Assignment task: Hong Kong Films
Hong Kong Cinema through a Global Lens
This assignment is an opportunity for you to showcase the knowledge you have acquired in this course as well as your strengths in research; critical thinking; and articulate, concise writing. Choose a topic that you are interested in and craft an essay of about 1000 - 1200 words (4-5 pages double-spaced in length using Times New Roman Font Size 12) in which you present a central argument and close reading of a limited body of primary sources (Hong Kong films). Your essay should be based on research you have done about your chosen topic, and you are welcome to study and write about any of the films we are examining in this class. Your paper should present a clear thesis and sufficient proof to substantiate your argument. You must present a close analytical reading of at least one film and engage at least one secondary source in your paper. You may choose from a broad variety and options of paper topics, depending on what you are most interested in. You may trace a key idea or theme in several films of your choosing. Or you may choose to focus on only one film and carefully explain one or more key elements within it.
Paper Writing Review:
1. Read entire the paper carefully.
2. Read the argument / thesis set out in the introduction of the paper and evaluate the following:
o Does the introduction feature a well-defined and well-rounded thesis that can actually be argued? In other words, would it be possible to argue against the argument? If the answer is yes, then it most likely is an actual argument?
o Does the author clearly state the primary sources he/she will analyze in this paper, and are these sources properly introduced (giving the title, author, year of publication, and other necessary contextual information)?
o Does the author present a clear "road map" for the reader in the introduction, which will allow the reader to understand the purpose, argument and methodology of the paper?
3. Read and evaluate the analysis of primary sources / films in the paper:
o Does the author present a careful, well-organized critical reading of the primary sources, in order to prove the central argument laid out in the introduction?
o Does the author provide textual evidence and citations from the primary sources, and are quotes properly analyzed and discussed?
o Does the author critically examine the content and ideas within a given text, as well as the narrative and/or cinematic techniques that are used in the literary and/or visual text under discussion? In other words, does the author focus on the "what" as well as the "how" of a text?
4. Evaluate the engagement of one or more secondary / scholarly sources in the paper:
o Does the author engage with ideas or concepts in at least one secondary source? Please note that this may be a scholarly article or book from our syllabus or another source that the author found by him or herself. o Does the author properly cite this secondary source, and attribute ideas to the author of the source?
5. Read and evaluate the conclusion of the paper:
o Does the paper have a clearly-defined and well-organized conclusion?
o Does this conclusion present a concise overview of the central argument and the textual evidence revealed in the paper, to underscore that the argument has been substantiated?
6. Evaluate the overall format of the paper:
o Does the paper have an effective title and a cover page stating the author's name and course title?
o Does the paper use correct MLA or Chicago Manual of Style format to give in text citations or footnote citations?
o Are in-text citations / quotations properly formatted? Are longer quotations indented and single-spaced?
o Does the paper include a properly formatted bibliography of all primary and secondary sources used?
o Has the paper been proofread and spell-checked?
o Does the paper have page numbers, which should begin on the first page of written text, not on the cover page?
o Does the paper have proper margin, font and spacing?