Scaffolded Semester Project

Description

Everything you will submit for this course (3 submissions total) builds toward your scaffolded semester project, step by step. A few weeks into the course, you will choose one of the texts in the anthology and, throughout the semester, you will gradually work towards either a final essay, podcast, or video that presents an analysis and interpretation of the text chosen.

All assignments are to be submitted to me by email to
[email protected] as an attached file saved ENG2850-Lastname_Firstname_Assignment, by 11:59pm on their due dates.
Extensions must be requested at least 48 hours prior to the relevant deadline.
No questions asked, but handing in late work may impact your grade (please see syllabus).

Please see the Schedule in the main Menu to see assignment due dates in perspective. I highly recommend that you take note of those deadlines and write them in your calendar/planner.

• By Oct 2nd, 11:59 pm: Project proposal due (email)
  Please send me an email with the title of your chosen text and the format you’ll think you’ll choose of your final project (essay, podcast, or video). Let me know in a couple of sentences why you chose this text and format. From then on, you won’t be able to change your mind on the text, so, take your time to choose. However, remember that this is only a semester’s project, and that you will learn something no matter the text chosen. Unexpected directions and challenges are always rewarding!
  
  
• On Oct 12, 17, and 24: Short Presentations
  You will give a very short “presentation” (5 minutes max) about why you chose this text and format (even if you’re still undecided about the format, just explain why). The name distribution is given below and also on the Module 5 page, which occurs a week before presentations start.
  
  
• Nov 7, by class time: Get your outline ready for in-class peer-review in pairs
• By Nov 14, 11:59pm: Revised outline due (email)
  You will peer-review each other’s project outlines in class, in pairs of Breakout Rooms. Please see below for the requirements for an outline depending on your chosen format. You will submit your outlines to my email by the end of the day on Nov 14.
  
  
• By Dec 12, 11:59 pm: Final project (by email)+ self-assessment Google form due
  After getting peer and instructor feedback on your outline, and after having attended our two project workshops, you will submit your final project to me by email.
  **Please note: there is very little room for extensions due to the deadline for submitting grades. Please contact me asap if you need one, but know that I may not be able to grant more than 24-48 hours).**

Directions

1. Project proposal

This is just a brief email that you will send me to let me know what text you have chosen to work on for your final project, as well as the project format (essay, podcast, video, even something else?) you think you will choose. You should also let me know in a couple of sentences why you are interested in this text. A good way to choose your text is to have a look at all the modules on this website and see what period might interest you most. You can also skim through the anthology, or you may have studied a text or literary period before that you really liked and would like to explore further (just remember we are only working on texts from 1700 to present.)

2. In-class “presentation” (5 minutes max.):

• Tell the class which text you chose, why you chose it, which format you chose or hesitate between, and why.
• You can give a little background on the text if you can fit it into the 5 minutes.
• You are welcome to share your screen and use slides, but you are advised to limit it to 2 to 4 slides so as not to go over your time.
• Remember: This is an informal and ungraded presentation: the purpose is just to share with the class what you’ll be working on. You don’t have to have anything figured out yet, other than the reason why you’re drawn to that particular text and format!

Here is when each person is expected to present:

Module 6 week (Wednesday, Oct 12, see schedule):
Anusha Sood
Lizbeth Santos
Nicholas Santiago
Yetsy Santa
Eliana Rocha

Module 7.1 week (Monday, Oct 17):
Maggie Liu
Deniz Kurun
Nyasha English-Floyd
Eden Halber
Quanesha Blackman
Anna Bieglarian
Shazeen Mehmood

Module 7.2 week (Monday, Oct 24):
Vaughan Roberts
Nicholas Palmese
Abraham Soussan
Shirley Ng
Sumin Nam
Carolyn Mulles
Katie Mensah
Zhaoyang Ma

Please me know if you have any questions, and please don’t leave it to the last minute. Unfortunately, there will be no way to make up for this presentation as we will then have to move on with the class content, and you will not get a checkmark if you have not presented. If you know in advance that you cannot attend the day you are asked to present, please let me know asap and I will assign you to a different week.

3. Project Outline (2-3 double-spaced pages):

No matter your chosen format, your outline of 2-3 double-spaced pages should contain:

• A temporary introduction with a clear thesis statement and a summary of your main points;
• Subheadings for each main points (2-3 max.). Under each subheading, there should be a brief description of what the point is, quotes from the text, and clear transitions to the next points);
• A temporary conclusion. What have you concluded so far? What’s left to do?
  
  Detailed video instructions for the outline are here (also on the Methodology page).

4. Final Project:

Instructions by format are below:

If you chose the essay (1500-1750 words, in Word document format), click here.

If you chose the podcast (8-10 minutes, in mp3 format), click here.

If you chose the video (8-10 minutes, in mp4 format), click here.

I am happy to show you examples of former student work for each project format, and you are also welcome to propose your own creative format.

As a further alternative, you are also welcome to use the free software StoryMap for a project format that combines visuals with routemaps relevant to either the plot of a text, or the author’s life. A tutorial is available here, and this is an example of an ENG2850 project using StoryMap (please not that this is an author-biography project, not a final project as this class requires). Please let me know if you have any questions about choosing this format!

If you are using any images for your project, no matter the format, please acknowledge image credits, and better still, strive to find open-access images that allow reproduction in their copyright. Here are tips on how to find such open-access images.

Checklist

Before you submit your final project, please use the following checklist:

Thesis/Argument	Is the main “point” of my essay/podcast/video clear throughout? What insights do I offer, or what argument do I make, about my chosen topic? Considering the existing literature on this topic, what do I bring to the table? What are my “findings”?
Support of Thesis	Do I provide details that walk my reader through my argument, step by step? Do I provide rhetorically persuasive reasons and specific evidence to support my thesis in the framework of what has already been argued in the field (remember that your paper is part of a larger academic discussion)?
Quality & Integration of Quotes	Do I summarize, paraphrase, and quote directly in a logical way from the text I’m analyzing? Do I acknowledge my sources either orally or in writing (if writing, is the formatting of my quotes appropriate)? Choosing to use externl sources is optional, but if I use some, are they reliable, academic sources? Do I acknowledge my sources both after each quote and in a Bibliography of Works Cited at the end of my project? Did I use a citation style and formatted my sources accordingly? (See Purdue OWL, under Research & Citation, left menu).
Counterarguments	Do I address the arguments and beliefs of those who may disagree with my position (in a respectful way)?
Organization	Do I organize my paragraphs in such a way that my reader/listener/viewer can clearly follow my main argument? Do I announce my structure in the introduction, and do I write transition sentences/transition orally when I move on to another point? Can my readers easily follow how I develop and support that argument? Does each paragraph/part contribute to my thesis, and if not, did I delete unnecessary ones? Do my paragraphs/parts smoothly transition into each other using transition words to signal my reader where my argument is going? Do I group information that goes together? Do I use a new paragraph/take a breath when I “switch gears” to a new subject? (No whole pages without paragraph splits or long stretches of talk without a breath).
Style, Grammar & Editing	Have I used the Word spelling and grammar check tool to refine my essay or podcast/video script? If writing, have I proofread myself at least twice to avoid typos and mistakes that would distract my reader from my story? Is my document well presented? Is the layout easy to the eye (Font 12 Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman, justified alignment, 1st line indent, etc.) For all formats: does my language contain few if any “to be” verbs (these are only descriptive, not analytic)? Am I concise, formal, and compelling?
Overall Respect of Instructions	Did I respect all instructions on this page? Did I respect the word count or podcast or video length? Am I on time for the due date? If not, did I request an extension at least 48 hours prior to the due date?