Extra Credit Options

If you have not missed more than two of your discussion sections (without an acceptable excuse) you are eligible for extra credit. You may watch up to three feature films on a topic related to the course and write a paper analyzing it. The papers are worth 5%/5pts. each and you can either do three and have them replace your lowest test grade, or do one, two, or three papers and have the points added to your final exam grade.

Directions: Watch a feature film about a topic covered during the course and write a paper which explains what the movie teaches the audience about history. This is NOT a paper about historical accuracy, but your concluding paragraph should include some comment about whether or not the film is beneficial to the study of history, culture, etc. Be sure to make clear connections between the film you watched and the topic from the course you are relating it to.

Technical specifics: Papers should be no less than 800 words and no more than 1200 words in length (which will make it between 3-5 pages long). Papers should be typed, double spaced, and in 12 pt. font. Do not use contractions or the first person in writing your paper. Do use footnotes/endnotes to reference the sources you use (such as class notes, your textbook, or the film itself). See the attached sheet for more instructions on the proper use of citations.

Grading criteria: Is the paper coherent? Well written (i.e., good grammar, no typos)? Does the paper connect the film viewed to the course? And is the paper both concise and thorough?? The “difficulty” of the film will also be taken into consideration since I realize that foreign language or silent films or musicals provide additional challenges as you write your paper.

On each paper you turn in you will receive a letter grade and its point equivalent which will be assigned as follows:

A (100%-90%) = 5 pts.

B (89.9%-80%) = 4 pts.

C (79.9%-70%) = 3 pts.

D (69.9%-60%) = 2 pts.

F (less than 60%) = 1 pt. for completion…I assume that I will only give this grade to a paper that does not follow the basic requirements of length or referencing.

Deadlines: Each paper you do will be due TWO WEEKS from the Discussion Group session that covered or was most closely related to that topic. So Thursday groups will have Thursday deadlines (at your group meeting), and those in the Monday group will have to turn their papers in at their Monday group meeting time. No late papers will be accepted.

Other details: Again, you may do one, two, or three papers and, if writing three, you will need to decide by Thanksgiving if you will be applying your extra credit to your final or be using it to replace your lowest test grade. Although some movies are listed in more than one category, you cannot use the same film for more than one paper. And you may not do two films on the same topic or that are due on the same date.

List of Suggested Films & Deadlines

To get more information on the films before selecting one, I suggest you
visit the Internet Movie Database.

Where to find films:

1. Titles that are marked with a * have been placed on RESERVE in the Library in VHS format.
2. Titles that are marked with a # have been placed on RESERVE in the Library in DVD format.
3. You can also checkout films from the Library, or from other UW Libraries via Universal Borrowing.
4. Or you can check with Movie Gallery in town at 348-9177.

Notes:

1. You may use another film, but clear it with Dr. Myers first.
2. There are obviously many more films that could fit in these categories, as well as other categories related to U.S. History which I did not include like westerns or films about the Civil War. These are all eligible for use if you like.

Academic Honesty: According to the UWP Catalog, “ The university may discipline a student for academic dishonesty, including any of the following or similar examples of false representation of a student's performance: cheating on an examination; collaborating with others on work to be presented unless specifically allowed by the instructor; plagiarizing, including submitting the work of others as one's own (whether purchased, borrowed, or otherwise obtained); stealing examinations; falsifying records or data; submitting work previously presented in another course, unless specifically allowed by the instructor; or participating in an arrangement whereby work, classroom activity, or an examination is done by another person .” This includes materials obtained from the internet.

Footnotes or Endnotes: For any piece of information or ideas you use from another source, you must provide a reference. Let me repeat that…for any piece of information or ideas you use from another source, you must provide a reference. If you do not, you are breaking the law - it is called plagiarism, and is a very serious offense (see above).

As a general rule, you should have at least one footnote/endnote per paragraph in your paper. You may list more than one source in the footnote/endnote to save you making too many of them, but you must have all the knowledge you have “borrowed” properly cited.

You can use either footnotes or endnotes. Your computer will automatically insert them for you. To insert a footnote/endnote, place cursor at the end of the sentence and do as follows:

• In Microsoft Word (for Windows)…pull down Insert menu.
• Choose "Footnote…"
• When the small window pops up…select Footnote or Endnote (Footnote is usually the default).
• "AutoNumber" should also be selected. Click OK.
• Automatically a new "footnote" screen will come up at the bottom of your paper, set to the correct footnote number you should be on. At that point you will type in your reference information (see format on the bottom of this page). After you are finished, you can move your cursor back to the main text of your paper with your mouse. It is also good to know that you can cut, paste, and copy footnotes just as you can any other text (by highlighting the number in the paper itself and performing whichever function you need). Footnotes are normally in 10pt. font.

Format of Footnote/Endnote References:

• Put the author's first name then last name, followed by a comma, not a period.
• The title of the book comes next, in italics, followed by the publishing information in parentheses (you only need the publishing info. the first time you cite the source).
• When using the course text you must list the page or pages you got the information from (so that anyone reading your paper can go double check your information or read further on the topic). For class notes you should have the name of the course and the date the information was given in class.
• After the first time you cite a source, you may use an abbreviated reference further on…or, if you are already familiar, you may use Ibids. (you may ask me about these, but they are not required…just a form of referencing shorthand that some people like to use).

Examples:
1 Palmyria Brummett, et. al., eds. Civilization Past & Present Volume Two From 1300 ( New York: Longman, 2003), pp. 45-57.
2 History 1020: World Civilization II, class notes, October 11, 2004.
3 Brummett, Civilization Past & Present, p. 81.
4 Class notes, May 14, 2004.
5 Mansfield Park, 1999.