photos & seminar info

Project Presentations: schedule

The web-x sites are now available for posting the revised Project Descriptions. Please turn in two hard copies, as well.

Wednesday, June 4, 9-12, Project Presentations will be in Library 4300.

Thursday, June 5, 10-1, Project Presentations will be in LH 3.

STUDENT PROJECTS
“Contrasting Contracts”: Studying Social and Political Movements

Overview

With a group of 3-4 other students, you will study a sociopolitical movement or party. As a group, you will produce the following:

I. A detailed description of the movement or party based on your own research. Your description must be accompanied by a bibliography. Deadline: Friday, May 9.

II. A poster which depicts your findings on the “social contract” of the organization. You are expected to present your poster to the class and answer questions about your study. Deadline: TBA (last two weeks of the quarter)

III. A piece of creative work (a skit, an epic poem, a short story, a series of cartoons, a song, etc.) that will persuade viewers to support the organization you are studying. You will perform your work for the class. Deadline: TBA (last two weeks of the quarter)

You are responsible for organizing amongst yourselves, delegating tasks and sharing the work, i.e., your own self-governance!

Details

How to Begin:

We suggest you begin by delegating and dividing initial research tasks amongst your group. Who will go to the library? Who will make phone calls? When will you report back? You must set up your own internal deadlines and meeting times. Allow extra time for working as a group. Do not wait until the last minute!

Where to Look for Information:

The internet isn’t a bad place to start, but don’t stop there!
We require that you use at least three types of sources. These must include: 1) Periodicals: magazines, newspapers, journal articles. (Ask a reference librarian for help if you don’t know how to find what you need.) 2) Publications put out by the organization you are studying. Are there by-laws or an official social contract? 3) A personal interview (ideally in person but email or phone is OK too). (In many cases, there will be a local or regional chapter you can contact.)

Part I: The Description
Your description of the organization must answer the following questions:

1) What are the key values of the organization? (Describe what those values mean! For example, don’t just say “freedom,” tell us what they mean by it!) Why do those values matter? How do they support them?

2) What are their goals or ideals? How do they go about advancing them? How and where do they believe social change happens?

3) How is the organization structured? Where does its support come from?4) How does the organization conceive of the relationship between the individual and society? Between the individual and the government? Between society and government?

5) How would they define a good citizen? A good government or society?

6) Do objections to the work of this organization exist? Who opposes their work? Why? How do they confront or deal with this opposition?

Part II: The Poster
In your poster, you will use what you have learned from Part I of this assignment to visually depict your understanding of the organization’s “social contract.” It’s up to you how you go about translating this information into a poster format, but remember that the point of a poster is to allow a viewer to quickly and easily comprehend what you have to say. Your group must present your poster to the class and answer questions about your research.

Part III: The Creative Work
The last part of this project is about persuasion. It should be fun, too. Using drama, poetry, fiction, cartoons, essay writing, photography, sculpture, song, (or anything else that strikes you!) as your medium, your job is to convince us to support your organization. Your work should embody (but not parody) the rhetoric, ideals, and/or values, of the group you have been studying. We look forward to seeing you present your work for the class!

Sites to begin with

Christian Coalition http://www.cc.org/
The Libertarian Party http://www.self-gov.org/
Anti-Racist Action (International anarchist movement against racism, sexism, homophobia and bigotry) http://www.antiracistaction.us/about.php
Communitarian Network http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People http://www.naacp.org/
Amnesty International http://www.amnesty.org/
American Civil Liberties Union http://www.aclu.org/
World Federalist Association http://www.wfa.org/
CATO Institute (think tank/foundation favoring free market) http://www.cato.org/
National Rifle Association http://www.nra.org/
Socialist Party USA http://sp-usa.org/
Green Party http://www.gp.org/partyinfo.html
Bahá’í Faith http://www.bahai.org/
National Organization for Women http://www.now.org/