Paper Assignment – A Theme in Postwar European Cinema

Paper Assignment – A Theme in Postwar European Cinema

  • Length: 1500-2400 words of text (about 5-8 pp.)
  • Format: Follow “Sample Short Paper” on our Handouts page. Use Chicago-style format with footnotes
  • For tips on writing papers for history, see my “Tips for Writing College History Papers” on our Handouts page

Your assignment is to analyze two (at a minimum) or three (maximum) of our films in light of a common theme that sheds some light on the history of postwar Europe. Your paper should focus upon a revealing theme and develop a historical argument about this theme with detailed analysis of particular scenes from our films.

So, for example, you might write about: fathers, mothers, children, freedom, violence, resistance, soccer, political convictions, sexuality, consumerism, identities or many other things. (But you will only write about one thing.) The trick here is to choose two or three films that make for an interesting comparison to illuminate the history we’ve been studying.

You may need to do a bit of re-reading in the textbook and (maybe also in) outside sources to understand the film and its context. You are welcome to make use of any materials that are helpful, but please, please, please remember that you need to cite your sources. You should use footnotes to cite: the sources of your information about the film, information about the context (when the film was made), and interpretations of the film that you draw upon. Show your research through your footnotes (otherwise you are stealing).

To write a strong paper, you will also need to rewatch the films that you are writing about. A strong paper will show a detailed grasp of the film, with citations to particular scenes and the elements of film. You should provide a first footnote with details on the film (title, director, year, site where you are watching it). You can cite individual scenes using the time stamp (hour:minute:second) in parentheses.

If you have any questions on citation, see “What is Plagiarism?” on our Handouts page.

Assistance

Please come talk to me about your ideas for the paper! Show me your outline; try out your argument on me. Just sign up for office hours. In addition, I suggest that you make use of the Writing Center, whether for brainstorming ideas or final stages of revision.

AI Policy

Remember the course AI policy: you may not use AI tools to generate ideas, outline, write, or edit your paper. Where I allow the use of AI tools, I require that you document your use of them by saving a copy of your AI conversations in a research folder you share with me. Violation of this policy is an academic integrity violation and will be subject to the same penalties as plagiarizing or cheating. If you have any questions about this policy or are not sure if a resource you have found will violate this policy, please ask.

Some Resources

In addition to our textbook and source readings, some outside sources might come in hand here. See the Books on Reserve (listed on our course web site and available at Andrews). Other resources? See the links for historical research on on our Links page.

Criteria of Evaluation

  • Does the paper present an interesting argument (laid out clearly in the introduction and demonstrated all through the paper) about a particular theme in postwar European cinema?
  • Does the paper demonstrate a mastery of historical context?
  • Does the paper demonstrate a mastery of the films, with concrete examples that support the argument?
  • Is it well organized (with a strong structure and well organized paragraphs)?
  • Is it well written – in clear prose that sounds like you?
  • Does it cite all sources and scenes and use information ethically?
  • Is it interesting?