Defining Adaptation Or Parody Blog Post: Assignment Description

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Defining Adaptation or Parody Blog Post: Assignment Description

The possible texts for this project: Total Recall or Mars Attacks! Images from and

In order to understand adaptation and parody for your upcoming group project, you will write a blog post in which you define either adaptation or parody, based on evidence from one of two movies that you will watch (included as course “readings” in the syllabus).

Restrictions

This assignment applies to two different blog posts – you do not have to do both. Instead, you should do the post that is assigned as follows:

• Twitter Group 1 and 2: Define adaptation through Total Recall
• Note that Total Recall is an adaptation of “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale”
• Twitter Group 3 and 4: Define parody through Mars Attacks
• Mars Attacks responds to the SF genre, particularly to retro movies

Due Date and Where to Submit

• Option 1 (Twitter Groups 1 and 2, Adaptation Post): Due by 9 AM on Wednesday, 3/2
• Option 2 (Twitter Groups 3 and 4, Parody Post): Due by 9 AM on Friday, 3/4
• Paste or type directly into a blog post
• Category label: Adaptation OR Parody (use the one that applies to your option)
• Tags: Please tag your post with at least 3 tags. Tags are general keywords that describe the content of your post. Your tag should NOT be: Adaptation, parody
• Post Title: Your last name, Adaptation Blog OR Your last name, Parody Blog
• T-Square
• Assignment Submissions, Adaptation Blog OR Assignment Submissions, Parody Blog
• Be sure to submit in the right area
• .doc or .docx format only
• File Name: Last Name, Adaptation Blog OR Last Name, Parody Blog
• MLA essay format (see more about MLA style)
• Both submissions must be on time (I will penalize you if one is late)
• Remember to also post a blog comment by the start of class time on a fellow classmate’s work (for both days)

Requirements for Adaptation Post

• Content – answer each of the following questions (4-5 paragraphs TOTAL)
• What is the purpose of an adaptation, generally speaking? (1 paragraph)
• Embed an image (or video) of a screenshot, poster, trailer, etc. from another science fiction adaptation (and address how this external example embodies the purposes of adaptation)
• You cannot mention the other Total Recall or Disney’s John Carter
• As an adaptation of “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale,” what does Total Recall change or retain, and why? Mention specific evidence from the film and cite the short story. (2 paragraphs)
• Beyond its function as an adaptation, what is the purpose, audience, and tone of Total Recall?Is this movie just entertainment, or does it have a larger social message? (1-2 paragraphs)
• To support your argument, choose a scene from Total Recall (no more than 5 minutes in length) that you think is particularly central to the film (beyond the level of plot). How does this scene tell us about the film’s audience, purpose, and tone?
• Include at least 2screenshots of the scene in your post / paper (crop the screenshots)
• How to take screenshots on a Mac:
• How to take screenshots in Windows:
• Complete sentences and paragraph format
• Each paragraph should be at least 5 sentences long
• Provide transitions between each paragraph
• Audience: The audience will be your fellow classmates and myself. Keep in mind that we will also have seen Total Recall and Mars Attacks!, so summaries of these films won’t be necessary
• At least 2 outside sources
• Find 2 (or more) sources that define adaptation, either generally, or as it pertains to science fiction
• Do NOT look up analyses of the films – your analysis of the film scene should be your own
• Your outside sources should be credible and you CANNOT use Wikipedia
• Summarize and paraphrase sources in your own words and keep the primary focus on analyzing the film
• Works Cited
• Include MLA citations for your film, outside sources, and any images (at least 3 citations)
• Use to generate citations, but make sure they’re accurate
• Google “MLA Owl Purdue” for guidance on MLA format and citation style
• Parenthetical Citations
• Any time you use material that isn’t your own, do the following:
• “Quote” or Paraphrase (Author Last Name Page #) e.g. “Citation is important” (Krafft 3).
• If there’s no author, use a shortened title: “Citation is important” (“Archival” 3).
• Layout: Think about where you place your images and screenshots in relation to text (WordPress does allow you to left align, right align, or center images).

Requirements for Parody Post

• Content – answer each of the following questions (4-5 paragraphs TOTAL)
• What is the purpose of a parody, generally speaking? (1 paragraph)
• Embed an image (or video) of a screenshot, poster, etc. from another parody of science fiction (and address how this external example embodies the purposes of parody)
• What elements of science fiction does Mars Attacks! parody, and why? Consider how the movie parodies specific films, TV shows, tropes, character types, etc.(2 paragraphs)
• Mention specific evidence from the film such as characters or scenes.
• Beyond its function as a parody, what is the purpose, audience, and tone of Mars Attacks! Is this movie just entertainment, or does it have a larger social message? (1-2 paragraphs)
• To support your argument, choose a scene from Mars Attacks!(no more than 5 minutes in length) that you think is particularly central to the film (beyond the level of plot). How does this scene tell us about the film’s audience, purpose, and tone?
• Include at least 2 screenshots of the scene in your post / paper(crop the screenshots)
• How to take screenshots on a Mac:
• How to take screenshots in Windows:
• Complete sentences and paragraph format
• Each paragraph should be at least 5 sentences long
• Provide transitions between each paragraph
• Audience: The audience will be your fellow classmates and myself. Keep in mind that we will also have seen Total Recall and Mars Attacks!, so summaries of these films won’t be necessary
• At least 2 outside sources
• Find 2 (or more) sources that define parody, either generally, or as it pertains to science fiction
• Do NOT look up analyses of the films – your analysis of the film scene should be your own
• Your outside sources should be credible and you CANNOT use Wikipedia
• Summarize and paraphrase sources in your own words and keep the primary focus on analyzing the film
• Works Cited
• Include MLA citations for your film, outside sources, and any images (at least 3 citations)
• Use to generate citations, but make sure they’re accurate
• Google “MLA Owl Purdue” for guidance on MLA format and citation style
• Parenthetical Citations
• Any time you use material that isn’t your own, do the following:
• “Quote” or Paraphrase (Author Last Name Page #) e.g. “Citation is important” (Krafft 3).
• If there’s no author, use a shortened title: “Citation is important” (“Archival” 3).
• Layout: Think about where you place your images and screenshots in relation to text (WordPress does allow you to left align, right align, or center images).

Points Breakdown

The adaptation / parody blog post is worth 50 points total (5% of your final grade in the course). The grade breakdown is roughly as follows, and, as with all course assignments, I will use the programmatic rubric to guide my assessment of your assignment.

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Programmatic Rubric

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Reflection

After you submit the blog post, you will need to compose and submit a brief reflection. You’ll then save that reflection and return to it later in the semester as you prepare your final portfolio.

For your reflection, compose 2-3 bullet points per question and 1-3 sentences per bullet point.

1. What were the main intellectual goals of the adaptation / parody blog post assignment? Please situate these goals in terms of the course theme and in terms of the communication skills you were to learn or practice.
2. What is your argument or purpose? How did you make the argument or purpose visible and persuasive in your artifact?
3. Who is the intended audience for your artifact; why is this an appropriate audience? How is your choice of audience reflected in your artifact?
4. What are the defining features of the genre or media that you are using in this project? How do you make use of these features?
5. If you had more time for revision, what would you change and why?

Submit your reflection on T-Square within 48 hours after your adaptation or parody post:

• For adaptation posts, reflections are due on Friday, 3/4 by 9 AM
• For parody posts, reflections are due on Sunday, 3/6 by 9 AM

Submit your reflection as a .doc or .docx document with the file name “Last Name, Adaptation Reflection” or “Last Name, Parody Reflection” and submit it in the appropriate area on T-Square.

Lateness Policy

Blogs posted late (i.e. after 9 AM on 3/2 or 3/4, depending on your topic) will receive a maximum possible grade of C. The reason for this policy is that your classmates need time to comment on your posts. I will not accept an adaptation or parody blog post later than 1 week after the initial due date.

Revision Policy

In this class, you may choose to revise 1 blog post or the archival project and this project counts as a blog post.

In order to be allowed any revision, you must send me an email or meet with me no later than one week after I return the grade for the assignment. In the email or meeting, you must tell me what the most central issues with the initial assignment were (beyond the grade), what your plan for revision is, and a deadline for when you will submit the revised assignment (which can be no later than 14 days after the email or meeting). You cannot receive an extension for a revision.

The revised assignment will receive an entirely new grade (not an average of the old and new grade). I do not guarantee a higher grade for revised work, but a revision cannot bring your grade down (unless you plagiarize the revised assignment).

I will not allow revisions for late posts or posts that fail to meet the assignment requirements.

Extension Policy

If you want to use your 1 assignment extension for this project, follow these steps:

1)Contact me at least 24 hours before the assignment is due through an email in which you explain the reason for the delay (OR have a documented excuse from the institute).

2)Propose in this email a reasonable extension (72 hours at most past the due date), which you MUST then keep. Past this new date, your assignment will receive the normal lateness penalty.