In-class Draft Workshop of Final Project: All in the Hollywood Family

Project Goal: to teach psychology students and professors about a specific psychological crisis using the movie to illustrate parts of the theory.  Recall that the assignment asks you to:

• Extend and revise the observation report in light of your research.
• Think about how your film alters, ignores, romanticizes, exaggerates, and/or distorts a sociological or psychological  "truth."  A sound knowledge of the psych/ sociological theories will help to do this intelligently. (The movie will not match all the theories perfectly.  You will find that it represents parts of some theories better than others.  So, use the discrepancies to ARGUE.  For example you might find yourself writing something like: "Although Jane Doe suggests . . ., Character X has characteristics inherent in Charlie Brown's theory about. . . .)
• Your audience has a very strong knowledge base (either from work, teaching, or personal experience).  Do not to "talk down" to them with insignificant or irrelevant information.  Do no give extensive plot summaries! Rather, establish a link to a web site that does that for you.
• You will also encounter opposition.  Many will not agree with they theories you use to analyze the problem, the consequences, the resolution etc.  How will you deal with the opposition?  How will you make them at least consider your views?

ORGANIZATION:

Unlike the scientific breakthrough project which had distinct sections, this one does not (unless you decide to use the problem, cause. . . .outline).  So you will have to decide what to argue, the different sections, their organization, etc.

Which ever organizational pattern you decide to use, remember to give the ideas purpose and shape.  Possible organization strategies:

• chronological
• X leads to Y (cause and effect)
• problem  leads to solution
• compare & contrast

Within ANY pattern you decide to use, organize your ideas logically and  from most basic to most complex.  In other words, build your argument slowly.

THESIS

What do you want your audience to learn?  How will you give them new insight about the psychological theories and the movie?

To get you started, fill in the blank:  My team and I want our audience to learn that. . . .  We will teach them this by. . . .

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Procedures for In-class Draft Workshop of Final Project

Fill in the blank:  My team and I want your audience to learn that. . . .  We will teach them this by. . . .

Open your observation report on the software you use.

Go to FILE, SAVE AS, and call the new file: SSUnitProjectDraft1
Save this new file.

ABOVE your observation report, write these subheadings (You'll delete these in later drafts, but they'll  serve as guidelines as you write and re-write your early drafts):

• Zippy title (center this line)
• Introduction (when you write this part, use the sample on the bright pink handout)
• thesis (use the model thesis on the bright pink handout)
• background / other (maybe paste your lit review here.  You may not be able to keep it all here, but it will get you started)
• problem*
• causes*
• consequences*
• resolution*
• implications for mankind / final brilliant insight

*  Your team may decide to use a different organizational strategy.  So, adapt this part as necessary.

Save the above document. CUT AND PASTE parts of the observation report into the appropriate sections.
Now, open your literature review and annotated bibliography files
CUT AND PASTE parts of it the literature review, and annotated bibliography into the appropriate sections.
Spend the rest of class time writing.
You do NOT necessarily have to start with the introduction since you have subheadings.

Get to work!  The more you do now, the less you have to do later.

Before you leave, give me your team's two or three story thesis statement and "plan of attack."