Film History to 1945

Annotated Bibliography Assignment

Writing an annotated bibliography is a great preparation for a research project. Just collecting sources for a bibliography is useful, but when you have to write annotations for each source, you're forced to read each source more carefully. You begin to read more critically instead of just collecting information. At the professional level, annotated bibliographies allow you to see what has been done in the literature and where your own research or scholarship can fit. A solid annotated bibliography also helps you formulate a thesis, by helping you gain a good perspective on what is being said about your topic. By reading and responding to a variety of sources on a topic, you'll start to see what the issues are, what people are arguing about, and you'll then be able to develop your own point of view.

Make sure that you choose a relatively narrow topic; you may focus on a single film, a director, or a specific film movement or national tradition that we have covered in class (until 1945). Your sources should be all serious academic studies, no film reviews, blogs, etc. You may read more and look at more, but prepare an annotated bibliography of 5 to 7 sources.

Don't forget the title of your topic. Also, include a brief introductory statement which explains/introduces your topic and your main finding or thesis.

An annotated bibliography includes a summary and evaluation of or reflection on each of the sources. While the sources will depend on your project or focus, all your annotations should achieve the following:

Summary: What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics/films are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say?

Assessment: After summarizing a source, you need to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Does it present/approach your topic in a new way? What is the goal of this source?

Reflection: Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?

Format: Follow the Chicago or MLA style for source citation!

Attachment:- Annotated-Bibliography-Sample.rar