This is a one page minimum paper (it may be longer if you require the space to complete your thoughts).
Watch two television shows, movies, books, or video games, and compare and/or contrast at least one aspect of each. For example, I used to require students to compare and contrast Roseanne to The Cosby Show. For obvious reasons, The Cosby Show is now offensive to people, and it is difficult to find a legitimate link. Students would often talk about the similarities and differences between their socioeconomic status, the relationships between siblings, or the relationships between the mothers and fathers.
Make sure to cite the shows on your Works Cited page.
Italicize titles of television and place quotes around the titles of the individual episodes.
An example of how to cite a source from youtube is below:
“The L-Team.” Williams College Libraries. YouTube. 2007. Web. 27 Aug. 2009.
Note: Basic elements are in this order: “Segment Title.” Director/Creator (if available). Title of database or Website (italicized). Year of publication. Format. Date of access.
In the parenthetical reference, lead with the author name (if available) or title or beginning words of the title if author is not available. Put parenthetical reference at the end of the sentence in your text.
In text citing/mentioning
Here is an example of how you state something in the paper to reference the source that is in your Works Cited:
Cartman, one of the main characters in the television show South Park is representative of all that is evil and immoral in society.
If you are using a specific episode it would look similar to the following:
In the South Park episode titled “Starvin Marvin,'” Cartman is shown eating to excess at the buffet while Marvin looks on in confusion as he just arrived from Ethiopia and is literally starving.
Works Cited Info
I took the following from OWL at Purdue. There is a link to the site in your resources, but here is the specific information for citing various television/film sources:
Films or Movies
List films by their title. Include the name of the director, the film studio or distributor, and the release year. If relevant, list performer names after the director’s name.
The Usual Suspects. Directed by Bryan Singer, performances by Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro, Polygram, 1995.
To emphasize specific performers or directors, begin the citation with the name of the desired performer or director, followed by the appropriate title for that person.
Lucas, George, director. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Twentieth Century Fox, 1977.
Television Shows
Recorded Television Episodes
Cite recorded television episodes like films (see above). Begin with the episode name in quotation marks. Follow with the series name in italics. When the title of the collection of recordings is different than the original series (e.g., the show Friends is in DVD release under the title Friends: The Complete Sixth Season), list the title that would help researchers to locate the recording. Give the distributor name followed by the date of distribution.
“The One Where Chandler Can’t Cry.” Friends: The Complete Sixth Season, written by Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen, directed by Kevin Bright, Warner Brothers, 2004.
Broadcast TV or Radio Program
Begin with the title of the episode in quotation marks. Provide the name of the series or program in italics. Also include the network name, call letters of the station followed by the date of broadcast and city.
“The Blessing Way.” The X-Files. Fox, WXIA, Atlanta, 19 Jul. 1998.
Netflix, Hulu, Google Play
Generally, when citing a specific episode, follow the format below.
“94 Meetings.” Parks and Recreation, season 2, episode 21, NBC, 29 Apr. 2010. Netflix.
An Entire TV Series
When citing the entire series of a TV show, use the following format.
Daniels, Greg and Michael Schur, creators. Parks and Recreation. Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2015.
A Specific Performance or Aspect of a TV Show
If you want to emphasize a particular aspect of the show, include that particular information. For instance, if you are writing about a specific character during a certain episode, include the performer’s name as well as the creator’s.
“94 Meetings.” Parks and Recreation, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, performance by Amy Poehler, season 2, episode 21, Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2010.
If you wish to emphasize a particular character throughout the show’s run time, follow this format.
Poehler, Amy, performer. Parks and Recreation. Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2009-2015.
Podcasts
“Best of Not My Job Musicians.” Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! from NPR, 4 June 2016, to an external site..
From Easy Bib
Citing a specific episode from a Television show
“Grief Counseling.” The Office, season 3, episode 4, NBC, 12 Oct. 2006. Netflix.
When citing an entire TV series:
Daniels, Greg and Roger Nygard, creators. The Office. Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2006. Netflix.
