Assignment: Your final major project in English 1101 is to produce a visual/virtual archive. This archive will allow you to collect and analyze a variety of materials, whether photographs or textual on a topic selected by the group. This project will be collaborative on all levels. Group members will be required to choose a focus and then delegate responsibilities for pursuing that focus. All projects must have some form of "visual" content, whether a collection of photographs, a website, a short films, or other visual images. Each group member is then responsible for writing one essay of approximately 1200-1500 words, and all group members will collaborate on a "rationale," explaining your methods for organizing and analyzing material. This rationale should also include an audience analysis, in which you explain who might be interested in your project. All projects should also have a brief bibliography listing pertinent sources on the topic you have chosen.

Suggestions: There will be a "presentation" week at the end of the semester in which each group has about twenty minutes to present their material to the class—this will be the opportunity to demonstrate power point skills, for example. The presentation will factor into the overall grade. Each group member must participate in the presentation, and should demonstrate effective presentation skills—eye contact, organization, varied vocal patterns (avoid monotone). Don’t expect to come into the presentation and just "wing it." This presentation can serve as a "workshop," with student questions informing your final draft. You will want to use the time available to present what you have learned about your topic, perhaps including the arguments/subjects addressed by each paper, the audience you have in mind, what you’ve learned about your topic, anything that might interest your classmates.

One of the primary ways in which these projects will be evaluated is the effectiveness with which you demonstrate your knowledge of a topic. This will likely require some research on your part; however, I will not require a specific number of sources (although I would imagine that at least 15-20 sources should be listed in a general bibliography). Further, the more information you can provide your audience, the better your projects will be.

In this sense, it will be important to keep in mind that your projects should have a particular (adult) audience in mind, and not a "general" audience. Carefully consider who might be interested in your resource? What issues are relevant to them? What do they already know about your topic? What do they need to know to understand your site? Why is your project "important?" How will your audience benefit from accessing your project? For example, if you were writing on early film attendance, you could choose one of several audiences. People interested in urban studies might focus on where theaters were located and how they fit into the fabric of the neighborhood. People interested in social class issues might be interested in who attended screenings and how film audiences were perceived in public discourse (newspaper editorials, etc). Regardless, the audience you have in mind should shape your project as you keep in mind the values, interests, and knowledge that your audience may have.

The written papers should follow a similar approach to your previous projects. Each paper should have a thesis statement, arguing a specific point. You should use evidence (whether from an individual text or a range of cultural texts) to support your thesis. Each group member should be responsible for a different aspect of the project. More than anything, you should focus on developing your critical analysis skills even further. Carefully examining the implications of a specific event on people of different gender, sexual, ethnic, disability, or class identities could be helpful. If you focus on cybertheory, for example, consider carefully who might be included or excluded from citizenship, or participation, within the cybercommunity. Also, perhaps bear in mind that new technologies always serve the interests of the designers. Try not to have too much overlap in terms of what your papers cover (although some overlap may be inevitable). Each individual paper should have a works cited list if needed. Remember that the written component is still central to this project even though you will be using some visual skills. Because your topics will vary considerably, I will avoid offering other suggestions, but bear in mind the comments that I have given you in previous assignments.

Also, keep in mind the appearance of the materials that you assemble. If you do an online project, one major concern will be navigability and readability. Avoid using color schemes that are difficult to read. If you are incorporating images, be sure to use them in such a way that the flow of the text is not compromised. If you are using video or digital film, try to edit your films carefully, in order to avoid confusion. Remember that how a project is edited will largely determine how an audience receives a given project. Finally, keep in mind that your organization of visual images can and should inspire potential audiences to think critically about your material. You can organize visual material in such a way that the audience will make some of the connections for you.

There will be a group and individual component to the grade. You will be graded individually on your paper, of course. You will also be graded, as a group, for the overall project. However, there will also be an opportunity for students to comment anonymously about their groupmates’ performance. If you are not carrying your fair share, your overall grade will be lowered. You should be careful to document individually, and as a group, the work that you put into developing your visual project. Finally, on eth actual project, be sure to state clearly who in the class deserves credit for each section of the project. I will be providing time in class to work on the projects, but you should plan to meet outside of class at least once a week to ensure that you do your best work.

Beyond that, my major expectation is that you are creative with your projects. In some sense, the more specifically you can narrow down a project, the more useful your project will be. Trying to cover "everything" about a certain topic will only result in massive research and a frustrated group. It may help to focus even more specifically on a single event. As I mentioned in class, one of the most powerful projects I’ve seen was about the violent reaction to the Kent State shootings on the University of Maryland campus. With that in mind, it may be useful to focus your research on something of local interest, using resources available in the Atlanta area. However, any topic, as long as it is specifically defined, can produce an interesting project, as long as you bear in mind the skills of cultural analysis that I have been emphasizing in class. Foucsing on a specific project will give you the opportunity to work with newspaper archives. I would suggest identifying a few contemporary newpaper or magazine accounts of the events that you plan to analyze.

Requirements: The "final draft" of your project will be due Monday, December 9, the first day of exam week. Individual papers should generally conform to the Form and Content Guidelines; however, some concessions may be made to design for virtual projects. As always, if you have any questions at all, please ask.