The Project

By the end of the semester you will have a fully curated project on the mass media artifact of your choice. You will also create a presentation detailing what you learned at the end of the semester. It sounds like a lot but this project will be broken into sections over the semester and will be the central focus of each assignment.
This semester-long project will be a journey into a mass media artifact that will span time and topics. The purpose of this journey is three-fold:

1.     To learn the artifact’s expanse – this means learning to look at something to see how it has radiated out and influenced our four main topics. This is an analytical skill.

2.     To learn to see the unexpected – this means discovering either the genesis of the genesis or another unexpected outcome of the artifact. This uses both evaluative and creative skills.

3.     To learn the application of the artifact – this means looking at your artifact and seeing the applications over time. This is cultivating evaluative skills.

Over the course of the semester there will be three-page mini papers due that will culminate into the final project. Each will focus on a different topic. Within each topic you can use our analytical lens to help you explain:

Introduction (The background and plan for what you are going to talk about)

Historical (When and where did this artifact first reach an audience? How is it situated in time?)

Social (How did the public receive the artifact? What about the critics?)

Culturally (Where does the artifact show up in culture since its initial presentation?)

Politically (Did this artifact any bearing on the political scene? How was it used in legislation or did it influence the way politicians created a platform?)

Rhetorical: This is the meat of what you think the artifact is about and your views of what you see through your 2020 lens.

Conclusion (What can be “said” about this artifact and what have you learned about its significance? How did you answer the question about your artifact?)

Bibliography (This is the list of sources you used in completing this project)

The technical needs of this project: 

1. Create a annotated bibliography of 40-50 entries.
2. Develop a research question based on the readings about your artifact.
3. Create sections that will contain at least one original interview to compliment your research.
3. Each section will contain photos, graphs, audio, video, infographics, or maps based on what the content calls for 
4. You will choose a format to present your information (iBook or website)
5. Best of the best will present this information at the SU research summit in April.

Content Curation and 20 Resources to Help You Do It

The Project Proposal

2-3 pages (Think of this as notes towards your introduction)

Times New Roman 12 Double space 

1.     Explain the artifact you are choosing to research

2.     Explain your interest/personal background about the artifact

3.     Explain some of the general issues you want to know about this artifact

a.     The historical time period

b.     The cultural web of significance

c.      Why is this particular artifact is important

d.     Why it is it still important
e. What is your question based on the given from your research circle of inquiry