English Comp 2

Homework Assignment #2

Choose one of the films from the list provided that you would like to watch. Ideally, you will choose a film from the list that has something to do with an idea or topic that might contribute to your final project, but this is not a requirement. Most all can be easily acquired/digitally rented for under $5.

Watch the film. Take some notes while watching—make note of important moments (timestamp them) quotes, facts—mostly this is to help you find them quickly again when writing. Some of the films are documentaries, some of works of fiction—so everyone’s notes and approach will be different.

Once you’ve finished viewing the film compose a 500-word, MLA formatted essay that does 3 things:

1. Summarizes the film, but spends no more than one paragraph doing this.

2. Expands on the content of the film and discusses its contributions to a larger conversation about how social media/the internet/other technologies are changing the way we interact with people and the way we perceive our world.

3. Includes your response to the documentary in specific, concrete terms. Write a thorough review/critique of the work. (On this issue of specificity-- it is a bad idea to just say: the film was good. What, specifically, was well-done about the work? If you need help or an example of this kind of critical approach in action this try reading some movie reviews in a newspaper and note their precise detail.)

This assignment is worth 20 points and is due on Monday 7/17 by 11:59pm. It must be submitted on Blackboard, emailed assignments will not be accepted.

FILMS FOR HOMEWORK ESSAY

Please watch one film of your choosing from this list and then proceed to Homework Assignment #2

#chicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes on a Dictator - Documentary, NR https://www.amazon.com/ChicagoGirl-Social-Network-Takes-Dictator/dp/B0141IN7ZQ/ A Chicago teen helps coordinate the Syrian revolution via social media until her network must choose how to fight a dictator: with Facebook or AK-47s.

Codegirl - Documentary, NR https://www.netflix.com/title/80085424

Join high school-aged girls from around the world as they try to better their community through technology and collaboration in this thrilling, heartfelt documentary. By 2017, the app market will be valued at $77 Billion. Over 80% of these developers are male.

DRONE – Documentary, NR https://www.netflix.com/title/80075663

DRONE is a documentary about the covert CIA drone war. Through voices on both sides of this new technology, DRONE reveals crucial information about the drone war in Pakistan and offers unique insights into the nature of drone warfare.

Eva – Drama, NR https://www.netflix.com/title/70241760

Daniel Brühl (“Rush”) plays Alex, a brilliant but somewhat erratic designer of robots in a world where automatons are seamlessly woven into the fabric of life. Spanish, with subtitles.

Generation Like – Documentary, PG-13 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugaz-LwNPOk

Thanks to social media, today's teens are able to directly interact with their culture — artists, celebrities, movies, brands, and even one another — in ways never before possible. But is that real empowerment? Or do marketers still hold the upper hand?

Her – Drama, R https://www.amazon.com/Her-Joaquin-Phoenix/dp/B00IA3NGB4

A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need.

Indie Game: The Movie - Documentary, NR https://www.netflix.com/title/70229918

A documentary that follows the journeys of indie game developers as they create games and release those works, and themselves, to the world.

LIFE 2.0 - Documentary, NR https://www.netflix.com/title/70129457

LIFE 2.0 follows a group of people whose lives are dramatically transformed by the virtual world, Second Life. They enter a new reality, whose inhabitants assume alternate personas in the form of avatars.

Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World – Documentary, PG-13 https://www.netflix.com/title/80097363

Oscar-nominated documentarian Werner Herzog chronicles the virtual world. He leads viewers on a journey that reveals the ways the online world has transformed how virtually everything in the real world works.

Men, Women, & Children – Drama, R https://www.amazon.com/Men-Women-Children-Rosemarie-DeWitt/dp/B00R1WOZ7O

From Director Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Juno), Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner and Ansel Elgort star in this powerful story about navigating our complex relationships in an era defined by social media, online exchanges and instant gratification.

Second Skin – Documentary, NR https://youtu.be/V_2FycHamfA

An intimate, fascinating look at computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by the emerging, hugely popular genre of computer games.

Twinsters – Documentary, PG-13 https://www.netflix.com/title/80047635

Twinsters explores the meaning of family and connection through a story that would have been impossible just 10 years ago without the creation of YouTube and Facebook.

We Are The Legion: The Story of Hacktivists - Documentary, NR https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Story-Hacktivists/dp/B009YRFGKY

An intimate look inside the world of Anonymous, the radical "hacktivist" collective that has redefined civil disobedience for the digital age.