Hillsborough Community College The King of Marvin Gardens Movie Essay

I’m trying to learn for my Psychology class and I’m stuck. Can you help?

Movies for essay assignment can be found on the last page of the syllabus. There are also 3 free movies to choose from. The links for these are on the bottom of the page.

1. Choose a film from the list of choices on the last page of the syllabus. Some of them are R rated and contain elements that some people may find offensive. If you don’t want to watch something like that, choose something on the list that is not R rated. The films can be found in many places – library, Netflix, video store, youtube, used on EBay or Amazon Marketplace etc…
2. You should give a synopsis of the film along with some or all of the concepts/ideas below. The essay should have a beginning (brief synopsis), a middle body that focuses on how it relates to psychology, and an ending that has your own personal thoughts on the film.

Describe how elements of the movie relate to psychology and what you found interesting. This could be in relation to psychological disorders (depression, anxiety, anger etc..), drug and alcohol abuse, sexuality (abuse, relations, molestation), gambling addiction, personal development, family interactions, relationships, classic and operant conditioning, social learning theory, neuropsychology, social psychology, stress etc…

How do you relate or not relate to the protagonist or other characters in regard to their thoughts, feelings and interactions? Do you relate to the overall themes and concepts of the film? Do you disagree?

Did you like the film? Why or why not?

1. The grading will be pass or fail.
2. It should be typed in 12 font, double spaced and a minimum of 700 words.
3. Use proper grammar and spelling.
4. Do not use slang. You should write in a professional manner.
5. The paper should be written entirely in your own words. Do not use citations.
6. This is to be written at a college level. If you have trouble writing, use the Ybor – Academic Success Center on the first floor of the LRC building, Room 105. (Phone: 253-7796). If that is not convenient, any of the HCC Academic Success Centers will be happy to assist. If the paper is a not a quality paper, you will not get credit. Do not turn in a piece of junk.
7. This is an opportunity to work on your writing. The details of what you write are not as important as developing your critical analysis skills and apply them towards psychology. I encourage you to be creative.
8. It should be submitted by the due date to receive full credit. If it is late, the overall grade will be reduced by 3 points (3 overall percentage points). Every 7 days that goes by and the paper is not turned in, the grade will be reduced by another 2 points. ex. If a paper is 21 days late it will lose a total of 7 points. The max grade would be a 5 out of the 12 points.
9. Submit your assignment as a word document.

**If a film is chosen that is not on the list, the paper will be recorded as a zero.

**Movies for essay assignment can be found on the last page of the syllabus. There also 3 free ones to choose from below.

The King of Marvin Gardens (Links to an external site.)

The Postman Always Rings Twice (Links to an external site.)

The Last Picture Show