I. Identify an artifact from popular culture that you would like to analyze using the concepts you have learned throughout the course. The artifact can be taken from any type of media found in popular culture: a scene from a movie, an episode of a show, an art piece, a song, a play, a musical, an Internet meme, a website, etc. Choose something that is meaningful to you. II. Watch, listen, or otherwise engage with the media and reflect on the significance the concepts you have learned throughout this course has on your understanding of the artifact. III. Begin to think about and write your paper.
A. First, describe and summarize the relevant aspects of the scene, situation, or elements from the artifact you are analyzing. Assume I have never seen, heard, smelled, touched, or tasted the artifact you are analyzing. Describe the important features, with sufficient detail, so that I may have a clear understanding. Do not bring the ideas from the course into this part. This part should purely describe the relevant components of the artifact. This part should not be the longest part of the paper. Make it brief. B. Next, analyze the artifact using the various concepts you have learned throughout the course. It is important to accurately use the various concepts from the course. Do not present distorted or ill-conceived ideas during your analysis. Explain every concept you are using. Assume I have never heard of, or thought about the various concepts you use. Explain the concept and how the concept explains, clarifies, or is drastically different from the presentation in the artifact. That is. use the concepts to analyze the artifact in meaningful ways. It might be useful to bring in multiple concepts to help clarify and distinguish the intricacies of the artifact. For instance. it might be important to explain how something is (or is not) operating with a deontological ethic and compare that with how it is (or is not) operating with a utilitarian ethic or a virtue ethic or an ethic of care. This section might take several paragraphs. C. Use a paragraph to write a summary of your paper. Explain what you did, how you did it, and where the journey took you. This will be your conclusion. It should summarize and bring closure to the paper that is unfolding for your reader. D. Go back to the beginning of the paper to write an introduction to your paper. Explain what you are going to do (really what you already did) and how you are going to do it. The introduction should be written last and should prepare your reader for the journey that is about to unfold.