Close analysis essay
A close reading of one week's drama, arguing for a specific claim about what it represents and what it dramatises
Due: 9 April 2027 · Weight: 30%
The brief#
Pick one week’s drama and one claim about it, and argue that claim closely enough that a reader who hasn’t seen the show can follow your evidence.
By week 7 you’ll have practised this course’s central move — separating what a drama represents from what it dramatises — six times, on six different subjects. This essay asks you to do it once, in depth, on a single drama of your choosing from weeks 1 through 7 (or by arrangement, a later week you’ve previewed).
Choose a claim you can actually support in the space you have: not “this drama is about Korean culture,” but something specific enough to be wrong about — what a particular scene does, what it assumes its audience already believes, or where the line between record and invention actually falls.
What you submit#
A 1200–1500 word essay, referencing specific scenes or moments (with timestamps or episode numbers) as evidence for your claim.
How it’s marked#
Depth of analysis carries the most weight: does the essay go past the obvious reading? Evidence from the drama itself matters as much as the argument built on it, and clarity is what makes the first two visible to a reader.
The spec
The brief poses the problem and leaves room for a response. The spec is the fixed part: what a marker checks. Some lines can be checked mechanically; the rest call for judgement.
- submitted by the deadline, in the format named below
- argues one specific claim about a single week's drama, rather than surveying the whole show
- separates what the drama represents from what it dramatises, and says why the difference matters for your claim
- cites specific scenes or moments as evidence, not general impressions
How it is marked
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Depth of analysis | 50% |
| Use of evidence from the drama | 30% |
| Writing clarity | 20% |