INTRODUCTION
The CC 365 semester project will be a research paper, 3500 to 4500 words in length (roughly 10 to 15 pages), that addresses themes and screen texts explored this semester.
NOTE: If you are using CC 365 to fulfill your Classics capstone requirement, your paper should be at least 4500 to 6000 words (roughly 15 to 20 pages).
The paper will be due Friday, December 4, at noon, the last day of the term.
TOPIC
The topic of the research paper is wide open. Successful papers might include (but are not limited to)
- Comparison of mythical screen texts in terms of subject matter, image, or theme.
- Comparison of approaches to bringing classical myth to the screen.
- Discussion of how screen texts influence public perception of classical myth.
- Discussion of what mythical scrceen texts mean in the 20th and 2st centuries.
These and other topics share a common methodology. All papers would necessarily
- Discuss one or more screen texts on our filmography (texts outside the list are welcome, if cleared in advance).
- Make use of both primary sources (the screen texts themselves and the ancient works that have inspired them) and secondary sources (articles, essays, reviews, and book chapters about the films).
- Engage in an appropriate amount of formal analysis.
- Follow proper procedures for documentation of others’ words and ideas.
- Adhere to the formatting requirements.
FORMATTING
Although it might seem the most trifling aspect of the project, proper formatting is very important. For one thing, it signals an organized approach to all of the media you will explore. For another, it builds upon the work of the Quizzes, which require similar formatting and organization.
Be sure to give yourself enough time to format your work, especially your filmographies bibliographies. The last two require attention to detail, so best not to rush.
General. Please be sure that your all work submitted for the project has
- Standard 12-point fonts, such as Times or Calibri.
- Double-spacing.
- 1.25-inch margins.
- Numbered pages.
- PDF formatting — no Word documents or other file formats.
- Your name and date on the first page.
In addition, your final draft should include
- Properly cited primary or secondary sources.
- A filmography and bibliography.
Citations. In-line (that is, parenthetical) citations of primary and secondary sources are preferred during the course of a discussion, especially if you are making a simple reference (timestamp, page numbers, and so forth). If you have something to say about a primary or secondary source that would supplement, but not advance, your argument, put it in a footnote.
Here are some examples of in-line citations (ask your instructor if they don’t make sense or if you think you have an unusual case).
- Film
(Name of Film, hh:mm:ss)
(Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, 01:35:23)
- TV show
(Name of Show, Episode series-number.episode-number, “Title of Episode,” hh:mm:ss)
(Troy: Fall of a City, Episode 1.1, “Black Blood,” 00:23:45)
- Ancient poet
(Name, Work book-number.line-number)
(Ovid, Metamorphoses 5.35)
- Ancient historian
(Name, Work [book-number.]chapter-number) (sometimes the book number is optional)
(Plutarch, Life of Theseus 23)
- Essay, Article or Book
(Author last name YYYY, page-number)
(Rankine 2013, 54)
- Web content
(Author last name YYYY)
(Haley 2020)
NOTE: Some parenthetical information, such as the title of a film, can be omitted to suit the context. For example, if you’re clearly talking about Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, there’s no need to include the film title in parentheses; just the timestamp will do.
NOTE: The above examples indicate the starting point of a sequence, but not necessarily the endpoint of one. If what you’re citing needs an endpoint, then provide an additional timestamp, line number, chapter number or page number as appropriate. Use an “en-dash” (–) rather than a hyphen (-) if you want to come fully correct.
Filmographies & Bibliographies. Your rough draft and final paper will have both a filmography and a bibliography, but you will also generate two additional bibliographies over the course of the project. Study and follow these examples at all times.
- Feature film
300 (2007). Directed by Zack Snyder. Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros.
- TV Series
Troy: Fall of A City (2018). Created by David Farr. BBC One/Netflix.
- Translated ancient source
Ovid (2005). Metamorphoses. Translated by Charles Martin. New York and London: W. W. Norton & Company.
- Single-authored book
Cyrino, Monica S. (2005). Big Screen Rome. Oxford: Blackwell.
- Edited book
Winkler, Martin M. ed. (2004). Gladiator: Film and History. Oxford: Blackwell.
- Journal article
Winkler, Martin M. (1995). “Cinema and the Fall of Rome.” Transactions of the American Philological Association 125: 135–54.
- Chapter in an edited volume
Cyrino, Monica S. (2004). “Gladiator and Contemporary American Society,” in Martin M. Winkler (ed.), Gladiator: Film and History. Oxford: Blackwell, 124–49.
- Online article
Bianco, R. (2007). “Rome Goes into Decline.” USA Today, 11 January, www.usatoday.com.
(NOTE: Use the shortest version of the web address that will take you to the site. Include a period after the URL.)
MILESTONES
Most milestones have Sunday noon (EST) deadlines, and they also appear on the course Calendar.
Overview
Tuesday, 09.22, in class
A look at the project webpage, and an opportunity to ask the big questions.
Thesis
Sunday, 10.04, noon (EST) via email
A 300-word description of your tentative topic, and the screen text(s) you intend to study. Prof. Curley will comment on your thesis and offer guidance toward refining your topic, as necessary.
Please remember to follow the formatting requirements.
Preliminary bibliography
Sunday, 10.18, noon (EST) via email
By now you should have already begun to gather and review scholarship on your topic. As an index of your progress, send Prof. Curley an unannotated bibliography of at least 10 germane secondary sources.
Please remember to follow the formatting requirements.
Annotated bibliography
Sunday, 11.01, noon (EST) via email
A list of 6 secondary sources, that have proven helpful to understanding your topic. Annotate only book chapters, articles, and essays. Do NOT try to annotate entire books. It is assumed that many items, if not all, will carry over from your preliminary bibliography.
Each entry in your list must be accompanied by two paragraphs of annotations.
- A summary of the source, its main idea or ideas.
- Your reaction in light of how your project is developing — how the secondary source has informed your view of the primary sources.
Annotate the works that have proven most helpful to you in exploring your topic. These 6 will form the bibliographic “core” of your paper, BUT they should not be the only works on the bibliography of your final paper, which will likely incorporate helpful sources from your preliminary bibliography, as well as sources you’ve discovered since this milestone.
Please remember to follow the formatting requirements.
Rough draft
Sunday, 11.15, noon (EST) via email
The rough draft should, at this early stage, represent 50–60% of your final paper. Many matters pertaining to structure and content should be settled, if not reasonably well developed. Gaps are acceptable, provided there are cogent summaries of what is missing.
Include both a filmography and an unannotated bibliography (including any new sources located since October 18), and use in-line citations to refer to your sources.
Please remember to follow the formatting requirements.
Meetings
Weeks of 11.16 and 11.23
Having read your rough drafts, Prof. Curley will meet with you via Zoom for about 30 minutes to discuss the direction of your paper and to offer advice.
Final paper
Friday, 12.04, noon (EST) via email
Your finished paper should be 3500 to 4500 words in length (4500 to 6000 words for capstone projects). Include an up-to-date filmography and an unannotated bibliography.
The paper should be free of careless mistakes in spelling and usage. It should read like the product of several months’ work, not several hours’.
In your prose, when you mention a screen text for the first time, place the name of the production company and the year in parentheses immediately following. And when you mention a character for the first time, place the name of the actor in parentheses immediately following.
EXAMPLES
- Directed with gusto by Wolfgang Peterson, Troy (Warner Bros., 2004)…
- But when Perseus meets Andromeda (Judi Bowker) for the first time…
- This scene of nuclear and extended family falls apart when Hades (voiced by James Woods) arrives on Olympus…
Use common sense and adjust the formulae as need be. If, for example, you’ve already mentioned the year of the film, just list the production company. If all your actors are voice actors, just used “voiced by” the first time around.
In addition to the above, for the last time, and for the love of all things holy, please remember to follow the general formatting requirements.
