How to write a genre analysis instead of a research paper
Hello Students!
Next week, we will meet again in Video Conferences. Make sure you sign up now because we have fewer slots available and you want to make sure you have one which fits into your schedule. The consequences of missing a conference meeting is: no feedback on your draft, a zero for participation in the conference, and two absences.
This Week's Twitter Assignment: Select ONE of the narratives from your Curation and live tweet it on your class Twitter. Watch it or read and tweet your thoughts about it. Not a summary, but commentary and analysis, like when you watch a movie you've seen a million times with your friends and talk to the screen or point out things to each other-- except your friends are on Twitter. If you don't want to do this alone, schedule a time when a classmate can tweet it with you if possible. Don't think you have to do a movie or a TV show. Books are very interesting live-tweets.
With the information you gathered in your curation about the subgenre and the subgenre's conventions, you will be writing a 1,500 analysis of that subgenre. Your first draft is due on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25 before 11:59 pm. I want you to select the BEST examples from your curation to analyze considering all 10 of the conventions you provided. You do not need to cover all 10, but you should select examples which perfectly follows the conventions and AT LEAST ONE which works even though it challenges (subverts) those conventions. If you need to make adjustments to your curation, that's fine.
You will not need to do any outside research. You will not need a Works Cited page. You will not be consulting with the creators of your examples for their "intentions". You will be relying on your observations and your critical thinking skills.
Analysis is an opportunity to view something beyond the summary or a superficial presentation of the work. Think of it more like a dissection. Or reverse engineering. The best way to understand how a narrative works is to break it down to all of its rhetorical elements. You will be writing your Project 3 in this subgenre style, so you need to look at it closely in order to replicate the style. Your Project #2 paper will be you teaching your reader the elements of a composition and how it fulfills the rules and expectations of that subgenre. You will also be explaining how a composition stretches those rules and still make a composition fall under that subgenre category.
What are the parts you will be exploring and listing in your paper:
Mode: The mode is how the audience experiences the composition and is either Text-based, Audio, Visual, or Audio/Visual. When considering how it is experienced, also consider the form. TV shows are either long stories broken in parts or short stand-alone stories (like anthology series such as Black Mirror). The mode will determine the media.
Media: The media is how the audience has access to the composition. The media is either face-to-face, digital, or print. Also consider how this media is purchased or procured. Digital is often free, however, the composition may only be accessible through a subscription service or paywall. Also, media changes. Is your show something which was composed to be broadcast week to week and is now streaming? The media distinctions will determine the audience.
Audience: Who is experiencing this composition. Consider age, income, geography, etc. Something behind a paywall will only be accessible to those who can pay for it. Some older compositions are only available now on antiquated technology or may be out of print. Don't make absolute assumptions about who is watching something because sometimes the results will surprise you. Push to understand why something appeals to a certain audience. Such as, why is Friends the number one show of 18-20 year olds and 40+ year olds? Why is Grey's Anatomy the longest running medical drama on television and streaming?
Style and Design: What does it look like? What style decisions did the composer make to appeal to their audience? What style decisions did they make to fit in the appropriate subgenre.
Rhetorical Appeals: Remember Ethos, Pathos, and Logos? How is the composer using Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to make the narrative believable, emotional, or logical? If it is scary, how are they using the appeals to make it scary? If it romantic, how are they using the appeals to connect to romance?
Next, after you label all the parts of the composition, I want you explain how this composition either fulfills of subverts the subgenre conventions. You have already outlined what the expectations of the subgenre are in your curation. How are they using them in the service of the story?
A word of advice: students have a tendency to overthink this paper because it is less labor-intensive than Project #1. They think it is a trap. It is 1,500 words. It is an analysis instead of hard research. It encourages you to rewatch and enjoy books, movies, and TV shows you already love. It is not a trap. But I also take it seriously because you are using your critical thinking skills and the writing skills you have already improved upon since this semester began.
I ask you to use three examples for this paper. This does not mean I am asking for a 5- paragraph essay. To be clear: I AM NOT ASKING FOR A 5-PARAGRAPH ESSAY. Also, if you wish to add a 4th example, that is fine. I absolutely do not want all 10. If you follow the OUTLINE as provided, you are looking at an 8 paragraph essay, however, this will depend on your topic sentences and claims.
Don't Forget:
P2 Outlines are due TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22 before 11:59 pm.
Draft 1 for Project #2 is due FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25
This Week's Twitter Assignment: Select ONE of the narratives from your Curation and live tweet it on your class Twitter. Watch it or read and tweet your thoughts about it. Schedule a time when a classmate can tweet it with you if possible. Don't think you have to do a movie or a TV show. Books are very interesting live-tweets.
