Short Paper Assignment
The paper should be double-spaced, and be between 5-7 pages long
Choose any film. Almost any movie can be used but it must take place in the United States -
1-Think about how geography is produced through the film and 2- how different environments are portrayed and how place and space figure into the plot or whatever is going on in the film.
Your paper will describe the geography of your movie through the use of relevant chapters covered over the course of the semester.
IMPORTANT: You must consult the Excluded Movie list in the Short Paper assignment folder BEFORE starting your paper.
Think geographically about what you have seen in your movie. Spend NO more than a couple sentences summarizing the movie. I will deduct points if you exceed that limit. You should then develop the geographic themes that the movie uses as part of the story. This might include particular spatial interactions between characters and places and/or people - or how geographies are created within your movie. How are the various geographies in the text reflected in the landscapes depicted? How do these geographies help create suspense or amusement or spectacle? Discuss the possible motivations the producers had for choosing the settings that were used in the movie. Support your general arguments with specific examples from the movie. How do space and place help the movie make its point? How does the movie reinforce or contest the formation of the mental maps we use to navigate the real geographies of the United States?
Pay particular attention to what you have read. How do the chapter themes found in the test relate to the show you are discussing? Again, you are a geographer - not a critic - your answer should encompass the spatial aspects of the show, especially place and space and the construction/reproduction of culture. You can concentrate on tow or three chapters or try and apply as many chapters as possible. Just be thorough and clear in your approach. Do not use any outside sources except the text. Use the chapter headings of the text as a guide and, again, do not ‘review' or summarize the movie - discuss the geographies you uncover through viewing the movie you choose. At the very least devote a paragraph or two to as many of the chapter topics as possible - for example, discuss the Physical Features in your show, or Megalopolis or Hawaii and so on. There are no distinct ‘right' or ‘wrong' answers - I am more interested in how you are able to interpret what you have read in the text and the lectures and how you then apply that to the movie under discussion. And remember, have fun while you do this - use a movie that you personally enjoy and find interesting and then explore its geographic qualities.
Grammar and spelling mistakes will not be tolerated - proofread carefully and use your spell-check programs. Your paper MUST be submitted in Microsoft Word format - no other formats will be accepted - that means NO Word Perfect and no Rich Text! You MUST save your file using your last name (smith.doc or smith.docx) and submit it using the upload link in the assignment folder.