Here are the intructions as stated by my professor: The individual book / film study is an option for one of the two term assignments you are required to complete. For this paper, choose one of the works of literature or cinema given in the guidelines for this assignment
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and show how it connects (exemplifies, expands, contradicts) to a theme that emerges from our other course materials–films, readings, lectures. You should make explicit reference (comparison, contrast, etc.) to one or more of our course films, readings, and/or background lectures–I will be looking for this in assessing the essay. Don’t spend much time or energy summarizing the content for its own sake; you should assume that your reader (me) is familiar with the book or film in question. Instead, concentrate on analyzing how the work provides a specific instance of some general theme that we’ve been discussing. ‘Outside’ sources are not expected nor required, though if you have relevant material at hand it is certainly forbidden. However, don’t turn this into a research paper; concentrate on your own interpretation of the work and your understanding of how it fits into the historical context.
Many items on the list are available for streaming or check-out from the PSU Library, or on the public domain internet, but some are not. If mode of access is an issue for you, check on this before committing to a choice. For titles where there is a book and a movie version, choose one or the other for your assignment, recognizing that there may be significant differences between them.
For this paper (about 6-8 pp.), choose one of the films or books from the handout posted to Canvas, and explain how it relates to one (or more) of the themes we’re developing in the class. Explicit comparison or contrast to one (or more) of our assigned films or readings is expected. As soon as you have chosen a title, but no later than Week IV, let me know, as there may be some specific things I’d like you to attend to or avoid in your paper. Some options for this assignment are available for checkout from the PSU, or online through the Library or public-domain internet; some you will have to buy, rent, etc. If mode of access is an issue for you, check on the status before committing to a choice. The paper is due on the Friday of Week VII. (Note the deadline! For both your sake and mine, not all papers are due all at once at the end of the term.) Undergraduates may use only one IFS towards the TA requirement.
There are of course many other possible works of literature or cinema that might also qualify. Nevertheless, though there is nothing magical or sacred about this list, I would like to stick to these options for purposes of this assignment.
Topics covered in the class: Scientific management, Eugenics, Cold War,
Films watched in class: Modern Times, Godzilla (original), The Golem, Dr. Caligari, Blade Runner, Gattaca, Dr. Strangelove