enlists in the army to defend their new nation, America, against the British, Benjamin reluctantly returns to his old life to protect his son, now serving under his command, and his family from British tyranny.
	Lt. John Dunbar is dubbed a hero after he accidentally leads Union troops to a victory during the Civil War. He requests a position on the western frontier, but finds it deserted. He soon finds out he is not alone, but meets a wolf he dubs "Two-socks" and a curious Indian tribe. Dunbar quickly makes friends with the tribe, and discovers a white woman who was raised by the Indians. He gradually earns the respect of these native people, and sheds his white-man's ways.
	Historical drama detailing the 1835-36 Texas revolution before, during, and after the famous siege of the Alamo (February 23-March 6, 1836) where 183 Texans (American-born Texans) and Tejanos (Mexican-born Texans) commanded by Colonel Travis, along with Davey Crockett and Jim Bowie, were besieged in an abandoned mission outside San Antonio by a Mexican army of nearly 2,000 men under the personal command of the dictator of Mexico, General Santa Anna, as well as detailing the Battle of San Jacinto (April 21, 1836) where General Sam Houston's rag-tag army of Texans took on and defeated Santa Anna's army which led to the indepedence of Texas.
	A small group of teen girls in 1692 Salem, Massachusetts caught in an innocent conjuring of love potions to catch young men are forced to tell lies that Satan had invaded them and forced them to participate in the rites and are then forced to name those involved. Thrown into the mix are greedy preachers and other major landowners trying to steal others' land and one young woman (Ryder) infatuated with a married man (Day-Lewis) and determined to get rid of his innocent wife (Allen).
	Conquest of Paradise (1992) Big budget account of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the Americas. Released in 1992 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the discovery. Shows the disastrous effects the Europeans had on the original inhabitants, and Columbus' struggle to civilize the New World.
	The four and 1/4 hour depiction of the historical and personal events surrounding and including the decisive American civil war battle features thousands of civil war re-enactors marching over the exact ground that the federal army and the army of North Virginia fought on. The defense of the Little Round Top and Pickett's Charge are highlighted in the actual three day battle which is surrounded by the speeches of the commanding officers and the personal reflections of the fighting men. Based upon the novel 'The Killer Angels'.
	View online option: Birth of a Nation (1915) 180 min - Apr 8, 2006 video.google.com
	British and French troops do battle in colonial America, with aid from various native American war parties. The British troops enlist the help of local colonial militia men, who are reluctant to leave their homes undefended. A budding romance between a British officer's daughter and an independent man who was reared as a Mohawk complicates things for the British officer, as the adopted Mohawk pursues his own agenda despite the wrath of different people on both sides of the conflict.
	The film version of the Broadway musical comedy of the same name. In the days leading up to July 4, 1776, Continental Congressmen John Adams and Benjamin Franklin coerce Thomas Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence as a delaying tactic as they try to persuade the American colonies to support a resolution on independence. As George Washington sends depressing messages describing one military disaster after another, the businessmen, landowners and slave holders in Congress all stand in the way of the Declaration, and a single "nay" vote will forever end the question of independence. Large portions of spoken and sung dialog are taken directly from the letters and memoirs of the actual participants