In this progression, you will analyze a piece of media that includes words and pictures. You may choose a movie, a single episode of a TV show, a comic book or graphic novel, or a YouTube or TikTok video. You will build an argument about one specific debate that surrounds that particular piece or genre of media, research it, think about the information, and formulate a stance. In short, where do you stand in the controversy?

Tips: Develop a thesis that focuses on persuasive argument. Our exercises help you make sure that you are taking a position (stance) in a debate that has multiple sides to it.

The essay should have supporting ideas throughout the body paragraphs. These take the form of claims and topic sentences. Each body paragraph should raise a new, specific point that proves the overall idea (thesis) that drives your essay.

Summary is useful for supporting your claims, but this assignment should not rely heavily on plot summary throughout your body paragraphs. You should summarize and describe your piece of media in the introductory paragraph. You should use analysis of specific scenes, images, and quotation in order to prove your ideas and thoughts about this piece in addition to detailed description. (These are the supports for your thesis and topic sentences.) Summary should not take over.

While your experiences and reactions can provide some support to prove your points, not everyone is like you. That is why it is important to use evidence from the research that you have done. Reliable studies from trained experts will give your essay more ethos and make your argument more persuasive that your experience and opinion, alone.

Exercise 3.1: Summary and Response

Discussion forum post. Write a 1-2 page summary and response of the film, TV show episode, graphic novel, or other piece of media you are choosing to use for this essay. In the summary, identify the main point or purpose of the piece and describe in detail the most important, relevant examples from the piece that illustrate the main point. Identify the genre (whatever category or categories or types of popular culture this may belong to such as sit-com, horror film, hip-hop music video, etc.) and discuss how this piece is an example of the genre.

For the response, write a detailed paragraph that examines how the piece wants viewers to feel about its subject and how you as a viewer respond to it. How does this piece of popular culture make you feel? Why? Why is that significant?

Respond to 2 classmates in the discussion forum, one in the same project media group and one whose topic is different from yours. Write a thoughtful response asking questions and pointing to valuable directions for research or analysis

Exercise 3.2: Annotated Bibliography

As a group, create a list of 12-15 reliable, relevant sources related to your cultural object. Once you have a general sense of the debates that surround your cultural object, you will pick one and begin a formal and structured research process. Your goal is to find reliable information from trained experts and professionals in order to develop an informed opinion that you can build your paper around. Turn to the databases, as well as the internet, to find studies and data that relate to the debate you have chosen. Each source will need to be cited and annotated in an annotated bibliography.

An annotated bibliography is like a works cited page, but each citation is followed by the researcher’s notes about that source. A simple annotation would have a summary of the author’s main argument and a discussion of what makes the source and publication credible. Focus your summary on the details of the reading that sound most relevant to your debate and your position for your argument then apply the CRAAP test to each source.

Exercise 3.3 Planning Your Argument

Write a 1-2 page outline of your argument. This is a chance to develop, organize, and arrange ideas. You can and should work on your essay draft alongside these activities. Do not wait to start writing the essay!

Begin with your working thesis. Is it a persuasive argument? Have you taken one position in an ongoing debate? That should guide the rest of the essay.

Claims: Why do you think you are right? One way to start developing topic sentences and claims that will become the body paragraphs is to think of ideas that prove the thesis statement. Develop as many supporting reasons (claims) as you can.

Evidence: For each claim, go back and fill in at least one detail from the cultural object that shows your claim works. How can you prove that you’re right? Then find quotes and supporting evidence from your outside sources or identify pieces of supporting evidence from further research that your argument needs. Where do you need quotes or statistics to support your claims? Where would an expert witness about the genre or type of media help you make your argument?

Requirements:

One outline with thesis and at least 5 supporting claims.
Each claim should have at least one piece of evidence to prove the claim. Evidence should include quotes or descriptions of images or scenes from the cultural object and evidence from research
MLA Format for the overall document. You may use any version of a drafting outline that works for you, but your working thesis (and preferably your supporting claims) must be written out in a complete sentence. An example of a diagram outline can be seen here, although for this paper you will need more than 3 supporting claims and shouldn’t list them in your thesis.
Citations for any exact quotes or paraphrases used.
Works Cited Page

This video about creating an outline might be helpful:

The Essay: Media Argument

In this essay, you choose a piece of media such as a film, episode of a TV show, YouTube or TikTok video, or a graphic novel. Take a position arguing about the politics of representation or another issue or debate that surrounds this particular piece of media. Briefly describe the object in your introductory paragraph. Take a stance in your thesis about one idea this cultural object communicates to viewers and where you stand in the debate surrounding it.

You must use at least 5 reliable sources including two scholarly, peer reviewed articles to support your claims and your analysis. Since your focus in this assignment is on analysis, you want to go beyond merely describing your object or summarizing what others have said, to come up with some ideas of your own about your film, video, etc. and its significance. Feel free to use materials from your assignments 3.1, 3.2 in your essay, and to refer to other cultural objects and and representations we have discussed in class in order to contextualize your analysis.

Your essay should analyze the cultural object of your choice in light of the following questions:

What cultural issue or debate is this piece intervening in? Why and how is it controversial? Where do you stand in this debate?
Who made this representation? Who profits from it? Why is that significant? Why should viewers care?
What idea about identity or representation is the author (director, musician, etc.) trying to communicate? Why? How?
What view or values does the piece of media communicate? Why is that significant or what effect does it have on its audience?

Essay Requirements:

Write an essay that takes a persuasive stand and supports its position through the use evidence from reliable research using credible and appropriate sources, acknowledgement and analysis of counterarguments, and careful reasoning. Use the skills and templates for intervening in ongoing arguments introduced in They Say/I Say.
The essay must combine reliable scholarly research with relevant, well-analyzed sources and persuasive, analytical rhetoric. You must have at least 5 sources, at least 2 of which are scholarly, peer-reviewed sources and all sources should be professional (newspapers, magazines, professional edited online new sites or newsmagazines).
Every body paragraph should combine evidence from at least two sources (including detailed quotes or descriptions of your cultural object) and every piece of evidence should be thoroughly analyzed and interpreted to explain how it supports your thesis.
One body paragraph should introduce and respond to counterarguments
1,500-1,750 words plus a works cited page (the works cited page is not part of the word count)
MLA formatted
Essay must be driven by a persuasive argument.
There must be evidence to support your argument conclusion.
You must use at least five articles to support your argument; at least one of these must be peer-reviewed
All evidence must be cited, both in-text and in a Works Cited page at the end. Review the sample WC page here.
No long, block quotations are permitted
All sources must be reliable and reputable for an academic argument

Genre: Persuasive argumentation is a different from arguing with family and friends. In academic contexts it comes with its own rules, such as being polite (even to those with whom we disagree), using logos, pathos, and ethos in balanced measures, supporting claims with evidence, and other components that we will review.

Review this refresher on Ethos, Pathos, and Logos: What Aristotle and Joshua Bell can teach us about persuasion - Conor Neill

Manuscript notes: Your first draft should be 3-4 pages, typed, double-spaced, in 12-pt. Times New Roman font. Your final draft must be at least 1500 words. You must have page numbers and a creative title that reflects the content of the essay. You must reference at least 5 outside sources (including the cultural object you are discussing and at least two scholarly, peer reviewed articles) although more are encouraged. These sources must be properly cited in MLA format as both internal citations and an MLA works cited.