For your final project, you will explore a topic inspired by our course in a format that is suitable for online, digital consumption. This could be deep research into one of the artworks we discussed in class, or one of our tagged themes, or one of the topics that were suggested for the webposts, or something else. You are encouraged to be as creative as possible in both your topic and the form you present it in. The project should be an expression of your own voice, your own passion, and your own interests (as they connect to our course, of course!). Whatever you explore in your final project, the content must go beyond what we covered in class; like your webposts, you need to do research for this project and present new ideas and new material. You are welcome to collaborate with one or two other students if your project requires multiple types of skills and/or an unusual amount of labor (eg researching a topic, writing a script, and performing it as a skit, for example), but be sure that the finished project reflects the appropriate amount of labor for that number of people. Your final project is worth 20% of your overall course grade.
If you have an idea for a digital project but aren’t sure what kinds of tools would be best suited for, I highly recommend that you reach out to Josh Finnell (jfinnell@colgate.edu) for assistance in turning your preliminary ideas into a coherent project, and/or to Christine Moskell (cmoskell@colgate.edu) for all matters related to the technological side. You are also, of course, strongly encouraged REQUIRED! (AS YOU WISHED!) to meet with me to discuss and develop your ideas as well!
Digital formats: You are welcome to create a podcast, Ted Talk, timeline, StoryMap, short story, flipbook, map, art work, game, video, website, poll, performance, Choose your Own Adventure (click on “present” in the upper right corner to make this one work), or any other format that can be shared digitally. (Please note that all the links in the previous sentence are to excellent examples of those media from Fall 2020 CORE 151 students; there are more model projects from Spring 2021 ARTS 101 under the “model final projects” tab on our course website.) It should be dynamic or interactive in some way that actively engages the visitor; most important, it should make an argument or have a point that is better expressed in your chosen medium than it would be in a straightforward written essay. This is important; be sure there is a good match between your chosen medium and the material you are presenting. For example, if your topic requires us to compare works of art to one another, be sure that the format allows us to see them side by side. Also: don’t choose a StoryMap if location/geography is irrelevant to your topic.
Instructions for Posting Your Final Project: You will add your final project to the website as a “post,” just as you have done for the past two web essay assignments. Christine Moskell will send instructions. Be sure to select “Final Project” as the Category for your post, otherwise it disappears into the void.
Due: Posted on our course website by 5 pm, on Monday, December 12. Please note that extensions must be requested in writing (email) at least 24 hours before the due date, and must include an attachment with all work on the project completed so far (this can be notes). The likelihood of my granting the extension depends very much on your ability to demonstrate that you have not waited until the last minute to get started on the project. Late submissions, or last-minute requests for an extension, will be penalized by a deduction of points on the final project grade.
Assessment criteria: Please note that these are very similar to the criteria that have guided my assessment of your independent work all semester long, with added focus on the match between your topic/argument and your chosen medium. Have a look at the model final projects tab on our course website to be inspired.
| 1. Creativity: This project should be something only you (or you and your team) could have designed, written, and put together. It should show off your unique personality and imagination. Your keen interest in, and excitement about, the topic should be evident to your audience. Be bold! Surprise and delight us! 20 points |
| 2. Complexity: The project should demonstrate that you have spent many hours thinking deeply about the topic, researching and examining it from multiple perspectives. It should reflect a semester’s worth of deep engagement with, and mastery of, our course themes and issues, but it must go beyond material and/or ideas we discussed in class. Everything you say must be historically accurate. 20 points |
| 3. Coherence: Your project conveys information and your interpretation of it in a way that is clear and easily comprehensible to the user. There is no extraneous, unrelated, or confusing material. The premise is consistent the whole way through (so, for example, if your project is a story written in the voice of a historical character, everything that character does and thinks and says is logical given who the character is). 20 points |
| 4. Match between form and content: The medium, format, organization, layout, visuals, and interface should make it easier for your reader to follow – and be persuaded and even moved by – your argument than a regular written essay would. Your audience’s experience interacting with what you create should enhance the message you are trying to communicate; by making it experiential, you are bringing it to life. 12 points |
| 5. Strong Prose: Even in a digital project that is not an essay, good writing is still essential! Word choices are accurate, descriptive and straightforward. Syntax is smooth, not distracting. Rules of standard written English grammar (including apostrophes) are followed. 12 points |
| 6. Sources cited: YOU MUST CITE YOUR SOURCES, but I leave it up to you to determine the most appropriate way to do so in the context of your chosen medium. Hyperlinks, endnotes, some equivalent of a “page” at the end that lists them, verbally reading them out if you are doing a podcast, Ted Talk or performance of some kind or some other method – any of these are fine. But you may not skip this step. You should cite at least five good quality sources. 8 points |
| 7. Proofreading and attention to detail. Be sure to use spellcheck! And make sure everything works! 8 points |
