Final Project HIS 20 Final Project Proposal due: April 14 at 10 AM (submit via Blackboard) Public Display, after May 20. For your final project, you will develop a way to memorialize a person (or people) in United States history or event important in United States history. There are endless ways to memorialize historical people and events. As you develop yours, an important thing to consider is the relationship between the form of the memorial and the person or event memorialized. A few examples: Design a statue and site that would be a physical memorial. Obviously, you won’t build the actual memorial, but you could build a 3-D model of it out of clay, for instance. Design a deck of cards, with each card having a fact about the person/people /event. You could use index cards to do this or paste paper on cards from a regular deck. Create a quilt or needlepoint with images and text that relate to the person/people or event and tell their story. Design and sew a piece of clothing that helps tell the story. Create a doll in the likeness of the person. Write and illustrate a short graphic novel or cartoon. Write and illustrate a short children’s book. Design a walking tour, which includes a map and information about the significance of the locations you have selected to the person/people/event. Design a gravesite for the person and build a model of it. Design a game about the person’s life of accomplishments. Design and make a jig-saw puzzle. [You could draw the image on piece of cardboard and cut it up]. Design a tile mosaic for a subway station and plan which station it would go in. Create a model of the mosaic, using squares of colored paper, colored gum, colored sticky notes, etc. Design a mural and plan a place for it. (Don’t paint anything where you don’t have permission for it.) Plan and cook a dish or meal that in some way connects to the person/people/event. Include the recipe as well as images of the food when you submit the project. These are just examples. Use your imagination and your interests to guide you. Whatever you choose, it should involve you creating something physically. Creating physical objects activates different parts of our brains and gives us time off from looking at a screen, which we all probably need after the past two years. [I realize some people use tablets, etc., to draw. That is fine, but you should still print out your images and create a book, the map for the walking tour, etc., a model of the mural at the proposed site.] Step 1: Proposal. Due April 8 by 10 AM. Submit via link on Blackboard. Part 1: In 1-2 paragraphs identify the person or event you have selected to memorialize. Explain why you feel it important to memorialize them. Describe your approach to memorializing your subject—what do you plan to make/do. Explain why you think this approach is appropriate for the topic. Part 2: List at least three sources appropriate for a college level class that you will use to research your subject. Cite them using MLA or Chicago Manual of Style. After each citation, explain why you have selected this source. No Wikipedia or Encyclopedia Britannica. [Think back to your ENG 110/111/112 classes if you have taken them for help with this element. Remember you can to the BCC Writing Center for help with citations] Part 3: In 1 paragraph, sketch out your plan to complete this project successfully. When are you going to make time to work on it? When are you going to do your research? Do you think you need to work with a librarian or a tutor on the research element? What have you learned in other courses that might help you with this project? What else might you need to consider? Step. 2. Final Project, due april 14 by 10 AM. Submit via link on Blackboard. Part 1: Physical Object: Create your memorial. Make sure that elements of the memorial communicate the pieces of information about the person/people/events you think are significant. Think about how the form you have chosen relates to the history you want to tell. You can submit your memorial by photographing it and uploading a picture to Blackboard or by bringing it to Colston 347 (If you bring it to Colston 347, make sure your name is on it and email me to let me know it is there). Part 2: 300 Word Explanatory Essay. In this essay, explain the significance of the person/people/event you have memorialized and how your form of memorialization is appropriate for the topic. Explain why you selected the person/people/event and why you think they/it deserves memorialization. Include enough historical and/or biographical context so that someone unfamiliar with the person/people/event would understand their/its importance. Cite your sources in the text, using MLA or Chicago Manual of Style, to make it clear where your information is from. If your memorial is a plan for something that would be in a public space, explain where the space is and why you have selected that space. How does it relate to the person/people/events? Explain why you selected the form you have and why you think it is appropriate. [For instance, if you choose to write a children’s book, why do you your topic is something children should know about. If you create a walking tour, what is significant about people moving through the space you have identified.] At the conclusion of your essay, write 1 paragraph that summarizes the person/people/events’ significance, explains your choice of form and, if appropriate, explains the location. Include a works cited list or bibliography, including at least 3 sources appropriate for a college level paper and formatted according to MLA or Chicago Manual of Style.
