Communications Question

The first step is for you to begin researching a general topic (for film treatments and papers). Depending on your topic, you will want to begin your research by consulting several sources (15-20), both text and media sources.  Here is a great place to start:

THESIS

After you are satisfied that you have thoroughly researched a topic that interests you (and it is a good idea to complete an annotated bibliography), it is time for you to develop your thesis statement.  The thesis is the central argument of your paper.  It’s a little more than just what the paper is about, because an effective essay must argue a point that is both focused and compelling.  The thesis must satisfy a basic standard that goes beyond mere observation of something and description to link what is observed to some deeper level of meaning.  This is a central argument you are making about meaning, and the statement should also convey the significance of your argument.

In other words, it’s not enough to say something is (All In The Family is considered a great television series or Citizen Kane is a great film); instead you must go further to persuade your reader why something is and why it is significant (Citizen Kane is a great film because—there are a myriad of reasons!—and this is significant because so many other filmmakers have been influenced by this movie—in ways that you must then demonstrate).

Yes, the thesis of the paper is your opinion, but it is an opinion informed and supported by all of the research you have conducted.  In the final analysis, I will be looking for a concrete thesis statement (contained early in your paper in one well-crafted sentence after you have introduced the general topic) that is original, focused, and that satisfies the questions that always pop into the heads of every professor in the Communication Department:  does this thesis meet the “So what?” and “Why should I care?” standard.

ORGANIZATION

After you have developed a strong thesis, you will need to organize the arguments that you have selected to “prove” (or adequately persuade the reader of) your point.  These arguments will come from other scholars or writers, from the creative use of ideas and theories you have encountered, from television texts themselves, from biographical circumstances of members of the creative teams’ lives, etc.  Be sure to use only relevant supporting materials and to structure your arguments into an organized system—an outline is very useful in helping you think about the big picture before you begin to write.

Do not forget that not only should your outline produce a logical flow of ideas and a cohesive structure for your essay, but you must use transitional devices (probably sentences and words rather than paragraphs given the length of your assignment) to make the writing easy to follow and, hopefully, elegant.

STYLE

Use MLA as your style guide for writing your paper.  Remember that format, grammar, syntax, and spelling all count toward your final grade.  Proofread your papers very carefully several times.  Careless errors always detract from your grade the same as a poorly considered thesis, lack of organization, and weak conclusion.  Even though you turned in an annotated bibliography previously of the sources you consulted in the course of your research, you will turn in a standard bibliography of the sources actually cited in your paper with the final draft of your paper.

AVOIDING ERRORS

Underline or italicize movie titles but put TV episode titles within quotation marks.

Years are not generally possessive (i.e. 1970s not 1970’s).

“That” should be used in essential clauses and a comma preceding “which” for non-essential clauses.  (This is an error that many students make./This is a common error, which students would be well-advised to avoid.)

It is a weak construction to begin a sentence with “however.”  It is, however, perfectly acceptable to embed the word.  Many short sentences would work quite well with the word held to the end, however.

Use present tense when describing something that happens in a show.  Ozzie walks out on Harriet (that would never happen!), Roseanne and Dan take a vacation without the kids, and the characters on Curb Your Enthusiasm engage in mundane, if clever and colorful, dialogue about a variety of pop culture topics.  It all happens in present tense because we are watching the movies in the present regardless of when they were produced.

Don’t assume that you know what a writer means to convey by a particular choice unless an interview or commentary track (which you have cited) states so directly.  You may infer a range of ideas about meaning from a choice the director or writer or producer or star makes so long as you support your ideas with evidence from the text or other sources.

Use between if you are making a connection between two things, people, or ideas and use among if the connection is among several.

Further is to explore a subject more deeply and farther is a measure of physical distance.

A comma is not required before a prepositional phrase (though is should follow an introductory prepositional phrase).

There should not be a comma place before a dependent clause.

Please use a comma to separate all items in a series.  If you are writing about apples, bananas, and pears, for example, use a comma after bananas.

Spell out numerals one to ten.

Make sure your pronouns and pronoun antecedents agree.  For example, a viewer is singular.  “A viewer can maximize his or her movie experience by keeping an open mind.”  If you want to be gender neutral rather than inclusive, try this:  “Viewers can maximize their movie experience by keeping open minds.”