Short Essay (100 marks)
Instructions
Please do not use any essay writing AI-tools. Everything must be in your own words. Must
cite all sources of direct quotations and borrowed ideas. A citation consists of two parts and
must be in APA format: 1. An in-text citation (either a footnote or brief information in
brackets) to indicate that an outside source is being cited. 2. A list of References or Works
Cited, containing complete information about all of your sources
It's a course in visual studies, so what's visible is always our primary concern.
Write a short informal essay (approximately 1000 words) on the following
topic. Be sure that you are presenting the concepts in your own words and that
you include current information. (You may use "I" when it seems appropriate.)
Follow conventional format for preparing your essay and citing sources. Check
with your Open Learning Faculty Member regarding preferred documentation
style (ie., APA, MLA, Chicago Manual of Style). For guidance on various aspects
of conducting research and writing essays and research papers, consult the
detailed information in Study Room 3991.
If you have any questions about the assignment, consult your course Open
Learning Faculty Member. When you have completed the assignment, submit it
to your Open Learning Faculty Member for comments and evaluation.
Note:
Keep a copy of your assignment before submitting it to your Open
Learning Faculty Member for evaluation. That way, you have a copy
to refer to during a telephone conversation or email conference with
your Open Learning Faculty Member. Also, in the unlikely event that
your assignment is lost, you will have an extra copy of your work.
Today, many student writing manuals suggest that students keep
copies of all early drafts of their work as well, to protect themselves
against mistaken charges of plagiarism.
Essay Topic
One of the learning outcomes for Unit 4 is to explain how these theories are
useful in visual studies. For this assignment, I'd like you to do that by choosing
a visual representation (with or without text) and relating it to your
understanding of one of the theoretical concepts we have studied: ideology,/nhegemony, the male gaze, or the other. Write an essay that begins with a
succinct account of the theoretical model of your choice and describe why you
think it is appropriate for analyzing the visual material you have selected.
However, there may also be reasons why you think it's inappropriate or
reservations you may have about it. Include those in your paper as well. Use
the approach you have selected to discuss the image without necessarily
arguing for or against it. Raise questions that the approach suggests, but don't
ignore others that occur to you-questions that might be discouraged by this
outlook or questions you may have about the concept itself.
Criteria for Evaluating Essay Assignments
Here is a set of criteria that will form the basis for evaluating essay assignments.
Substance (75 per cent)
• The essay provides evidence of critical thinking and presents an
informed and thoughtful discussion.
• Research sources are relevant, current, and credible. They are clearly
documented in the paper.
• The introduction explains the purpose of the paper and the issue or
issues you will address. This can take the form of a question or
questions.
The body develops your enquiry by providing explanations /information
and organizing ideas and examples as clearly and directly as possible.
• The conclusion summarizes the learning that has taken place through
writing the paper; it also presents a (tentative) position statement
and/or suggests direction for future research. Again, queries might be
more suitable here than assertions.
Writing Style and Format (25 per cent)
• Paragraphs are coherent, with transitions between ideas.
• Sentences are grammatically correct; words are chosen for accuracy
and impact.
•
The writing follows the conventions of spelling and mechanics
(punctuation, etc.).
•
The format follows the documentation style (ie, APA, MLA, Chicago
Manual of Style) accurately and consistently.