Assignment: A "reader response" essay is simply a way for you, as a reader, to respond in writing to a specific issue that troubles, fascinates, enlightens, or illuminates something within your chosen text(s). While I will not give specific provocations (or questions) to you about where to concentrate your writing, I hope to offer many questions and issues during the lectures and class discussions.
My only designations are that you should write about the material that we have read, viewed, and discussed in Units Seven and Eight. Thus: Dead Until Dark, True Blood and The Walking Dead, our readings from Natural Born Celebrities, and any concepts discussed in the discussion sections or lectures within those areas.
Example questions/topics: Why do the vampire texts in pop culture today always remake the leads as romantic heroes? What two connections do these two TV series have to good/bad science? What do we learn from either or both of these films about how bureaucracies work? Other than novels and film, how are vampires and zombies reflected in pop culture activities?
Specifics: These reader responses should be two-pages in length, double-spaced, with one inch margins, and normal pitch fonts. Longer writing will not earn a better grade, so use the format to show your precision, focus, and support clearly within the space allowed. The work should be, otherwise in MLA or APA format, with a thesis or argument to guide your thoughts and enhance your readers' ability to accept your opinion.
Resources: Your will not be required to use any resources to complete these essays, outside of the films (primary sources), and our classroom text, Natural Born Celebrities, lectures, announcements, provided files (secondary sources). If you choose to use quotations from any text, however, please use the MLA or APA format for citations and reference entries.