Introduction
To submit this assignment, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the assignment prompt, which is included below.
I recommend you download the PDF of the prompt to your device and/or print out a copy, but that is not required. Again, you can also access the prompt in full below. To download the PDF, click on the link below.
History112_AnalyticalPaper-GR-BigShort.pdf
Assignment Prompt
For this assignment, you will write a short paper (500-600 words) that answers the question: Does The Big Short accurately depict the causes of the Great Recession?
Outside research is NOT needed for this assignment, so DO NOT include outside sources in the essay.
A works cited page is also NOT needed for this assignment.
You must also incorporate one direct quotation from a relevant assigned reading into each paragraph of your essay, not including the conclusion.
This assignment requires that you analyze the Great Recession using EACH of the following sources:
The American Yawp;
“Great Recession Readings” (PDF);
The film, The Big Short (2015);
Lecture PowerPoint on the Great Recession.
Main Requirements
There is no right or wrong answer to the question above.
The purpose of this assignment is to answer the prompt question by doing each of the following:
Illustrate a clear understanding of the causes of the Great Recession;
Provide contextual analysis of The Big Short by briefly describing the socio-economic conditions that caused the Great Recession;
Develop a clear argument (i.e. thesis statement) that directly responds to the central question of the prompt;
Incorporate one direct quotation from two different sourcesin the “Great Recession Readings” PDF;
Incorporate at least one direct quotation from The American Yawp;
Make direct connections between film and the history it represents by linking your description and analysis of events during the financial crisis to specific scenes in the film.
Incorporate one direct quotation in each paragraph except the conclusion.
You can use the lecture PowerPoint for background information, but you must still incorporate quotations from the assigned readings as well.
All quotations should include MLA-style parenthetical citations—the author’s last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation is taken inside parentheses—at the end of the sentence where the quotation is given. Again, a works cited page is NOT needed for this assignment.
Structure of Paper
Your analytical paper should be four paragraphs long.
Paragraph one is your introduction; it should be 150-200 words long and provide general information about The Big Short and Great Recession. Towards that end, it should include a short quotation from one of the assigned readings and clearly state four things:
Briefly summarize the plot of The Big Short.
Define what the Great Recession was and when it occurred.
Why it happened (i.e. the causes of the Great Recession).
Your thesis/argument regarding the historical accuracy of The Big Short.
Paragraph two should be 150 words long and identify one reason why The Big Short is, or is not, historically accurate. This paragraph should provide evidence from The American Yawp by properly identifying (i.e. list title and author’s name) the textbook book, incorporating direct quotations from the assigned reading, link that information to a specific scene in the film.
Paragraph three should be 100-150 words long and identify a second reason why The Big Short is, or is not, historically accurate. This paragraph should provide evidence from one of the readings from the “Great Recession Readings” PDF. Like paragraph two, this paragraph should also properly identify (i.e. list title and author’s name) the reading and incorporate direct quotations from the reading and link that information to a specific scene in the film.
The fourth paragraph is your conclusion and should be 50-100 words long. This paragraph should briefly restate your thesis and the evidence you offered in support of your thesis.
Grading
An A paper will be one that is organized along the lines laid out in Section III and includes all seven of the requirements listed in Section II.
A B paper will be one that is organized along the lines laid out in Section III and includes most of the requirements listed in Section II.
A C paper will be one organized along the lines laid out in Section III and includes some of the requirements listed in Section II.
A D paper will be one that is NOT organized along the lines laid out in Section III and/or includes some of the requirements listed in Section II.
An F paper will be one that is incomplete, off topic, or plagiarized.