The Nature, Culture, and Future of Work – Final Paper Assignment

HUM4605, The Nature, Culture, and Future of Work – Final Paper Assignment

Paper topic: Choose one of these weekly module topics listed on our syllabus and our Canvas site:

• What is Work?
• Work and Identity
• Work as a Passion or Calling
• The Reward and Costs of Ambition
• Routine, Stasis, Burnout, Failure
• Bureaucracy and the Organization Man or Woman
• Self-Invention and the Entrepreneurial Mindset
• Labor and Representation
• Ethics and Exploitation
• Nonwork and Opting Out

Paper structure: Construct your paper around that topic, beginning with a thesis argument that makes a claim for a particular perspective on the nature and culture of work, supported by the films and readings that you select.  Your thesis should present an interpretive argument.  Organize your paper by ideas (rather than film by film) so it coheres thematically and theoretically.  See the grid below for one way of how to do this.  Make your argument in support of your thesis by referring to specific passages from the readings and moments from the films.  Make sure to consistently move from general assertions to well-selected textual support of those assertions. It is always better to aim for analytical depth rather than breadth (i.e., fewer, more fully developed examples).   In the final paragraph or two of your paper, write about how your thesis argument may apply to the future of work.  You should cite at least one article on the future of work for that portion of the paper.

Specific requirements for supporting your thesis claim: In trying to prove your thesis, use examples from at least three of the films seen in class and three of the books or articles that we have read so far.  Additionally, you will cite at least one article about the future of work (either from our class Wiki or one you find on your own.) You may need to see portions of the films again so that you can be adequately detailed in your descriptions and analyses of particular scenes. Lengthy plot description is unnecessary; focus on analysis.  You may not use any additional sources for your paper and you should not consult any sources that discuss the films or readings.

Paper format: Your paper should be double-spaced, 12-point type and the pages should be numbered.  Choose a title for your paper that gives your reader an idea of your topic and line of argument.   Film titles should be italicized.  All ideas and quotations from written sources must be properly cited (use MLA in-text citations, properly formatted) and your paper should have a Works Cited page.  You do not need to cite the films on your Works Cited page.  Errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation are unacceptable and will result in a lowered grade.  Proofread!

Paper length: You will need at least 7-8 pages to adequately cover the material specified above.  You may go over that length if you need to but longer is not necessarily better.  Aim to write a tightly argued, carefully articulated paper that has adequate examples to support the thesis but does not ramble and does not pad your ideas with plot summaries or other unnecessary fillers.

Academic Honesty: Be sure that you are aware of what constitutes plagiarism and academic dishonesty, since ignorance or misunderstanding is not an acceptable excuse for these violations of academic honesty.  When academic dishonesty is suspected, the case will be brought to the Babson Honor Board.  Your title page should include following statement: “I pledge my honor that I have neither received nor provided unauthorized assistance during the completion of this work.”

Organizing your thoughts with a grid: Constructing a grid can help you organize your thoughts, identify the material that you will select from the readings and films, and come up with a thesis.  After the grid is filled in, you will be able to arrive at a thesis argument.  You may have your own way of organizing a paper so this is just one suggested technique for making sure you are proceeding idea by idea, rather than film by film.  Whatever method you use, you need to plan your paper structure and find your supporting examples before you begin writing.

Step One: Select your topic. Write it on the grid (next page).

Step Two: Come up with at least three sub-topics related to your topic and based on the course readings and discussions.

Step Three: List your three subtopics and three films on the grid.  Find reading passages and specific moments from the films that relate to and reveal these subcategories.

Step Four: Fill in the attached idea grid by briefly summarizing the reading passages and film scenes that illustrate your ideas.

Step Five: Stare at the grid. Keep staring! Look horizontally to find out how the sub-topics (the ideas that will serve to organize the essay) compare and differ in the texts and films that you have chosen. Think about how your chosen passages and scenes (and, by extension, the works that contain them) relate to one another, deviate from one another, and reveal the work’s perspective on your subtext.

Step Six: Come up with a thesis statement (1-3 sentences) that makes an interpretive argument and sets your agenda for your paper.  A topic is not a thesis!  Your thesis needs to present an analytical argument that ties together the films and readings, and demonstrates your understanding of the topic you have chosen.  Your thesis should make your reader think, “Oh, that’s an interesting argument!” rather than “Well, that’s obvious!”

Step Seven: Write three topic sentences, derived from your grid and based on your subcategories, that give a sense of direction for your paper.