Public Enemies-Beverly N.

Public Enemies portrayed the final 13 months of John Dillinger’s life eluding the police and robbing banks. After spending ten years in jail for stealing $50, Dillinger realizes he can no longer live life on the safe side. Although being a career criminal and the FBI’s most wanted fugitive shortened his life, he was in control of his destiny and that was enough for him. In the beginning of the movie he meets Billie Frechette and instantly falls in love. Their story is not the stereotypically romance in fact they are mostly separated throughout the movie. The director Michael Mann did not give any background information regarding the public’s fascination with Dillinger but he does offer great fighting scenes. I particularly loved the scene where Dillinger and his comrades are surrounding in the house and rapid gunfire ensues with the police. Mann creates an atmosphere of confusion with contrasting lights and fiery, loud gunfire. The contrast between Melvin Purvis and John Dillinger throughout the movie was also very interesting. Particularly in the final scene where   Purvis just walks away and does not seem satisfied of his accomplishment.

Proposal: Sonia S.

The topic of my paper will be the fallen woman film and the industry censorship on the issues it raised. I will focus on Baby Face, a 1933 representative of the genre, which is a typical gold digger story. Just like in the case of Scarface, the Hays Office demanded that some changes be made to the film because as it was, it stood as a glorification of vice. My thesis will be: even with the censors’ revisions, the film remains a gem, typical of the pre-Code Hollywood period when even though the Code was adopted in 1930, it was not fully imposed until 1934.Despite the changes it manages to represent its idea through camera movements, decor, and music. Moreover, it was one of the films that called for the stricter enforcement of the Code.

 Outline:

 I will begin with an introductory paragraph about the early 1930s: the studios, the censorship groups, the Depression and the types of movies the studios were producing. I will make a transition to the fallen women category and Baby Face as the perfect gold digger story that infuriated moral guardians.Then I plan on giving a brief account of the plot, followed by the major changes imposed by the censors. Then I will focus on the particular techniques of the filmmakers like the decor, the sound, and the camera shots in order to prove that they were essential and sufficient for the movie to have the desired effect on the audience. I will pay a special attention to the issue of “glamour” in the film. In a final paragraph I will try to reinforce my thesis with some quotes and conclusions.

Proposal- Jap B.

In this research paper, I will discuss and prove why violent video games are harmful to children.  I will prove that video games cause aggression, are addictive, and cause the brain to desensitize.  My research will come from various researchers, including authors, doctors, and sociologists, who have had thorough knowledge and background on violent video games and the effects they have on children in today’s society.  I will provide qualitative and quantitative data from research that will come from databases, books, and websites.  The research will not only prove the dangers but also advise parents to limit video game exposure to their children.

Thesis:

Violent video games are harmful to children because they cause aggressive behavior and addictiveness.  Although children actively explore the game’s virtual world with decision-making, strategizing, and developing hypotheses through cognition, children should be limited to video game exposure to prevent desensitization.

Outline:

Intro: Dangers and benefits of video games; follow into thesis and take a position.

Paragraph 1: Content of violent video games and rating system

Paragraph 2: Discuss aggressive behavior, thoughts, and feelings

Paragraph 3: Addictiveness

Paragraph 4: Rebuke original thesis with Johnson’s position on benefits of video games

Paragraph 5: Effect of brain such as desensitization

Paragraph 6: Advice for parents

Conclusion: Summation of points and restating thesis.

Public Enemies Review-Daryoush D.

On July 2009, Michael Mann released his movie Public Enemies starring great actors such as Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard. The movie takes places in the early 1930’s and depicts the last year of John Dellinger’s life. Although the movie is meant to portray John Dellinger’s last actions, the movie focuses more on the confrontation between Dellinger and FBI agent Melvin Purvis. Like his great movie Heat, Michael Mann likes the theme of confrontation between the “good” and the “bad,” especially when there is little difference between the two. To be able to depict his type of story, the director had to change some of the characters and leave out some important facts. For instance, Melvin Purvis is depicted in the movie as the man responsible for the fall of Dellinger. He is shown as an intelligent, strong, and an effective FBI agent. Unfortunately in reality, Purvis had a difficult time closing the Dellinger’s case and J. Edgar Hoover was obligated to give him help to end the investigation. As for Dellinger’s character, Johnny Depp does a fantastic job in his depiction of the bank robber. Unfortunately, Michael Mann provides little explanation of Dellinger’s motivations. Little is also said about the public fascination with the man. It also would have interesting to have a better understanding of the people’s lives during the Depression. The only interesting point was to witness the early tactics used by the FBI which was just created. Furthermore, the camera work seems amateurish and the action scenes are very disappointing to what Michael Mann had us used to.

Proposal Raman R

Scarface

1930′s Scarface was a very controversial movie. It didn’t get a good response from audience and from the censorship board. Many changes were made to the movie before it was released. I will be writing about the changes and cuts that were made to the movie  and my thesis will be Was Scarface a dangerous movie and should it been censored by the Hays office? These are some of the points that I will be focusing on:

 A) What were the changes that were made?

      B) Why these changes were made?

     C) Who was responsible for these changes?

     D) What did audience think of the movie?

E)     Was movie really dangerous or not.

Proposal-Bong K.

My final research paper is going to be on Manet’s Olympia, and how the scandal of his confrontational nude was considered an affront to French society at the time. I am going to focus on Manet’s reasons for depicting Olympia in such a manner that caused such outrage in the French public while defending his artistic decisions. 

Thesis: Manet’s Olympia confronts the audience with her brazen sexuality, but this should not have caused alarm for respectable French society considering that Manet wanted to show his view on the natural world.

Final Paper Proposal – Dustin R.

My current thesis is:

The original scripts of the 1932 and 1983 versions of the film Scarface were controversial in the portrayal of gangsters and violence and criminal behavior.  Because of content in both original scripts they had difficulty in production. The original script of the ’83 version was finally passed and the ’32 original script was changed and added to. Both films were eventually released and do not conform to the standards of the Motion Picture standards.

I will give examples of provocative material in both films.

I will document the production codes that both versions faced.

I will cite data on the problems with the censor offices and the court battles with the ’83 version.

I will show where what we see and what the codes say do not match.

Final Paper Proposal-Beverly N.

My paper will examine the effects (both positive and negative) of TV on both children and adults. Although extensive research shows that watching violence produces aggressive behavior, I also like to distinguish the difference between momentary aggression and pre-meditated violent crimes that are often blamed on TV and movies. I also want to discuss other causes of aggression including psychological illness that have nothing to do with watching violence. Pertaining to children I will discuss the roles of both the FCC, parents, and broadcasters should play in preventing unnecessary harm to children.

Possible Thesis: Aggressive behavior in children is often considered a social ill caused by spending long hour glued in front of a computer or playing video games. While industry broadcasters are often blamed for this alarming trend, it is important to recognize other factors responsible for this trend including inefficient parenting, lack of community programs for children, and other social factors responsible for aggression.

Updated Proposal – Zara A.

For my final research paper, I want to focus on the psychological effects negative TV can have on children (and adults). Although it is going to be an extension of my Scarface paper, I want to add more emphasis on the effects of TV on children, drawing from points made by Minow and Lamay. I will use Scarface as an example of why censorship was necessary in order to safe guard the psychological development of children.

My possible thesis will be: Scarface was a dangerous movie and should have been censored because of the negative effects it could have on the psychological development of children.

I will just focus on negative media since I think some shows are actually quite enriching for a child’s development. I will use examples of violence shown in the movie, such as the scene where comedy and violence was mixed together during the shootout when Tony and Poppy meet up at a restaurant. I won’t just use violence as an example but also controversial issues like incest and portrayal of women like Poppy. Although these are not examples of violence, they are sensitve topics that can plant the wrong ideas in younger children’s heads…

I will also briefly discuss the issue with the First Amendment and the movie industry. Although i do believe the first Amendment is one of our fundamental freedoms and should be valued at all times, I don’t think it should be abused or taken advantage of. Yes we do have the right of freedom of speech, but should we use it at the expense of the development of children?

In order to tie all of the new evidence and information into my original Scarface paper, I also want to address how the changes were not all successful, with the exception of a few, since the movie still seemed pretty violent for children to watch.

Proposal – Victoria R.

Thesis: TV regulations, such as the V-chip and FCC guidelines, help to diminish the negative effects that television presents to children.

My paper is going to be focused on the psychological literature on the effects of television on children.  First, I’m going to look at books, surveys, and studies.  Then I’m going to analyze them and compare them.  My paper will be written as an article summary and evaluation paper.  After I summarize what I’ve read, I will then evaluate what I’ve read to judge the merit, or worth of the research.  Lastly, I will discuss why the findings from the articles and surveys agree with my thesis.