Read these 2 readings, turn-in response papers Peter Wollen, from Signs and Meaning in the Cinema (361-375) (CVFT); Roland Barthes, “The Death of the Author” (345-349) (CVFT
They should demonstrate:
• Your understanding of the readings
• Your ability to compare the themes and contributions of multiple readings
Thus, your response papers must discuss at least two of the readings.
If you would like, you can refer to films seen in or outside of class to illustrate your points, but be aware that you are ultimately graded on how well you articulate the ideas of the readings. You can insert your own opinions, but they should be substantiated with arguments that are actively engaging with the readings.
The highest grades will be given to papers that are argumentative, rather than just a summary of the texts. An argument that compares two articles might be something like: “While both [A] and [B] articles engage the concept of ___,
[A] looks at it from ___ point of view, while [B] approaches the topic by engaging theories of ___.” As a general tip, if you aren’t citing specific passages from the readings, you are not engaging with them actively enough.
