Indian Society Through Film 

INTL 407/507, 2nd half of Summer Session 2008

T & Th, 4-8:20 p.m., July 22-August 12

Lewis Lounge, 4th Floor, Knight Law School

Grading Guidelines

The following is an elaboration of what is expected for an "A" grade for each of the three kinds of assignments for this course. Attendance at each class meeting is mandatory for successful completion of the course.

(1) Film essay: one 2-3 page typed, double-spaced essay exploring cultural issues presented in any film viewed in this course. The essay is due at the beginning of the class after the film is screened. "A" quality: Well written (including spelling and syntax – so proofread it), with introductory and concluding paragraphs. Draws on the reading and lecture materials and connects them with specific cultural issues shown in the film.

(2) Take-home final exam: Well written answers (including spelling and syntax) based in large part on the reading materials and lecture notes, supplemented by what you have seen in the various films and our class discussions. Proper citations required; any quotes should be introduced and integrated into the body of the answer, and not left simply to dangle by themselves.

(3) Term paper: typed, double-spaced, with bibliography and citations, and handed in on time. Well written (including spelling and syntax), with introductory and concluding paragraphs, and makes an argument about an issue. The more specific the topic (e.g., women in India's urban labor force; changing nature of Indian films reflecting changing norms and values ), the better chance you have in addressing the issue succinctly. A very general topic (e.g., women in India) just cannot be addressed adequately in the limited page length assigned. Be certain to "clear" your paper topic as soon as possible with Dr. Weiss to ensure it fulfills the requirement of being a "social issue," that it's not too general, and for suggestions of how to get started on it. Refer to South Asian magazines and newspapers both on-line and in the library, current journal articles and books (usually 2-3, but it depends on the topic), and don't forget to look at data available in World Bank and UNDP resources and elsewhere (in the Documents section of the library and on-line). Internet resources are terrific for this kind of paper, but need to be cited properly (ask a professional librarian for assistance if necessary), and not be used exclusively; they should be complemented by scholarly resources (e.g., books, journal articles).