College Composition: Tentative Paper Topics

TENTATIVE PAPER TOPICS PAPER ONE RED Using Kushman's analysis as a guide, identify at least three significant "messages" that you believe Erich Segal presents in Love Story. (By "significant," we mean those that reflect the categories of Class, Race, Age and Gender.) Length for all Red papers: 3-page minimum. BLUE Part 1. Using Kushman's analysis as a guide, identify at least three significant "messages" that you believe Erich Segal presents in L o v e Story. (By "significant," we mean those that reflect the categories of Class, Race, Age and Gender. Part 2. In the second part of your paper, try to use our course models and discuss which of these messages correspond with your view of the "factual world" and which do not. Length for all Blue Papers: 4 to 5-page minimum. PAPER TWO RED Read the articles on Women in Combat in our packet and discuss the ways in which you believe Edward Zwick's film, "Courage Under Fire," considers the issues on both sides of the question of women in ground combat as presented in those essays. (You may substitute the film "GI Jane" or "A Solder's Sweetheart" for "Courage Under Fire.") BLUE Part 1. What do you believe is the primary thesis or message of Edward Zwick's "Courage Under Fire" regarding the question of women in ground combat? Part 2. Given the readings in our packet on Women in Combat and our course models, do you believe that Zwick adequately considers the issues involved the question of women in ground combat in presenting his thesis? (You may substitute the film "GI Jane" or "A Solder's Sweetheart" for "Courage Under Fire.") PAPER THREE RED The PBS Frontline special, "The Merchants of Cool," argues that teen culture is marketed to teens in a way that makes teen consumers believe that they actually want to buy what the advertisers and manufacturers want them to. They argue that many popular teen fashions, lifestyles and other cultural trends are either created or packaged and marketed by sellers. Using your own life experiences, discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with what the Frontline producers are saying. BLUE The PBS Frontline special, "The Merchants of Cool," argues that teen culture is sold to teens in a way that makes them believe that they actually want to buy what the advertisers and manufacturers want them to buy. They argue that many popular teen fashions, lifestyles and other cultural trends are either created or packaged and marketed by sellers. The recent pop film, "Josie and the Pussycats," satirically makes many of the same points as MOC and suggests that even the US Government through the Pentagon is interested in the media manipulation of teens. (In the real world, Secretary of State Colin Powell is scheduled to do a show on MTV.) Write an essay in which you argue whether or not the producers of the "Merchants of Cool" would agree that "Josie and the Pussycats" makes a positive statement and effectively encourages teens to think for themselves. (You must use our course models in constructing your arguments.) ALTERNATE BLUE TOPIC Watch the Spike Lee film, "Bamboozled," and discuss whether or not any of the points made by the producers of "The Merchants of Cool" would also apply to the themes and messages presented by Lee. (You must use our course models in constructing your arguments.) PAPER FOUR RED Several years ago, Edward Zwick produced another film called "The Siege" (staring Annette Benning and Denzel Washington) in which he dealt with what was then considered an improbable terrorist attack on New York by Arab "extremists." This action subsequently leads to giving increasingly greater powers to the US military, which then results in some grave social consequences. At the time, Zwick was attacked from both ends of the political spectrum for various aspects of the film. Based upon at least five news sources and other "factual" information you have been able to gather about the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington as well as the events that followed them, discuss whether or not you believe that Zwick's film presented "reasonable" warnings about the some of the "actual" dangers of terrorism and its possible impact on the American public. BLUE The Blue topic will be the same as the Red. However, your answer must follow course models. FINAL For your final examination, you will be asked to read and analyze an article that you have not read before and respond to it in a two-hour blue book essay.