Transnational aspects of film XXXXX Essay Dissertation Help

Transnational aspects of film XXXXX
Order Description
For the third and final paper, students will choose a film from the list that appears below and examine its transnational elements onscreen. (NOTE: students may also choose a film that does not appear on the list. However, students should verify their choice with the professor.) In short, how is the film transnational onscreen? Students may also allude to the film’s funding only insofar as that funding appears to impinge upon the film’s content.

Some questions that may help to shape one’s paper include: Are there some onscreen elements of the film that are more transnational than others? Are there times when national elements from at least two countries mingle that give the film a transnational aspect as opposed to a diffuse globalism? What are those national elements? How does this mingling take place? Is this mixing of national elements positive or negative?

As with the other essays in this course, you will need to select particular facets of a film and examine its transnational properties using specific examples. If necessary, students may rely on Deborah Shaw’s “Deconstructing and Reconstructing ‘Transnational Cinema’” as a frame to understand the different ways that a film can be transnational.

Regarding the paper’s argument, it may be helpful (but not obligatory) for students to formulate a compelling thesis about what a film’s transnational content reveals about a conflict or larger theme, such as war, politics, commerce, immigration, or drug trafficking, among other topics. For example in the case of Pan’s Labyrinth almost all the actors and actresses are almost all Spanish, with the exception of one moment in which it becomes apparent a Frenchman is fighting with the guerrillas before he has his leg amputated. At that moment, the French character reads a newspaper article about U.S. forces arriving to Europe during WW2. Given such a moment, what does Pan’s Labyrinth communicate about the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and WW2?

Students should have at least two secondary scholarly resources (book, book chapter, article) and use them in their analysis. These resources do not need to be specifically about the transnational aspects of the movie you choose. Instead, the resources might deal with a non-transnational aspect of a movie (e.g., how it embodies some national identity). Moreover, a helpful scholarly resource may be about a theme of the film, such as globalization or war. (NOTE: Deborah Shaw’s aforementioned essay cannot be one of the two scholarly resources.) Students should avoid excessively quoting from secondary sources (e.g., quoting someone else’s sentence when only a phrase suffices, or quoting a whole paragraph when a phrase also suffices). In addition, students are allowed to draw on “non-scholarly” resources as well, such as IMDB or online newspapers. The secondary resources should be listed using MLA format in a separate page entitled “Works Cited.”

In addition to the aforementioned elements, a student’s paper should have the following:

3-4 pages in length (this specified pagination does not include the “Works Cited” page);
size 12 and Times New Roman font with normal margins;
correct grammar and spelling;
a compelling title that goes beyond “Essay #3.” Consider formulating a title that will orient the reader to the content of your paper;
clear arguments with examples from the film;
a thesis statement that presents an argument. “María eres llena de gracia is a very transnational film” or “Pan’s Labyrinth is very interesting” are not compelling arguments;
you are encouraged to visit the IU Writing Center and/or talk to Professor Risner or the course AI, Ellen.