Paper Assignment

SOC 315

Your assignment is to view two films outside of class. It is your responsibility to choose and watch these films. You will need to pick out one film that shows the creation of relationships. The other film will illustrate the breaking down of a relationship. Some suggested titles are (you do not have to choose from this list):

      Creation of relationships                        Breaking down of relationships

Love Actually                                                  Kramer vs. Kramer

Fools Rush In                                                  War of the Roses

Creator                                                             Mrs. Doubtfire

Falling In Love                                                Radio Flyer

Gone with the Wind                                         Divorce His, Divorce Hers

Casablanca                                                      Smash Palace

West Side Story                                               Manhattan

Dr. Zhivago                                                     Breaking Up

Anne Hall

When Harry Met Sally

You will chose any One Topic from any lecture or the text that you think relates to both films and this class. Examples could include among others; communication styles, love types, domestic violence, etc.

Your task is to write a 5-7 page comprehensive paper analyzing your topic. The last section of your paper is to find examples in the two films that illustrate your topic from both the negative and positive aspects. The structure should be as follows:

– First, include a brief introduction. This should tell me the topic of choice, what

two films that you chose and why you chose them. 

– Then, outline your topic. Explain it to me as if I have never heard of it before.

     Do not simply regurgitate information from the slides. Go into depth. Find

     other sources if necessary. In other words, if you had a friend (not in the class)

     read your paper, they should KNOW that one topic by the end of your paper.

– Third, using the topic, use examples from the films that illustrate how your topic

     is operationalized. In other words, pick examples that clearly show the

     presence of your topic, how it affects the relationship, what are potential

     outcomes, etc.

– Lastly, give a clear conclusion, which restates your purpose behind this paper,

your topic, and summarize any discoveries you have found.

I do expect you to spend some time on the analysis, clearly outlining your assertions. Explain the topic you chose fully and be very specific in how it relates to the films.

DO NOT GIVE ME A PLOT REVIEW!!! This will cause a failing grade on the paper. I have seen most of these and many other films. I really do not need to be told what is in them. I am not worried if you get names right, just enough information to support your examples. Also be sure to run a spell checker and/or grammar checker on your final paper. Both are available in most word processors.

 DUE DATE: See the schedule attached to your syllabus.