Thesis statement or research questions

At the heart of your proposal (due Nov. 7) is a thesis or research questions about your selected media text. They serve as tools in the research and writing process, helping you articulate an argument that you will develop and support with specific evidence in your final research paper.

Here are examples of effective thesis statements by previous SMAD 373 students.

• The Fox Network's television show COPS is considered one of the pioneers in reality television. However, when researched more closely it becomes evident that COPS shows more of a detrimental depiction of unreality than it does the actual day-to-day life of a police officer. The show clearly misrepresents crime and race, and does so in a way that deceives viewers into believing that they are watching a documentary when, in actuality, they are being manipulated by producers who are only concerned with the bottom line.
• The year 1982 saw a major convergence of soda pop and popular entertainment. Coca-Cola, one of the largest corporations in the world, purchased Columbia Pictures, one of the major studios in the world's most beloved hybrid of art and commerce. The Columbia-Coke partnership yielded a number of blockbuster movies, and for some years was a triumph of synergy for both companies. While not every film made under the decade-long ownership was steeped in product placement, there was enough for it to negatively effect the quality of Columbia's films. Films like Murphy's Romance, and to a lesser extent Tootsie and The Big Chill, demonstrated that Coke's self-promoting in Columbia's films was excessive.

As you can see, each statement makes an argument that is original, not self-evident, and supportable through research and analysis rather than merely opinion.

Write a paragraph that introduces your topic and articulates either a preliminary thesis statement or preliminary research questions. Of course, you can expect your statement or questions to evolve and change as you continue your research and writing. I will respond individually to each post and I invite you to contact me directly if you would like additional feedback.

Please note: this blog post is due on Friday, November 2.

Midterm Essay

Write a five-page essay (double-spaced) based on The Insider and at least one other source. Be sure to analyze and engage critically with the ideas in your sources rather than simply citing them. Here are two excellent sources (a Vanity Fair article and a PBS Frontline website) that you may find helpful.

• "The Man Who Knew Too Much" 
• Inside the Tobacco Deal

Your essay should address one of the following topics:

• Corporate America. Variety reviewer Todd McCarthy called The Insider a "detailed analysis of the ferocious power, implacable arrogance and ultimate vulnerability of corporate America." How does the film represent corporate America? Which characters speak on behalf of corporate interests, and what personal qualities and values do they possess? How do the film's story lines and plot twists dramatize the conflicts between corporate interests and the public interest? Which side prevails by the end of the film?

• Whistle-blowers. After Jeffrey Wigand finally decided to go public on 60 Minutes, he found himself "sued, targeted in a smear campaign, divorced, and facing possible incarceration." Meanwhile, CBS killed Lowell Bergman's segment with Wigand's devastating testimony, though it was clearly newsworthy. How do the filmmakers develop the characters of Wigand and Bergman, two reluctant whistle-blowers in their corporations? What motivates them to tell the truth at great risk to their careers, families, and lives? 

• Your own topic. Come up with your own set of questions about The Insider. For example, you might want to examine which facts were changed in the film for dramatic effect or how Brown and Williamson tried to restore its corporate reputation. Be sure to connect your analysis with relevant concepts from our class readings such as corporate values, news journalism, the public sphere, and structural trends in the news and "infotainment" industry.

Use the questions listed above as a starting point, but feel free to expand your analysis beyond these questions. A hard copy of your essay is due in class on Monday, October 8. If you have any questions about the assignment, please post them here and I will do my best to answer them in a timely manner. Please note, however, that such comments will NOT count toward your five required blog posts.