CMP-125 (Kranzler, Fall 2020)

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Paper Two:  The Walking Dead

Here are the questions for your second paper, which is on the episode “TS-19” from the first season of The Walking Dead.  Please note that you may choose a different episode and different season if you like, but if you do, please speak with me first.  This paper must be at least five pages long, and it is worth 20% of your final grade.  For this paper as well, you must refer to two outside sources.  We will discuss how to find appropriate sources with Professor Melissa Hofmann on Wednesday, October 21.  The draft of this paper is due Wednesday, October 28, we will meet for conferences on Google Hangouts – not Canvas! – on Friday, October 30 or Monday, November 2, and the final version of your paper is due Monday, November 9.  As before please submit it to my Rider email as a Word document or a PDF.  Do not send it to Canvas; if you do, I will not read it.  And People, please note:  you must include a copy of the two articles you used or I will not read your paper. Please do not send me a link; you can either copy-and-paste them at the end of your paper, or you can attach them as Word documents or PDFs.

Please answer one of the following sets of questions as completely and thoroughly as you can.  And also remember;  only answer one set of questions.  Answering more than one will not earn you extra credit; it will only prove that you do not know how to follow directions.  Also please note that the first question is the one you must answer; the other questions are there to help you think through your answer.  They are not in any specific order, nor do you have to address all of them. 

1)  This episode of The Walking Dead is set in the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control, and it is only one of the government institutions that are represented in this show.  The other is the military.  How are these institutions represented, and what do they suggest about the power of the state?  What do the soldiers look like who appear in the first scene of the episode, and how do they behave?  What do they suggest about power and authority, and are they seen are rescuers or as the enemy?  What is Dr. Jenner like?  What do the tone of his voice and his attitude towards blowing up the Center suggest about government control and its power to protect American citizens?

2)  This show seems to suggest that in a crisis situation, the best plan is for people to stick together. How is that idea shown in this episode, and what happens when an individual breaks away from the group?  Consider, for example, how Dr. Jenner is outside the band of survivors; what do his actions suggest about how an individual can undermine a group?  What about Dr. Jenner justifies the suspicion of the individual outsider?  What happens when some of the other characters break away to make their own decisions; in what way do they endanger the group as a whole?

3)  This episode could be seen to represent pretty traditional gender roles. How do the men behave differently from the women, and what are considered appropriate masculine and feminine activities?  Where, for instance, do the men congregate, and where do the women and children go?  What happens when the men take responsibility for the escape, and how do the women behave?  In what sense is masculinity associated with aggression, and femininity with the expression of emotions and helplessness?

There are many articles that will help you think through these questions and help you write your paper.  Please remember, though, that your source must come from the library databases, not from a website. If you simply google your sources I will not read your paper.  Professor Hofmann and the other librarians will be available to assist you in your search, but here are some ideas to get you started:

• There have been many articles written about this show in scholarly journals.  You are welcome to consult them, but please note that you must make sure that you understand your article if you are going to refer to it in your paper.  Make sure that you do not quote your writer(s) out of context, and that the points they make are relevant to your argument. Do not quote a source commenting on the show if the writer is making a completely different point from your own.
• You are also permitted to use a newspaper or news magazine, which might be more manageable for some of you to work with.  There are many reviews of the show available in sources such as The New York Times, Newsweek, and The LA Times.  As with your scholarly article, it is best to use a source that refers specifically to this episode if you can find one.  However, it is certainly possible to apply readings of other episodes and other seasons to the argument that you are making.
• You do not need to confine yourself to articles specifically about The Walking Dead.  You can, instead, read around your subject and refer to articles, for example, on the CDC itself. What are its functions?  What role does it play in regulating and overseeing public health?  Find an article that explains the CDC and consider whether the representation in the show matches the actual government institution.
• There are many, many articles, both scholarly and in newspapers and news magazines, about gender roles in 21st-century America.  Find one and explore its discussion of the attitudes and expectations of gendered behavior in our society, and discuss whether the show is consistent with these expectations.
• There are obvious connections to make between the zombie plague in the show and our current experience with Covid-19.  You should have no trouble locating a relevant article and relating it to the fears and anxieties explored in The Walking Dead.
• There are many other shows, books, and films about zombies.  Find a review or a discussion of an alternative story about zombies, and consider the ways that The Walking Dead is similar or whether it diverges from other zombie narratives.

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