Writing Assignment: Media Analysis You are required to submit the FINAL copy of this assignment, but you may first submit an optional DRAFT. This will allow you to receive qualitative feedback that can inform your revision. You should always avoid focusing solely on the grader’s DRAFT feedback; use the feedback as a supplement to the course lessons and your own revision ideas. Always expect to revise beyond what the DRAFT grader specifically notes if you want to improve your score. For this media analysis, you will analyze how one part affects the whole media production. Note that you should select only a single piece of media; you should not be discussing more than one film, for example. You should choose one1 of the following parts to explore:  Genre: Explain how the production you chose fits into its genre.  Camera: Analyze how the camera’s use (camera angles, for instance) affects the overall production.  Lighting: Describe how lighting is used to enhance or detract from the production.  Actors/Characters: Analyze how the actors OR the characters themselves enhance or detract from the production.  Symbols: Explain what the symbols are and how their usage affects the overall production.  Music: Describe how the music enhances or detracts from the media production.  Sound Effects: Analyze how the sound effects enhance or detract from the production.  Special Effects: Explain what special effects are used and how they affect the viewing experience.  Comparison to a Literary Work: (Note: This option may only be chosen if the film you chose is also in print form.) How are the book and film similar? How are they different? Which is better, and why? Your purpose in this assignment is to explain how or why something works; therefore, you should not include a full summary of the media production. Instead, you can provide context where needed so the reader understands what is happening. The body of the essay must 1 Please review the rubric and note that you will not earn full credit if you analyze more than one of these components. focus on your analysis. You can use the ideas contained in the Media Analysis lesson presentation and the Writer’s Handbook link to help you. As with all college writing, your essay should have a strong thesis statement in addition to an introduction, body, and conclusion. Other than your chosen film, television show, and/or book, you are required to cite at least one other credible2 source for this essay. This resource from the course will help you understand more about evaluating sources. Moreover, if you use specific information from the media production and/or print source, such as a quotations, you should include your chosen media source on your Works Cited page, too. Use proper parenthetical citations or signal phrases, and be sure to include MLA documentation and a Works Cited pag.

1. Writing Assignment: Media Analysis
You are required to submit the FINAL copy of this assignment,
but you may first submit an optional
DRAFT. This will allow you to receive qualitative feedback that
can inform your revision. You should
always avoid focusing solely on the grader’s DRAFT feedback;
use the feedback as a supplement to the
course lessons and your own revision ideas. Always expect to
revise beyond what the DRAFT grader
specifically notes if you want to improve your score.
For this media analysis, you will analyze how one part affects
the whole media production.
Note that you should select only a single piece of media; you
should not be discussing more
than one film, for example. You should choose one1 of the
following parts to explore:
genre.
instance) affects the
overall production.
from the production.
themselves enhance or

2. detract from the production.
affects the overall
production.
the music enhances or detracts from the
media production.
detract from the
production.
how they affect the viewing
experience.
be chosen if the film you
chose is also in print form.) How are the book and film similar?
How are they
different? Which is better, and why?
Your purpose in this assignment is to explain how or why
something works; therefore, you
should not include a full summary of the media production.
Instead, you can provide context
where needed so the reader understands what is happening. The
body of the essay must
1 Please review the rubric and note that you will not earn full
credit if you analyze more than one of these
components.

3. focus on your analysis. You can use the ideas contained in the
Media Analysis lesson
presentation and the Writer’s Handbook link to help you.
As with all college writing, your essay should have a strong
thesis statement in addition to an
introduction, body, and conclusion.
Other than your chosen film, television show, and/or book, you
are required to cite at least
one other credible2 source for this essay. This resource from the
course will help you
understand more about evaluating sources. Moreover, if you use
specific information from
the media production and/or print source, such as a quotations,
you should include your
chosen media source on your Works Cited page, too. Use proper
parenthetical citations or
signal phrases, and be sure to include MLA documentation and
a Works Cited page for this
assignment (this resource from the course will help).
Review the rubric to see how your work will be assessed on this
assignment.
Thesis hints: You might use these guidelines in crafting your
thesis:
If you are analyzing elements in a production:
In (add your one chosen production), (add character 1), (add
character 2), and (add character 3) were
used to (add how they enhanced the production or explained the

4. production’s message).
OR
If you are comparing/contrasting a book and film:
(Add book) contained (add one aspect that made the book better
than the film), but (add film) used
(add one aspect that made the film better than the book) and
(add a second aspect that made the
film better than the book) to better capture the reader’s
imagination.
Here are more specific thesis guidelines:
If you are analyzing elements in a production:
In the movie The Lorax, the characters Lorax, Once-ler, and
Alocius O'Hare were used to show how
environmentalists are fighting against profit-driven industries
that are harming the environment and
depleting natural resources.
2 Please note: Basic dictionary sources, user-edited websites
(e.g., Wikipedia, eHow, etc.), and sites that house
databases of quotations are not considered “credible” sources.
You will lose points in the Research category of the
rubric if your sources aren’t credible.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/553/01/

5. https://s3.amazonaws.com/StraighterLine/Docs/MLA+Unit.pdf
OR
If you are comparing/contrasting a book and film:
Even though the characters were portrayed mostly the same
across the book and the movie in
Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight, the setting in the movie was much
more detailed, which made the movie
a much better overall experience compared to the book.
The guidelines for this assignment are as follows:
Length: This assignment should be at least 500 words.
Header: Include a header in the upper left-hand corner of your
writing assignment with the
following information:
rst and last name
Format:
-style source documentation and Works Cited3
-right corner of
each page
-spacing throughout

6. .doc, .rtf, or .txt
Underline your thesis statement in the introductory paragraph.
3 This resource may be helpful as you are making MLA
formatting decisions:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Capstone: Master's Project Overview
Over the next eight weeks, this course will guide you through
the major phases of your Capstone: Master's Project. Each
week's activities are designed to keep you on track and
productive with assignments that will result in a completed
Capstone Project. The course textbook is intended to provide
helpful models and guidelines for project planning. Other than
this information, no new course material is presented. You
should use your previous course material and research new
scholarly resources to support your plan or proposal. The
weekly Discussions also focus on the development of your
Capstone Project and provide a forum to share progress, ideas,
and feedback with your colleagues.
Your Capstone Project begins with a problem statement and
rationale. Whatever type of plan or proposal you create for your
project, it should be designed to respond to a local need or
problem within a particular institution. This could be the
institution where you currently work, one where you aspire to
work, or another with which you are familiar. Examples of

7. problems include:
· Low student retention or persistence, overall or for a
particular demographic group
· Lack of evidence of student learning, overall or for particular
programs or student populations
· Low levels of faculty or staff engagement in learning-centered
teaching or student support activities
· Inefficiency or low productivity in certain programs or
services
The plan or proposal that you will develop for your Capstone
Project may address one or more of these types of problems in
one or more ways, such as:
· A plan for a program or initiative to increase student
retention, engagement, or learning
· A proposal for a policy or process change
· A proposal for a faculty or staff development program
· A position paper on institutional change with regard to a
particular issue or problem
The intent is not to actually complete and implement your plan
or proposal within the timeframe of this course, but to complete
a sufficiently detailed plan or proposal that could be
implemented later. You will also share your plan or proposal
with a real-world stakeholder audience, get feedback, and
incorporate that feedback into your project.
Week-by-Week Assignments
Week 1: Project Problem Statement
Week 2: Literature Review
Week 3: Project Outline and Stakeholders
Week 4: Project Draft PowerPoint Presentation (submitted for
peer review only)
Week 5: Revised Project Draft Presentation
Week 6: Stakeholder Review
Week 7: Capstone: Master's Project
Assignment: Project Problem Statement

8. Your Capstone Project will take the form of a plan or proposal
to improve some aspect of an institution of higher education. If
you currently work in a college or university, you may develop
a project for that institution, or you may focus your project on
an institution where you would like to work, or another with
which you are familiar. I don’t work at a University but I would
like to use a University within the US, you can choose if you
are familiar with one.
Be sure to read the Capstone: Master's Project Overview
located in the Course Overview area on the left navigation bar
for an overview of the entire project. (Attached)
Your project begins with a problem statement and rationale.
Whatever type of plan or proposal you create for your project, it
should be designed to respond to a local need or problem within
a particular institution.
Examples of problems include:
· Low student retention or persistence, overall or for a
particular demographic group
· Lack of evidence of student learning, overall or for particular
programs or student populations
· Low levels of faculty or staff engagement in learning-centered
teaching or student support activities
· Inefficiency or low productivity in certain programs or
services
The plan or proposal that you will develop for your Capstone
Project may address one or more of these types of problems in
one or more ways, including:
· A plan for a program or initiative to increase student
retention, engagement, or learning
· A proposal for a policy or process change
· A proposal for a faculty or staff development program
· A position paper on institutional change with regard to a
particular issue or problem

9. The intent is not to actually complete and implement your plan
or proposal within the timeframe of this course, but to complete
a sufficiently detailed plan or proposal that could be
implemented later. You will also share your plan or proposal
with a real-world stakeholder audience, get feedback, and
incorporate that feedback into your project.
In this week's Discussion you worked with your colleagues to
refine your problem statement for your Capstone Project. Based
on that discussion and some preliminary research you will
submit your project problem statement to your Instructor for
approval.
For this week's assignment, complete a 2–3 page summary of
your project problem statement and a rationale (need) for your
plan or proposal.
To assist you in developing your problem statement, ask
yourself the following questions:
· What issues or problems am I most concerned about in higher
education?
· What improvement needs to be made where I work?
· What knowledge have I gained from my previous coursework
that may assist me in completing my project?
· How can I apply this newly acquired knowledge and skills to a
real-world situation?
· What does the current literature say about my topic?
· Who will benefit by my project? My institution? Students?
Faculty? Higher education in general?
· What resources are available to me in completing my project?
· What stakeholder(s) will evaluate my project?
· Can I complete the project within the desired timeframe?
Assignment length: 2–3 pages. Include a cover sheet--APA style
and format— with your name and the title of your project. Due
Saturday July 6th by 10pm est