Anthropology 3
Assignment II: Media Gender Analysis
Papers will be 4 pages, double spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font.
Best assignments are specific and thoughtful in their description of the media sources or films
they are analyzing and interpret them closely and accurately in the light of the related
documentary. They synthesize (analytically bring together to draw connections and
conclusions) their data and ideas from the documentary in question.
If you have watched Killing Us Softly 4:
1- Watch Miss Congeniality. Take notes as you watch. Write an analysis of the movie that
draws on Kilbourne’s insights about gender in Killing Us Softly 4. Start by summarizing
the film’s plot and introducing the protagonist(s) and other characters and then discuss
how the movie conforms to or challenges gender stereotypes (through its characters,
plot, dialogues, etc.).
ANTHRO 3
Assignment II: Media Gender Analysis Paper
Writing Rubric and Guidelines
Best assignments are specific and thoughtful in their description of the media sources or films they are
analyzing and interpret them closely and accurately in the light of the related documentary. They
synthesize (analytically bring together to draw connections and conclusions) their data and ideas from the
documentary in question.
***
CONTENT FLOW & RHETORIC FORMAT GRAMMAR &
CITATIONS
60
Thesis and arguments
are specific and answer
the prompt; summary
details (when required)
are relevant to the
discussion; draws
appropriate examples
from the documentary;
ideas and thoughtfully
and critically
synthesized
20
Writing is clear and
concise; ideas and
arguments connect
effectively to thesis
statement
10
Paper submission is
approximately 4 pages,
double-spaced, and in
12-pt. Times New
Roman font
10
Media source and course
readings (if applicable)
are properly cited in a
reference section at the
end of the paper; in-text
citations included when
necessary
40
Thesis and arguments
are too broad and
overgeneralized;
summary details (when
required) are somewhat
relevant; some of the
examples from the
documentary are
irrelevant;
demonstrates some
thoughtful and critical
analysis of ideas
14
Some ideas disjointed;
main and supporting
arguments may be
unclear or unconcise;
minor but repeated
grammar issues
7
Paper is approximately
4 pages double-spaced,
but there are minor
formatting issues
7
Significant citation
issues; in-text citations
were not included when
they were necessary
20
Thesis and arguments
somewhat answer the
prompt; fails to draw
examples from the
documentary; ideas are
significantly
6
Many ideas disjointed;
thesis and arguments
are unclear and don’t
connect; some grammar
issues
3
Paper greatly exceeds 4
pages double-spaced
underdeveloped and
lack substance
0
Thesis, summary (when
required) and
arguments do not
attempt to answer the
prompt
0
Writing is incoherent;
significant grammar
issues that interfere
with meaning.
0
Significantly less than 4
pages double-spaced;
other major formatting
issues that adversely
impact ease of reading
0
No references.
TOTAL /100
Submission Requirements
The media analysis paper is due on February 24, 2022 @ 11:00 AM. Late submissions will
follow the policy described in the course syllabus.
When submitting, please:
Include a heading or title page that has your name, course, section, and date
Save your file as a .doc/.docx or .pdf in the following format:
LastFirstName_Section_AssignmentNameOrTitle
A Note on References and Citations
Please include a reference section at the end of your paper. Your reference section should
primarily list the media sources you use for your analysis. Additionally, please include in
your references any course readings that you cite in your paper. If you are citing from
academic texts, you should not have to use anything beyond what has been introduced in
our course. Include in-text citations throughout your paper when necessary.
Your references should be properly cited in a common academic citation style (i.e., Chicago,
APA, MLA, etc.). You can choose the citation style you are most familiar with. You will not
lose points for any minor issues, such as an incorrect year, page number, or misspelling.
As a general rule, no plagiarism will be tolerated.
Examples of References (Chicago style):
Paragas, Diane, director. Yellow Rose. Stage 6 Films, 2020. 1 hr., 35 min.
Abu-Lughod, Lila. “Do Muslim women really need saving? Anthropological reflections on
cultural relativism and its others.” American Anthropologist 104, no. 3 (2002): 783-
790.
Examples of In-Text Citations (Chicago style):
Simplistic cultural icons often obscure the messier, and much more nuanced
historical and political narratives that they represent (Abu-Lughod, 2002, p. 785).
In order to challenge these sexist narratives, Abu-Lughod asks us to consider “the
hard work involved in recognizing and respecting differences—precisely as
products of different histories, as expressions of different circumstances, and as
manifestations of differently structured desires” (2002, p. 789).
Citation Resources
Consider using a resource page (such as Purdue OWL) or a citation machine or software
(such as Zotero) to make sure you are following standard citation styles.
Things to Avoid When Writing a Critical Analysis Paper
(Initially compiled by Yejoo Kim)
1) Overgeneralizations (phenomena 1= capitalism, phenomena 2 = racism, etc.)
a) What specifically about these larger issues are you pointing to?
b) Make clearer connections or elucidate false connections using other
connections.
i) For example: In Killing Us Softly 4, the speaker connects the objectification of
women with violence. Advertisements themselves don’t produce violence, but
dehumanizing women makes it easier to justify violent acts towards women
(connecting logic).
ii) In Tough Guise 2, the speaker shows that people falsely connect acts of mass
violence with the gun and/or entertainment industry when in fact the root cause
of mass violence is a narrow definition of masculinity.
2) Vague, misdirecting, overly ambitious, or obvious thesis statements
a) The thesis statement is arguing something too obvious, big, or general – what is the
argument YOU are making. It doesn’t have to be unique or radical, just propose an
argument that is feasible, plausible but creative with the evidence you have.
i) Obvious: Women tend to underdress in advertisements.
ii) General: Women are objectified.
iii) Just right: Women are objectified and thus dehumanized through
advertisements’ focus on 1) ________ 2) ________ 3) ______.
b) The thesis statement should not be complicated. What are you arguing exactly? It
should read like a list.
3) Paragraphs without direction, no “flags”
a) Losing sight of your point in your paragraph.
i) Cramming too many points into a paragraph. Just highlight one or two important
points – the real work goes into analysis.