Topic: Evaluating Popular Culture Required Length: 1000 Words

Essay 1 Instructions: Summary & Response

Topic: Evaluating Popular Culture Required length: 1000 words.

Background: The shows we watch on TV and the internet fill the gaps in our days; when we're not grinding away at work, school, or some other obligation, we can escape into them. But how often do we think about what exactly these shows do to us—or the culture we are a part of? Of course they entertain us, but what might be going on beneath the surface? Are these shows teaching us anything valuable? Are they promoting good values or bad? Critical reading and thinking allow us to slow down and deeply examine the meaning or value of the cultural forces that surround us. You will be using these tools to examine one very prominent, influential show: Family Guy, an animated series that has been hugely popular with college-age students for over fifteen years.

YOUR MAIN POINT/THESIS: You will be reading two articles evaluating Family Guy. Your main point (or thesis) in this essay will be a response to one of these articles. The central question your essay will answer is: "Is the writer right about the show, wrong about the show, or some combination of both?"

HOW YOU'LL PROVE IT: The essay should convince your reader that the writer you're responding to is right or wrong about the show. The best evidence to back up your opinion will be your own analysis of the show. Describe and analyze scenes or dialogue from the show to prove the writer is wrong or right about it. (You will be required to view at least two episodes in order to gather your evidence.) Think of the basic sequence of ideas like this: "In my thesis I told you that this writer is completely wrong about the show; now look at this episode I just watched that proves how wrong she is."

Structure: o Paragraph #1: Summarize points made in the article you’re responding to o Last sentence of Paragraph #1: In a clear, arguable thesis statement, state your response to the writer's points: Is this author's argument right, wrong, or both? Why? o Paragraph #2-4: Support your response with 2-3 proof paragraphs. Each of these should have evidence from the show that proves the writer right or wrong. o Paragraph #5: Conclude the essay with a paragraph explaining what you think your discussion of this specific show might teach us about popular entertainment in general.

Essay One Goals: These goals will be incorporated into the grading criteria for the essay.

1. The introduction establishes the context, the general debate you and the writer are entering into. 2. The introduction includes a summary that accurately represents the writer's ideas and demonstrates your comprehension of the text. 3. The introduction's summary is relevant to the response that follows. The summary highlights the features of the text that the rest of the essay responds to. 4. The thesis clearly communicates your response to the writer’s ideas. 5. The thesis prepares the reader, previewing the full scope and content of the essay. 6. All of the proof paragraphs have a clear connection to the thesis, creating a unified essay. 7. All of the proof paragraphs have topic sentences that preview the content of the paragraph and evidence that proves the claim made in the topic sentence. 8. The conclusion answers the question, “so what?” It explains the “big picture” implications of your evaluation. 9. The essay is carefully proofread and edited. It is mostly free of grammatical and mechanical errors, and employs sentence writing and editing strategies covered in Unit One. 10. The response, as a whole, "joins the conversation," engaging with the writer's ideas while also bringing something new to the debate.