Below I am including the full descriiptions of Assignments #7 and #8, two parts

Below I am including the full descriiptions of Assignments #7 and #8, two parts of the same project. Before you get overwhelmed, remember that we will be breaking this assignment down into separate parts. The very first task is to choose a topic. As we have been going over various examples of research topics based on representational trends, I hope you have been thinking about ideas for your own project. What is a primary source you know well and think you\’d like to write about? Do you want to do something related to a project you have already done in the course.
This week, all that is due is a paragraph in which you describe what you\’d initially like to do for your project. This can be in an early stage. Use the worksheet under the module on analytical questions to help you come up with ideas, email me if you have questions, and post your ideas here!

Full prompt:
Assignments #7 and #8: Representational Trends and Signs in American Reality Television
Composition 110, Estes
These two assignments are designed to go together. They represent two phases of a project in which you will explore, research, and analyze a cultural or representational trend. For this paper, you will analyze “patterns of representation within a particular cultural and historical moment.” In other words, you’ll be analyzing how reality television depicts American culture.
Over the past couple of decades, it seems like there’s a reality television show about just about anything, from reality competitions and game shows to explorations of particular cultures or industries (weddings, travel, tattoos, makeovers, parenting, mental illness, tattoos…clearly the list is almost endless!), from …. to “unscriipted” depictions of semi-celebrities. Together, these shows form a fascinatingly rich and often distorted picture of American life. In this paper, you will explore how the signs of reality television both depict and shape their subjects. Your paper will combine detailed observation of primary texts with analysis/secondary sources into an interesting and well-structured analysis.
Assignment #7: Project Proposal / Annotated Bibliography
Part I: Topic Proposal [“How is _________________ depicted in _______________?”]
List your primary sources in MLA format Works Cited list. These texts are the tv shows that you will analyze. You may focus on one series or a cluster of shows (shows about weddings, etc.) If possible, list specific seasons/episodes you will focus on.
List at least three good, analytical questions you plan to explore in your research paper. Make sure your questions will facilitate an analytical response. (In other words, they should not be yes/no questions.) You may not yet know the answers to these questions, but they should be questions you could at least potentially be able to answer. A GREAT place to start is with the template: “How is ______________ depicted in _____________?” You can use the other questions here as starting places, but be sure to revise them so that they reflect *your* project.
Questions to consider:
Who or what is being represented in these shows? How is that representation interesting/ surprising/significant? Is there anyone (an industry, an audience group) in particular that benefits in some way from that particular kind of representation?
What other kinds of texts are part of the same trend as yours? Are there other shows that depict this subject in similar or different ways?
Why are there so many shows on this topic or taking this angle at this particular time? Do these depictions change over time?
Who is the target audience, not just for the shows but for the specific messages or portraits in the shows? Do the shows depict a certain social class in a way that would be appealing to a *different* social class (i.e. how are the “rich people” shows edited to make them appealing to an audience of lower/middle class people)?
Using between half a page and a page (double spaced), offer an initial discussion of your project. (“In this paper, I am planning to look at how __________ is represented in ____________. In my preliminary research, I have observed _____________, and I think that I would like to argue _______________.) How will you analyze and combine your texts? What are your initial ideas? What do you expect to discover? What kinds of sources are you finding/not finding?
Part II: Annotated Bibliography
List your secondary sources (texts that offer analysis of the cultural or representational trend at the heart of your inquiry). You will need at least 3 secondary sources for this assignment that are all analytical in nature. Potential sources may include articles from Signs of Life, scholarly articles, examples of analytical media journalism, etc.
Using two paragraphs for each source, summarize each of your secondary sources and explain why that source is useful/significant for your project and how you intend to use it (one paragraph of summary and one of analysis or discussion of its usefulness).
Assignment #8: Researched Analysis Paper
Assignment #8 is a 6-8 page (double-spaced) research paper. The goal of this paper is not simply to restate the information gained in your research (#7), but to analyze your topic, using both primary and secondary sources to support your own interpretation and analysis of the subject. You should demonstrate the ability to make connections among your secondary sources and also to extend the analysis they offer, to say something new about your topic through the course of your paper.
Criteria for Evaluation:
You demonstrate a new understanding of your primary texts and can ask complicated questions about them (as well as the representational trend they demonstrate) as a result of your engagement with your own research and the methods of analysis from the course.
An introduction that establishes context for your main thesis/claim, which will identify the representational trend you observe within your chosen primary texts.
A clear thesis statement that gains complexity through the analysis in your paper.
Focused paragraphs with specific concrete examples from primary sources to support your analytical claims.
Evidence that you have read and interpreted secondary sources fairly/accurately and can point to specific claims within the secondary sources themselves and complicate, extend, and qualify the claims made by critics and move beyond simple agreement/disagreement.
Clear and correct quoting, citation, diction, punctuation, and grammar.
Evidence of revision from first to final publish. Participation in classroom process, including peer review and presentation.
Requirements and Grading:
Length/Formatting: 6-8 pages, double-double spaced. The paper should include an MLA-style heading, a title, and page numbers. 11 or 12 point font size, 1-inch margins.
I know it is 2 part but due date is so tight…. I will appreciate and tip 🙂
don\’t bother with source number, you can use more if you need.