AFAS 371: Hip-Hop Cinema Synthesis Paper
General guidelines:
Students should respond to all questions below in a paper of 7-10 pages in length. The paper should be double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font, and submitted to the D2L Dropbox as a Word document or PDF.
The best responses will include direct quotes and citations from course material to support their arguments. Remember, any time you cite another person's work in an academic paper you need to include internal citation information and a Works Cited page. If you're not sure how to do this, start with the resources below and ask me if you have any follow-up questions.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/980/04/
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/
Before composing your papers, please consult the grading rubric located in D2L and carefully review the section in the syllabus addressing plagiarism. I am here to help if you have any questions. However, if you wait until the last minute to contact me, I will probably not respond in time to provide meaningful assistance. Please plan ahead, respect my time, and submit writing assignments by the deadline.
Essay prompt:
Drawing on Sanchez, Donalson, and other course-related readings and films, please respond to the questions below. Be sure to provide specific quotes/evidence from course materials to support your arguments.
- Briefly summarize the origins of hip-hop culture and how it has affected cinema culture in the United States. (suggested length: 2-3 pages)
- Briefly discuss the politics of what constitutes US hip-hop cinema. For example, what elements make a film part of the hip-hop tradition? How is hip-hop culture portrayed and integrated into film's narrative? As a scholar of hip-hop cinema, how are these distinctions helpful and/or problematic? Here it can be helpful to use your Film Critique as an example and point of departure.(suggested length: 3-4 pages)
- Extra Credit: In your opinion, how can activists, educators, and practitioners harness the creative and economic powers of hip-hop culture and cinema to affect positive change in the world? (worth up to 10 additional points applicable to any assignment).