Assignment
Review the "Writing Overview" document again before writing. Pay close attention to the writing tips and do's & don'ts. NO USE OF THE FIRST PERSON "I".
Paper should run between 1500-2000 words. Cite all of your sources. Do not cite your professor or the lecture or PDF slides - go to the original source.
PROMPT
1. Pick a form of pop culture - a TV show (watch several episodes), a movie, an album, a comic, a video game - that portrays immigrants to analyze. You can also pick two or more texts to do a comparison/contrast.
1. Make sure the text is American
2. It can be from any time period
2. Discuss the ways it presents a given immigrant culture using the following criteria:
1. What is demonstrated visually (if applicable) and how does that impact the viewers interpretation?
2. What appears to be the moral of the story, and what leads a viewer to that conclusion?
3. What rule breaking behavior is presented, and what happens as a result of it?
4. How does this text fit into larger historical moments in immigration history?
5. How does this text impact perceptions about the immigrant group represented?
3. Then, using the Immigration and American Pop Culture book as your model, provide a broader discussion of the context of the text(s): when did they appear historically, and what was happening at that moment in time? How do the texts compare to other similar forms of media that would come before and after? How did the text impact audiences and their perceptions of immigration and immigrants?
4. Your final piece can take the form of a paper - again, modeled on the style of the pop culture book - or can be submitted as a short documentary, podcast or other form. Submit proposals to your professor via email.
GRADING MATRIX: You will be graded on the following: Depth of analysis and use of supporting evidence from the text. Links to culture & historical relevance; where does this story ‘fit'?
The "so what" factor: how does the story of your subject relate to larger ideas? What impact does this story have on culture and views of immigrant communities?