Essay

Your first research essay should be a fully completed work of 5 pages (
Body Paragraphs, NOT including Title or Reference Page, or any graphics). Your topic may be related to the development of any idea that has already been expressed as part of the course; your thesis should be a synthesis of carefully documented research and critical analysis of this topic. The essay should incorporate the general parts of an academic essay—an introduction and thesis, a body of specific evidence/support/analysis, and a conclusion that emphasizes the answers to questions you may have asked within your research.

Your writing should address the Core Learning Outcomes of the course and the Instructor Specific Learning Outcomes, as specified on the syllabus. I have included them here for your convenience:

1. Analyze the disciplinary content in its own context and in relationship to the issues, questions, and positions of other disciplines.

2. Compare and contrast differences and similarities among the disciplines in terms of central concerns, values, methodologies, and relationships to public life.

3. Synthesize diverse perspectives to achieve an interdisciplinary understanding.

4. Analyze the relationships among academic knowledge, professional work, and the responsibilities of local and global citizenship.

5. Interpret and critique the possible “real world” connections or behaviors associated with the viewing or playing of media violence.

Instructor Learning Outcomes

1. Identify, discuss, and critique the representations of serial killers as heroes, celebrities, and icons in modern media forms. Explain the characteristics of the media forms, genres, and methods for each subject.

2. Describe and analyze the popular culture forms that encourage audience identification or participation through violence or vicarious experience.

3. Evaluate multiple perspectives, modes of inquiry and expression, and processes for decision-making in the disciplines.

Specifics

Your essay should conform to the MLA format for citations within the text and in your works cited. Therefore, your writing should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins, in a 10-12-pitch font. The grading of this essay will be based upon the objective skills we have focused upon in our course lectures and discussions—incorporating your research sources seamlessly within your own writing, building upon your skills as a “close-reading” expert, and analysis of your topic, and answering the larger questions about “why” we are studying serial killers as heroes (as well as, “why” your topic is popular? important? significant? worthy of study? definitive of its audience?)

Resources

You should carefully construct your essay by looking at the examples we have studied within our course—the popular culture essays that have been part of your reading assignments, our in-class examples, and the writing process that has been investigated in our class assignments (Reader Response Essays, Discussion Postings, etc.).

This is an enhanced, clearer version of the instructions from the Week 8 Module. Clarifications from me are in brackets/blue and important points are bolded. You should start planning this essay NOW to avoid stress and frustration. Working in “small bites” is always the best way to approach large projects.

Assignment

Paper: Your Final Research Essay should be a
fully completed work of 5 pages [
body only – NOT including Title Page, Sources, graphics/charts or other elements]. Your topic may be
related to the development of any idea that has already been expressed as part of the course [you can write about
anything –
your choice – as long as it’s
related to the class materials and topics. Think about what interested you particularly and if you have questions, send the idea to me and I’ll be happy to review it].

Ideas were provided for the
Midterm that would work here (though you
cannot
rehash your Midterm). You can choose from any of the materials/subjects from Weeks 1-7 for this essay, not only the first three weeks. Craft these example prompts in a way you want with the subjects you want and you will have a topic. You can, of course, develop your own topic and approach.

Example questions/topics from Midterm instructions:

· You may
compare and contrast the way
literary analysis would analyze 
Darkly Dreaming Dexter [or any novel]
differently than
a film analysis would be of the TV series [or movie].  How does Dexter’s “heroic” vigilantism bleed into the real world?

· You may
compare or contrast the film analysis of Alfred Hitchcock’s 
Psycho with the
medical or psychological diagnosis of Norman Bates.  Is it possible to learn from the film’s fiction to allow us to see a “real world” perspective on serial killers?

· How would a
criminal justice perspective on Hannibal Lecter differ from a
social psychological profile?  How does our academic knowledge change our viewing of the film? 

Other options could be analyzing how the movies/ TV series or novels were reviewed, analysis of characters or other elements, the connection between the fictional characters and real-life criminals (who were often the basis for the fictional characters), WHY the market for anything “serial killer related” is so huge or anything else you want to explore. Do not forget to start with a
Research Question about your topic, the
answer to which (through research) will be your
Thesis Statement.

Your
Thesis Statement should be a
synthesis of carefully documented research and critical analysis of this topic. Note that the Thesis Statement is an assertive
statement and
never
a question. The essay should
incorporate the general parts of an academic essay—an Introduction and Thesis, a body of specific evidence/support/analysis, and a conclusion that emphasizes the answers to questions you may have asked within your research.

Your writing should address the
Core Learning Outcomes of the course as specified on the syllabus.

I have included the Outcomes here for your convenience [include/demonstrate as many as you can]:

1.
Analyze the disciplinary content
in its own context and in relationship to the issues, questions, and positions of other disciplines.

2.
Compare and
contrast differences and similarities among the disciplines in terms of central concerns, values, methodologies, and relationships to public life.

3.
Synthesize diverse perspectives to achieve an interdisciplinary understanding.

4.
Analyze the relationships among
academic knowledge, professional work, and the responsibilities of local and global citizenship.

5.
Interpret and critique the possible
“real world” connections or behaviors associated with the viewing or playing of media violence.

Instructor Learning Outcomes:

1.
Identify, discuss and critique the representations of serial killers as heroes, celebrities, and icons in modern media forms. Explain the characteristics of the media forms, genres, and methods for each subject.

2.
Describe and analyze the popular culture forms that encourage audience identification or participation through violence or vicarious experience.

3.
Evaluate multiple perspectives, modes of inquiry and expression, and processes for decision-making in the disciplines.

Specifics

Your essay should conform to the
MLA format [I’ll also accept APA – just make sure you don’t mix the styles] for
citations within the text and in your
Works Cited [or Reference]
Page. Therefore, your writing should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins, in a 10-12-pitch font. The grading of this essay will be based upon the objective skills we have focused on in our course lectures and discussions—incorporating your research sources seamlessly within your own writing, building upon your skills as a “close-reading” expert and analysis of your topic, and answering the larger questions about “why” we are studying serial killers as heroes (as well as, “why” your topic is popular? important? significant? worthy of study? definitive of its audience?)

Resources

You should carefully construct your essay by looking at the
examples we have studied within our course—
the popular culture essays that have been part of your reading assignments, our in-class examples, and the writing process that has been investigated in our class assignments (Midterm Essay, Discussion Postings, etc). [You can include any of the sources I’ve posted in
Discussion or
Doc Sharing or any other
credible sources you find on your own]. Below are links to information on the two styles:

MLA

APA