Final Exam
MUTLIMODAL COMPOSITION (ENGL 149)
FINAL EXAM | SUMMER 2, 2020
Instructions: There are two parts to the exam, and it is timed to take 3 hours, though you will have until due Tuesday, July 28th at 3:00pm to complete it. Read the prompts very carefully! Because this is a take home online exam, I expect you to quote your primary texts and include a bibliography at the end of the exam for any text you use. You may refer to your own class notes, videos, Podcasts and online discussion posts as well. You do not need to do research to answer these prompts. Make sure to cite ALL sources!
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PART ONE: Key Words (60 minutes, 2 points each for 10 total points). Please select Five terms from the list below. For each one, a) define the term and b) give an example of the term at work in one of the texts we read/watched for the course. Note: your example may be drawn from a work other than the source text; please do not use a given work in more than two responses in this section.
- Fanfiction
- Adaptation
- Appropriation
- Death of the Author
- Palimpsest
- Intertextuality
- Copyright
- Medium
- Transworld Identity
- Parody
PART TWO: Essays (60 minutes each, 10 points each, length: 800-1,200 words.). Please select TWO prompts from below. For each, write an analytical essay that treats at least three works from the class. Make sure to draw on both analytical and creative texts and use different works in the two essays.
- Death of the Author.How does today’s society view the concept of death of the author? More specifically, how has the internet and technology shaped the way we feel about the author’s role in the consumption of the text? Does the culture of the readers shape the story or is the author’s word final? How does our contemporary viewpoint differ to that of previous generations? How is it similar?
- Fanfiction and Adaptation.How is a fan fiction different from an adaptation? Is there a difference? When do you think fanfiction starts pushing the line to becoming an adaptation and vice versa?
- Social Media.Through the wonders of social media, authors can sometimes claim things about their characters with no support in their work after-the-fact. For example, on Twitter, J.K. Rowling claims Dumbledore is gay, even with no evidence of it in her works. Should these revisions of characters be considered canon? Why or why not? Andwhy do you think they do this through social media? Why not just write this story?
- Copyright and IP.To what extent do you think copyright and intellectual property laws should apply to works of fanfiction? Do you think these laws will allow for more creative fanfiction works, or will it just prevent aspiring authors from engaging in writing new fanfiction stories? Is it more beneficial to provide more protection for the original source material, or should there be more of a gray area/flexibility when dealing with fanfiction, and how fanfiction can be written?
- Fanfiction. Fanfiction is often written by amateur authors, focuses more on a character-driven story and identity exploration, and is based on already existing content. Consider a piece of media and compare it to some fanfiction that you have read of it. What are the main differences? Why do they matter?
- Right Now. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, what particular affordances does fanfiction bring to help us better understand how texts are shaped by communities and how fanfiction communities can help keep us entertained? With movie theaters, playhouses, and concerts closed, has the fanfiction community changed in light of the pandemic? Be sure to ground your analysis in specific passages.
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Submitting your exam: Please write your responses in a word document and label the file name with the following format LastName.docx example Smith.docx. Turn in your exam on the “Submit Final Exam” page (https://engl149summer2020.web.unc.edu/submit-final-exam/). Make sure to scrupulously quote and cite any and all sources. Also, include the following section in your word document:
Sign the honor pledge (you can just type your full name), indicating that you have abided by UNC-CH’s honor code throughout:
I PLEDGE:____________________________________________________________________