Instructions given by professor:
The final paper is a three to five page comparison of two Black Mirror episodes. To clarify, you need to compare and contrast the THEMATIC content of two Black Mirror episodes. Dont compare plots. Dont compare characters. Compare the THEMATIC MEANINGS of the two episodes.
You can approach this assignment in one of two ways:
The first approach is to find two episodes with similar subject matter (like two episodes that focus on social media or two episodes about artificial intelligence or two episodes about the misuse of technology) and distinguish the thematic nuances of the two episodes. So if youre comparing two episodes that focus on social media, explain the difference in their messages about social media. (And yes, there WILL be differences. No two episodes of Black Mirror deliver the same EXACT message.)
The second approach is to find two episodes with DISIMILAR subject matter and find the thematic commonalities between them.
This final paper needs to begin with an introduction that not only declares which episodes are being focused on but also what themes will be discussed. (Thats your thesis.) After your introduction, you can either organize your argument by analyzing one episode in its entirety before analyzing the other episode in its entirety and then wrapping up your essay with a conclusion. OR after your introduction, you can go back and forth between the two episodes, analyzing the thematic links between the two. The manner in which you organize this paper needs to be figured out during your outlining stage.
