Paragraph Writing - Buffy Characters

The goal of the first assignment is to:

  • Practice taking notes and turning that into an outline so you write a better paper, faster.
  • Practice writing paragraphs.

Assignment One

Watch and discuss S01E01 Welcome to the Hellmouth.

  • Select five characters in the episode we are about to watch
  • Write one paragraph on each character
  • No need for introduction, conclusion, or transition.
  • You do need name, date, title at the top. For this and every other assignment in this class.
  • Structure of each paragraph:
    • Purpose sentence (Name, who are they, what stereotype/purpose do they hold)
    • Analysis (Talk more about the purpose/motivation of character)
    • Supporting evidence. Be specific. For example, “Mary was mean” could be supported by “Mary insulted Bob by telling him his hair was ugly, and also insulted at least five other characters in the show.”
  • Think about including:
    • What role is that character set up for?
    • What their stereo-type?
    • Have you found people fit stereo types like this in school?

Shoot for about five sentences per paragraph.

How to Make Assignment One Easy

  • Outlining
    • Purpose is to save time and effort - NOT add more work
    • You know what you are writing about, write quick notes about the characters as you watch. Then the paragraphs should practically write themselves.

Due Date

This assignment, and many of our others, will go through a revision phase. The ability to revise your writing is an important part of writing well.

To support editing, make sure you upload your document in MS Word format.

Double-space the document.

You’ll be given an MS Word document with ‘track changes’ on, where suggestions on how to improve your writing are given. Don’t just turn in this document! Make those changes. Learn from them. The rest of your time in college professors will be assuming you can get to this level of writing. This is your time to learn.

Turn in this assignment by Friday 8/28. By Tuesday, Robert will review the assignment and provide feedback. Final turn-in should be done by Friday 9/4.