Social Issues

Film Analysis Paper

Sociological themes are often found in everyday culture, including in popular film. Your Film Analysis paper should demonstrate your ability to make connections between class discussions and themes and popular media.

Analysis papers are NOT a summary of the film. A brief synopsis (summary) of the film should be included in the introductory paragraph of your paper. After this summary, you should include a thesis statement which clearly identifies what you will be discussing as well as the connection that you will be making to the course theme(s).

Use your sociological imagination and concepts from the textbook to analyze and evaluate the film. I’m not looking for your review of the film, but instead would like to see you making connections between our course materials and the content of the film.

As you watch your chosen film and prepare to write your paper, you should:

Watch the film careful and take notes.
Write a short synopsis of the film.
Think about the following questions:
How does the film you watched explore a topic or topics that we’ve covered thus far?
What evidence do you see in the film that represents the issues we have explored in the class ?
How are these issues/topics discussed or displayed in the movie?
What specific connections can you make to the course readings?
What is the mood/tone of the film?
Does this film appeal to the viewer’s emotions? Does it intend to make you think or feel? How does it make you feel?
Consider the effectiveness of the film in communicating its message. What are the films strengths and weaknesses?
How do you think the filmmaker(s) wanted the audience to respond?
Finally, how would you rate the film in terms of its usefulness to discuss and explore sociological topics? Is this a film that you believe could be used in a sociology class to discuss issues/topics that we’re discussing throughout the semester?