Introduction to the Middle East Liam O’Mara IV
film review assignment sheet 2.II.2014
I have been distributing copies of the films that you signed up for. (If you have not
signed up for a film, ask me for the list and do this soon!!) Once you have the film,
watch it at your convenience, but be sure to take notes! You should be watching for the
following: historical accuracy and/or believability and how it relates to events and/or
issues relevant to the class.

This is a critical film review and research paper, not a summary of the film or a review
of its technical or artistic merits (though you can include such if you like). What you
need to identify is how it relates to the course; then, discuss events or issues that the
film raises and cite readings, discussion, or other scholarly works that intersect with the
film’s content.
Note well: A review that does not cite relevant material from the readings and/or
outside texts is not complete, and it will not be graded! These papers will require you to
do outside research in order to tackle the issues raised, so be prepared to look things
up in the (*gasp*) library! If you need any help or guidance in identifying what is going

on in the film you chose, please feel free to ask me.
The closer you get to formatting suggested in the Chicago Manual of Style, the happier
I will be. If you want your professor in a good mood, take a glance at the citation
guidelines you can find on-line, and at the brief summary of points that I included on
the course syllabus.
Your paper should be five to seven pages long, but I do not have a required page count.
Your goal should be an accurate and thorough engagement with, and discussion of, the
main features of the film relevant to our course — and not meeting some arbitrary
target length. But remember that writing concisely is generally more difficult, since I
will be looking for specific points in each of these films and you have to be able to find
and discuss as many of these as possible…
Your paper is due in class on Thursday, 24 April. Unless approved in advance, late
papers will be penalized.
Note: If you still need a copy of the film, come down to the front of the class where I
will be logged into the desktop computer and have a USB drive attached with all of the
film on it. Plug in your own USB/flash drive, copy over the film, and eject it & collect it
so the next person can come up.