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Essay Instructions: Instructions:
Project Objective
For your project, you are to select two films from the list and write an analysis comparing and contrasting how both films depict a certain aspect of Asian society.  There are many different approaches you can take with this, and I encourage you to be as creative as possible. 
Papers must be in Times New Roman font, double spaced, not including a Works Cited/Bibliography page.  Each paper must have a clear, brief introductory paragraph that concludes with your thesis statement (a one-sentence summary of the topic of your paper) and a clear concluding paragraph at the end of your paper.  
You will be graded on all of the following:
The depth of your analysis
How well you compare and contrast the two movies
Organization of ideas 
Clarity and quality of writing
You will NOT be graded on whether I agree with you or not, or whether you agree with a film’s message.  As long as you’re focused on analyzing the films and their portrayals of Asia, and you back up what you say, you can take whatever approach you want.  Again, film analysis is subjective, and creative approaches to analyzing a film are encouraged. 
I’m also very picky spelling, grammar, and organization, and I will count off for any mistakes in this area. 
If you’re using information from an outside source, you must ??" I cannot stress this enough ??" always cite your sources in the text in such a way that I can immediately tell exactly where your information came from, even if you’re paraphrasing.  If you’re using your own personal knowledge or something a friend told you, that’s fine ??" just make sure you say that in your paper.  I’m not too picky about which format you use, such as MLA or APA (although I personally prefer Chicago), just as long as your sources are clearly cited in the text.  A Works Cited/References list is also required, and it must include the films you used.

One last note - Wikipedia is off-limits. 

- No Plagiarism
- Movie Titles need to be Italicized
- All Asian Terms need to be Italicized
- Out of the 4 sources I requested 2 of the sources are the movies themselves, so please cite the sources
- I will also be sending a few slides that I might help with the paper. If you use them as a source please cite them as well. However 2 outside sources are still needed on top of the films themselves and the slides.
- The Movies I will be comparing and contrasting are Fist of Legend (1994) starring Jet Li and directed by Gordan Chan and The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise.
- Fist of Legend falls under the category NATIONALISM/EAST vs. WEST and The Last Samurai falls under the category of WESTERN PORTRAYALS OF ASIA. Below there is a brief explanation of what this means but they will be explained in detail in the slides I send you.

The synopsis of both films:

1) Fist of legend (1994)
- Before the outbreak of World War II, Japanese troops occupying Shanghai threaten the city's most revered martial arts teacher. When the master is killed, star pupil Chen Zhen (Jet Li) returns to avenge his teacher's death and set things right. With blistering action and old-fashioned fight scenes (with minimal use of wires), this remake of Bruce Lee's classic Fist of Fury from director Gordon Chan highlights Li's timing and acrobatic ability.
- NATIONALISM/EAST vs. WEST
These films reflect nationalist sentiments on the part of the main characters, and/or focus on conflicts between Asian nations and Easters vs. Western conflicts from Asia’s point of view.


2) The Last Samurai
- Tom Cruise stars as Nathan Algren -- an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare -- in this lush epic set in the 1870s, which finds Algren learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai's way of life in the name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself and to fight for their right to exist.
- WESTERN PORTRAYALS OF ASIA
These films reveal American and European attitudes and perceptions towards Asian societies and people ??" how we see another society is as important to study as how they see themselves.

There are faxes for this order.

Essay Instructions: Website Project Due 8/7/06; READ NOW!



Your website project must be:

At least 1,500 words long, and
Turned in to me on or before Monday, August 7, 2006.
If I do not receive your paper BEFORE Tuesday, August 8, 2006 then it will not be graded at all.


You'd be amazed at how many students turn in a paper that is less than 1,500 words, and automatically receive a "D" or an "F" on the assignment. Don't let this happen to you. In MS Word, use Tools > Word Count to verify the length of your paper. More than 1,500 is completely OK.

Here are the details:

Select a topic in U.S. History that corresponds to the time period covered by the class: 1607-1974. Please be sure that your topic is U.S. history. I have received papers in the past on subjects such as details of life under Nazi rule, or life in Japan at the end of feudalism (as described in "The Last Samurai"). While these papers have been fascinating, they are NOT U.S. history.
Survey web sites in your topic. As I am sure you are aware, each topic could have web-sites related to sub-topics. For example: with regards to the Civil War, there might be web sites devoted just to the Battles of Gettysburg or Antietam, or to President Lincoln's role in the war. Sub-topics of a larger topic are acceptable as your research project.
Submit a paper on your selected web site. The paper should be a minimum of 1,500 words in length. In the paper explain:
why you were interested in that particular topic;
why did you choose that particular web site over other sites;
what did you learn about your chosen topic;
why would you recommend the web site to others;
...and anything else you feel is pertinent to your subject.
Remember: part of the purpose of this assignment is for you to show me what you've learned. Please don't write a paper that could have been written by somebody who has never studied U.S. History.
Be careful about what you see on the Internet - it's not all true! Be careful about unorthodox theories you see. I actually LOVE unorthodox theories about history - but I have high requirements about the evidence needed to support them. If you do your paper on a website that is based on the premise that "Lincoln was a transvestite" or "The 1969 moon landing was a fraud," I will make VERY high requirements on the evidence you need to present to support it.
Do not use the Wikipedia online encyclopedia. Anyone can contribute to it anonymously. I have found its content to be unreliable.
If you have ANY doubts about whether a web site will be acceptable to me, send me an e-mail and ask me. Be sure to give both of us enough time; don't send an inquiry on the evening of Saturday, August 5th.
Be sure to include the web site address so that I can survey the site as I read your paper.