Friday, April 29th: “Television Critical Analysis Paper”: in-class essay
MAKE SURE TO PREVIEW The Simpsons episodes online (see below) and prepare for in-class essay
The Simpsons Episodes:
Thanks to one May Mullen, it seems we may be able to access The Simpsons episodes online (fingers crossed). This has been a problem in the past, as FOX seems pretty stingy about making the show available for the masses. The website is called “KissCartoon,” and here is the link: http://kisscartoon.me/Search/Cartoon
From this link, you should be able to watch any episode. I ask that for this paper, you choose ONE of the following four episodes. If you REALLY want to choose another one, be sure to let me know so that I can watch it beforehand. Note: You may NOT analyze “Fat and the Furriest,” which we will be looking at in class. (http://kisscartoon.me/Cartoon/The-Simpsons-Season-15/Episode-005?id=664)
Online Links:
“Mobile Homer” (Season 16, Episode 13):
http://kisscartoon.me/Cartoon/The-Simpsons-Season-16/Episode-013?id=694
“The Seven Beer Snitch” (Season 16, Episode 14):
http://kisscartoon.me/Cartoon/The-Simpsons-Season-16/Episode-014?id=695
“A Star is Torn” (Season 16, Episode 18):
http://kisscartoon.me/Cartoon/The-Simpsons-Season-16/Episode-014?id=695
“Margical History Tour” (Season 15, Episode 11):
http://kisscartoon.me/Cartoon/The-Simpsons-Season-15/Episode-011?id=670
Critical Analysis: in-class essay
Timed: 75 minutes
This paper will be a timed 75-minute in-class essay, in which you will apply Paul A. Cantor’s argument to a specific episode of The Simpsons. You may use any ONE of the episodes listed above with the exception of “The Fat and the Furriest,” which we will be viewing and analyzing in class.
This assignment puts on you the burden of watching an episode of The Simpsons in order to compare what you see in your episode with Paul A. Cantor’s arguments—in “The Simpsons: Atomistic Politics and the Nuclear Family”—about the “deep politics” of the show.
Before you watch the episodes, you might want to make a list of the “deep politics” categories that Cantor discusses, including ideas of partisan politics (i.e. politics that favor either the Democrats or Republicans), the nuclear family (and the roles played by each character in the family), religion, the community and local politics (vs. large, governmental politics), and the media (among many others). You may also consider other elements of “deep politics” not directly touched on by Cantor.
Then, pick the episode you feel best represents the ideas offered by Cantor; with a pen and notebook ready, watch the episode again (you will probably need to watch the episode several times). Try your best to take extensive notes as you watch, writing down bits of dialogue or plot summary in the categories you’ve listed (see my handout example “plot moments”). When you’ve finished watching the episode and while it’s still fresh in your memory, write down your impressions of how the show deals with each (or as many as you “see”) of the categories that Cantor discusses; depending on the episode, some of the categories may be dealt with extensively and others not at all.
A few considerations: While you may choose to organize your paper either chronologically (i.e. according to the order of events in the episode) or thematically (i.e. according to the various elements of deep politics presented in the episode), you’ll need to carefully delineate Cantor’s argument in your essay (i.e. perhaps in your introduction and/or at the beginning of key paragraphs) as you apply it to your episode. Also, be sure to use quotations from Cantor’s article as well as descriptions/quotes of the episode you watched in order to develop and prove your argument. Finally, leave plenty of time to proofread and revise where necessary
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