Writing Guides

It is important for liberal arts instruction to integrate the activities of reading, discussion, and writing, since all of them are inseparable dimensions of one's experience engaging textual and visual materials critically. In order to make sense of a text, one extrapolates meanings from the words and interprets the text from a certain perspective. Therefore, reading is in itself a form of re-writing, while writing, as a form of cultural (re)production, is also a form of re-reading one's own voice and voices of others.

To be a good writer and presenter of your ideas and research results, you should always use an accessible language and take yourself and every piece of writing seriously. In the context of a literature course, citing appropriate passages from the primary texts is an effective way to support and develop your arguments. If you respond to or use others' views on the literary work, be sure to cite the sources and give credit where it is due--including online sources. Read Penn State's statement about plagiarism.

Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated. Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of exams, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of others. Students who are found to be dishonest will receive academic sanctions and will be reported to the University's Judicial Affairs office for possible further disciplinary sanctions. See the College of Liberal Arts policy at: http://www.la.psu.edu/assocdea/academicinteg.htm .

 

Resources for Writers of Film Papers & Literary Analysis

Center for Excellence in Writing for Penn State Undergraduates

What Makes for a Good Literature Paper, Purdue University

Research & Documentation Online (with a sample MLA-style paper), Bedford / St. Martin's

Writing Guide for Chinese Film Studies, Prof. Eileen Chow, Harvard University

Guide to Writing About Film, George Mason University

Guide to Writing a Film Studies Paper, Carleton University

A Guide for Writing a Research Paper Based on MLA-Documentation Style
University of Wisconsin-Madison