Your Essays
Three sample student essays are available here.
Must be on one of the stories in the LeGuin anthology or a film or television show we have considered. Any other topic must be approved by me.
May be on a combination of works (two or more stories, a story and a film, two films).
Must not be a plot summary.
Should, like papers in your 200 level courses, have a clear thesis statement, an introduction and conclusion, coherent paragraphs, and a logical organization.
Should assume your classmates (and not your teacher) as your potential audience. Write it as if your audience has read the story/stories under consideration or seen the film or TV.
Think of your essay as an interpretation (an attempt to shed light on the work(s) under consideration through careful analysis of some aspect(s) of it; in interpretation, you are the expert , seeking to help your readers, who are familiar with the work(s) but do not understand it fully, to be better readers/viewers.
You might consider some of the following (this list is intended to be suggestive and not all-inconclusive): how the story/film/tv is told (its narrative structure), characters, purpose and meaning, language, imagery/iconography, qualifications as SF, genre/subgenre, reading protocol(s), novum(s), subtexts, use of estrangement.
Feel free to contact me (in person, via e-mail) to discuss paper topics.