The final paper/project will count 20% of your grade. The goal of the project is to allow you to research a topic that interests you in more depth than the rush of the class usually allows. The topic of the project follows our MonuMentor theme. You will write a persuasive paper of 1500-3000 words in which you nominate one artist, writer, philosopher, composer, or scientist to the Western Humanities Hall of Fame. In order to nominate the person persuasively, you must consider what the world was like before he/she was born, what he/she contributed/accomplished, and how the world was changed for all his/her efforts. The paper will be part history, part biography, and part critique and analysis. Obviously, you will research libraries and the internet for information regarding this topic and you will be responsible for correctly identifying those sources in the essay. For the inexperienced and for the unorganized and lazy, plagiarism is a real danger. Plagiarism results in failing grades, so I want you to be very careful in what you do for this project. We will have moments in the semester in which we check in concerning your progress.
Your topic for this project will need to be approved by me before hand. There will be a date around the 10th week of class when you will need to commit to your topic.
Variation 1: Topic. For a different topic, you can nominate a technology for the Technology Hall of Fame. The idea is the same as with the Western Humanities Hall of Fame. You will nominate a technology as one of the most important technological changes the world has experienced. In persuading the reader that the technology is extremely important, again you will explain what the world was like before the invention of the technology, who invented it, how it works, and how it changed the world. You will also be able to discuss what works of art or literature express or explore the importance of the piece of technology. Again, I will need to approve your topic.
Variation 2: Media. Instead of writing an essay, you are encouraged to use video, audio, photography, power point, imovie, etc. to create a Final Media Project. This project will be submitted through Blackboard and available for other students to look at. It should be at least three or four minutes in length. You can nominate a person to the Western Humanities Hall of Fame or nominate a technology to the Technology Hall of Fame. Again, this project will require research and you are required to adequately cite your sources and document where you found the information contained in the Media Project.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.