Instructions: Your original post should fall between at least 250-275 words. You may not use any outside sources for this assignment. You must cite the article in the prompt you have chosen three times (for instructions on citation methods, please see the syllabus).
Film List to Choose One from:
Midsommar
Psycho
The Shining
Alien orAliens
Prompt: For this discussion, you have two options – select only one!
(1) In the section ‘The appeal of horror’ (CP, pgs 47-49), Smutz discusses the paradox of painful art – what is it and what are the potential answers to the paradox that he examines? Which of these do you find yourself agreeing or disagreeing with – and why? The best student responses will make several references to the film of their choosing; that is, what satisfaction did you get from watching the horror film that you chose – what was the “payoff”?
(2) What is Carroll’s notion of monster(CP, pgs 111-118)? Why does he think that monsters are a necessary component of horror films? What does the monster do for the audience, according to Carroll? Do you agree with him? Couldn’t it be argued that his notion of monsters leaves too much out – that is, aren’t there films that seem to qualify as horror films that do not include (his definition of) monsters? What could Carroll say in response? The best student responses will make several references to the film of their choosing; that is, was your film a member of the horror genre – according to Carroll? If not, is that a problem for his conception of horror?
Discussion Posts: 400 pts total. As stated above, every week you will write a discussion post (8 posts total). Each post is worth 50 points, and should be between 200-225 words (you may exceed this minimum word length requirement if you wish to do so). Posts are due each Friday no later than 10:00pm. You will have a post to make regardless of holidays – breaks do not apply to 8 week web courses.
Prior to making a post, you should complete all reading and viewing assignments relevant to your topic. For any post you make, be sure that you separate it into separate paragraphs. All of your posts must include your original writings.
DO NOT copy and paste the writings of other students (or websites) into your posts – this is considered plagiarism. The use of ChatGPT or any AI software is strictly forbidden; you may not utilize websites or apps to help generate your essays – everything you submit in this course must be your own work.
You may only cite the textbook or the other required materials (no outside sources), but any reference to the course readings must be cited. It is also important not to quote too much (some people attempt to fill up their posts primarily with quotes – this will cost you points). You need to correctly paraphrase (summarize) the reading in your own words, and then cite this summary. Regarding citations, simply insert parentheses with the quoted work, with page number (when applicable); the format of citation shown immediately below will extend to slides, handouts, and podcasts. For instance:
Example #1: Joe summarizes a brief passage from page 10 of the textbook. At the end of the quotation he inserts: (author last name, pg. 10); if referencing a source from the web, he would insert: (title of webpage, date accessed).
Example #2: Lulu uses an idea from one of the required videos named, “Buddhism”. At the end of the sentence she credits the video for the idea by inserting: (Buddhism, time); the same would go for referencing a podcast.
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|