Pedagogy Project 2111 Creative Project

ENGL 2111 Final Project

Last Taught Spring 2015 (Web)

Due Date

TBA

Value

20% (200 pts.)

Objectives
Students will demonstrate proficiency in discussing and writing about the texts covered in this course.
Students will demonstrate proficiency with writing in standard academic English.

Students will demonstrate proficiency in locating, evaluating, and utilizing research materials.

Students will demonstrate proficiency in using MLA style.

Directions

This assignment is...well...different.

You’re going to show me that you’ve learned some stuff in this course and you’re going to support what you’ve learned through research. Typically, I allow students a LOT of flexibility with this assignment, encouraging creativity.

I’ll give you some background on this project. Four or five years ago, my World Lit 2 class was reading Frankenstein, and during one of our discussions I said, offhandedly, “Someone should put Victor, the Monster, and the elder Frankenstein on Dr. Phil’s show and make them work through their various daddy-issues.” A student responded by asking if he could make a video that did just that instead of writing an essay. After spending a weekend thinking about it, I concluded why the heck not? So, I want you to show me that you really, really understand the material and that you’re willing to seek out more information on these topics, themes, and/or texts. (Btw: I’m still waiting for that Frankenstein video…the student who suggested it wrote an essay.)

This project has three primary components. The first is the presentation of an original audio/visual element of quality. The second is a clear, logical connection to the course themes and texts. The third is a written explanation of your work (an essay), including rationale, methods, and the use of research, in producing this project. The first two components are fairly easy to see and implement. The third component is a bit more nuanced. I’ll provide a rubric for how you will be assessed on all three aspects.

In the past, I’ve asked students to post to a single wiki. That has proved too cumbersome, so you will need to create your own website and post your materials there. You can then link to the website and submit the link to the class for review.

Let me be as clear as possible here: You will upload three elements to your website.
1. You will upload a link to the digital project. Where and how you choose to store that project is your call, but we need a link to access it.

2. You will upload a link to your online video discussion of your project. This is mandatory.

3. You will upload a file (in .pdf format, preferably). This is mandatory.

Potential Projects

Below are some descriptions of assignments that students have done in the past or that would be acceptable:

A large, narrated photo essay (20+ high quality images) that uses some concept from the course as a theme (heroes, stories, rules, etc.) and the accompanying written portion.
A documentary or art-house style video (3+ minutes) that uses some concept from the course as a theme and the accompanying written portion.
A short film adaptation (5-15 minutes) of an excerpt of a text or some texts, and the written portion.
A set of commercials (30-90 seconds each) advertising three or more of the texts (think Billy Mays), and the written portion.
An original painting, mixed-media piece, or sculpture and “creative-critical talk” (3+ minutes) that represents a course theme and text and the written portion.
A song (3+ minutes, 3+ verses) that represents and is inspired by a course theme and text and the written portion.
A performance piece (5+ minutes, dramatic monologue, dance, etc.) that puts a new, interpretive spin on a course theme and text, and the written portion.
A multi-panel, multi-page graphic novel or comic illustration/adaptation of one or more of the texts, and the written portion. This would need to be presented like a slideshow and narrated with a “creative-critical talk” (3+ minutes).
A “Fakebook” News Feed with at least 7 posts, 10 replies, and 5 characters, a “walkthrough” of the new feed via narrated slides (3 mins), and the written portion. See an example here, sans walkthrough. (Ovid, Dante, One Thousand and One Nights, and Gilgamesh come to mind as having great potential here).

Here’s an example I created in about 30 minutes or so. One note: You’ll want to go collect the images you want to use. The Fakebook generated images are sometimes inaccurate for what you’re doing.

An RSA Animate-style video, plus the written portion. Here’s an awesome example, though it’s not on literature. Or is it?

Tools

Here are some tools for you to use in completing this project. I am available for consult on most all of these, but many are self explanatory.

Tips on technology/tools

Keep it simple. There’s no need to go crazy with this project. If you have mad skills as an editor/videographer/cartoonist/sculptor/dancer/musician/whatever, use them. If you don’t, do the best you can and ask for some help on the technical aspects of production.
Look around on the web! There are most certainly programs that I didn’t cover here. And truth be told, I’ve learned most of what I know about these applications via YouTube. True story.
Use what you have and what you know. Got an iphone? Awesome! Use it for video. Get two friends to act out a modernized script of Achilles and Briseis mourning for Patroclus. Have an android phone? Do something similar!
The technology matters far less than does the content you will be producing. A friend of mine claims that Stars Wars is full of terrible acting, but it endures and gets new fans ALL the time. The special effects were cool in 1977, but now? No, it’s the content--the story--that drives the interest in the film(s). And that story is OLD. Don’t reinvent the wheel--or anything else--just deliver some good content.

Here are some web examples of similar kinds of things^[1].

Paul Bogush’s RSA Animate Walkthrough (Frickin’ awesome resource on creating whiteboard animations!)

Hark! A Vagrant

Zen Pencils (some of my favorites are: # 5, 43, 60, 88, 103--and so many others…)

Moby-Dick in Pictures (flip through the preview of this and you’ll see it’s a bit more abstract than some of the other examples)

Don Quixote (I’m not even going to pretend like this isn’t one of my favorites; you could do a series like this, which taps into the heart of a piece and contextualizes it for us)

Hunter S. Thompson & Franz Kafka (be warned: your mind might melt; you were warned)

Yeah, speaking of warnings...so...I’m not sure I want you to click the next link, but let me assure you that I have thoughtfully considered whether or not to share this. I’m going to, but there are some NSFWish (language, pseudo-sexism, pseudo-racism) qualities here. For the record, here’s the guy (and guys) behind this and his take on things.

And there’s this…(It’s been fun working here, but I’m probably getting fired for this...so it goes.)

Since I’ll probably get fired for that last example, make your project ridiculously awesome. Have fun with this, but use it to learn from & teach about the material you’ve learned this term (you can’t separate those actions, btw).

[1] Full disclosure: I know you all probably aren’t artists. That’s okay. You also likely do not make a living producing these kinds works--visual or written, so I’m taking these issues into consideration. I wanted to give you some examples that are really complex and interesting (to me anyhow). I don’t think you’ll be producing these intricate pieces of art, but I do expect your best, most honest effort. These works don’t have the written explanation and rationale that you will be providing; nor do they have “creative-critical talk” on why the artist did she/he did (in most cases). You have to supply both. Whatever you (think you) lack in “creativity” or “talent” (hooey!), you should make up for with your writing.