essay should contain a clearly stated argument that is supported with multiple examples and/or effective reasoning. Essays should be concise and specific, show evidence of careful thinking, editing and revision, and demonstrate your ability to think critically about your chosen text or theory. Required essay length is 4 pages minimum, 5 pages maximum, typed, double-spaced and using 12 point font. Add a separate title page, and a separate bibliography page, for a total of 7 pages. Put your name, course and section number and email address on the title page. A minimum of three sources are required; one should be your textbook. Additional sources may include pop culture texts in any media, and other theoretical or methodological writings, such as those placed on e-reserve for your use. Avoid quotations of more than three sentences in the body of your essay. Sources should be identified in a bibliography. Use whatever bibliographical format you like, however include page numbers for all citations from printed works (especially your textbook). If you want to provide a copy of a text for me to look at (for example, an advertisement you have analyzed) do so in a separate annex. DO NOT insert pictures in the body text of your essay. Papers that don’t meet these requirements will be returned for revision unread. You can submit by email or hard copy in class. What I value most in an essay: Build a strong argument that relates to one or more of the theories presented in the course. If you are writing a Textual Analysis, I will look for effective use of one of the methods presented in course (genre study, symptomatic analysis, semiotic analysis, narrative analysis etc.); for guidance you should read Stokes: How to do Media and Cultural Studies (e-reserve). Use contemporary examples that illustrate and support your argument. Choose examples that you care about and know well. Avoid making hasty generalizations; be specific in your claims by talking about particular texts or theories. Write clearly, and get straight to the point. So far, this is just like the first paper. But now, we add one more criterion and a few pointers: New criteria: Originality (5 points out of 25) Your paper should be able to answer the ‘So what?’ question. How does your paper make a contribution to one (or more) areas of critical knowledge of popular culture? If your essay simply confirms something obvious, or says something silly, why should anyone be interested in your topic? You must use at least one of the theoretical perspectives covered in the course. You must demonstrate more than a passing knowledge of your theory of choice by using more than one of its key concepts in an interesting way. Reread the textbook or go to another source to deepen your understanding of the theory. Avoid simply confirming the assumptions of the theory by looking for exceptions to the rule… Textual analysis papers should devote at least 20% of their time to discussion of how the analysis relates to popular beliefs, myths, ideologies, stereotypes or prejudices. In other words, the text that you have chosen must help you to say something about power in today’s society. It is not enough to simply offer a ‘reading’ of the narrative or meanings of the text without connecting it to the critical issue of power. Your analysis should be original. Binary oppositions ought to be more specific than good/bad, good/evil, inside/outside society, strong/weak etc. Categories used in the analysis of westerns are not necessarily the right ones for your text. Think through which specific categories are particularly invoked in your text. If you wish, you may write about one of the questions posed in the weekly discussion groups. However, your paper should be more substantial than a post for the discussion group. Pay particular attention to developing an argument of some depth and nuance. Avoid simply confirming the obvious. Your argument should be original. You may cite other members of your group to argue against them, but the main point that you put forward must be your own. Don’t use a mini-survey of friends, family or classmates to try to prove your argument. Asking other people about your topic may help you develop ideas, which is great, but informal surveys almost always confirm the assumptions on which their questions are based, which makes them bad sources of proof.