women, technology, and art

women, technology, and art
Project: For your research project this term, you will write a script for an educational podcast or video that you will record or film. Your script can take any format (such as an interview, conversation, documentary, or talk show), but it must assert an argument analyzing at least one of the texts we read during the second half of the term (Okorafor, Woolf, Frankenstein films, Loy, Anderson) in depth to support and develop your argument.

Select one of the following questions:

1.) How is at least one of the texts we read during the second half of the term relevant in today’s world? What in them should readers know about? What in the text allows us to better understand our world and what light does our world shed on that of the text?

2.) What is the role of power in at least one text we have read? How is it similar to or differ from the ways we have seen power function in at least one other text we have read this term? Why is this similarity or difference significant?

3.) How does at least one text allow us to better understand technology, art, or the intersection of the two? What does it teach us?

?Script: Your written script must be at least 1250 words. You will need to select a narrow focus so that you can present a compelling argument in a short span of time which you will support with careful analysis of quotations from at least one text we read and quotations or points from five primary or secondary sources you have located. Primary sources include poems, stories, photographs, or interview. Secondary sources include newspaper or journal articles. At least two of your sources must be peer reviewed journal articles. Your focus should be on at least one text we read, but you are encouraged to also investigate other works by the same author. You must use parenthetical citations in your essay to acknowledge ideas from sources as you refer to them. Use the templates for incorporating and analyzing quotations in They Say/I Say. You can search the NYIT library’s website Click for more options and their databases for journal articles. You can also join and search the databases at the New York Public Library.

As you respond to your research, you must acknowledge the kinds of materials you are using. A newspaper editorial differs from an article in an academic journal. An authority on a particular topic can lend perspective that others can not. Similarly, essays by and interviews with authors can provide information that sheds light on their work. Make it clear that you know the difference between different kinds of sources and why you are using them.

Select a format for your video or podcast that best communicates the argument you would like to make. Some examples include a documentary, interview, commentary, or discussion, or a combination of these formats. Interviews are often popular because they provide an opportunity to have an imagined conversation with a character or an author, and the ability to discuss texts from different perspectives, asking authors why they made various creative decisions and crafting their responses. Make sure that your script and podcast or video includes your own analysis of the texts. You can quote texts or include images, segments of recordings, or videos, but you must acknowledge all sources that you did not create.

You should investigate existing documentaries or videos to approach the genre and subject in a new way. For sample podcasts, check out The History Chicks and for further background and discussions of the practicalities of podcasting, listen to “The Unplugged Soul: A Conference on the Podcast,” from Columbia University.
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Remember to give your script and video or podcast a title. It will help to frame and focus your project.

You should also practice your video or podcast before recording it. You may want to record several versions or edit the final product. Your podcast or video can depart from your script slightly to best suit the medium, but it should stay close to your plan. There are also apps for making recordings, such as Soundcloud and Audacity.

Submit your script as a Word document on Blackboard and indicate the location of the video or podcast (such as Google Drive). You can use Google Drive to store and submit audiovisual material. If you submit your file using dropbox, please note this at the top of your script. Do not make your videos available for the public online. Make sure to save your files in a format that can be viewed by both Mac and Windows users.

You are required to include a list of works cited at the end of your script acknowledging all sources you have consulted, including webpages, interviews, and audiovisual materials. You must use your own words and cite all sources appropriately. Using others’ words or ideas without acknowledging them is plagiarism.

If you are using a Kindle version of a novel, cite the location or page number. You can find this by cutting and pasting a passage from the Kindle application you can download for your computer.

You will lose points for incorrect citation format and lack of proofreading. You can consult MLA guidelines here: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

You will also lose points for not demonstrating correct integration of quotations. Remember that you need to analyze quotations that you include. Select quotations in which the language is necessary. If you can put a quotation in your own words, you don’t need to quote it and you can summarize its contents and cite the page number in parentheses. This website may also be helpful: https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QuoLiterature.html

Submit your rough draft and final drafts on Blackboard at least thirty minutes before class on the dates indicated above. You can share audio or video materials using Google Drive

Assessment Rubric
Your project will be assessed using the following criteria:
Exceptional.
Script
A thought-provoking script that is clearly written, demonstrating creativity and thorough engagement with texts.
The script develops a focused thesis, considering its implications.
Quotations are analyzed and incorporated effectively, functioning as parts of sentences.
The script reflects careful research with at least five sources, acknowledging the kinds of sources they are (primary [poems, photographs, stories, interviews] and secondary [journal articles]).
The project includes careful consideration of not just the texts we read in class, but others by at least one author we read.
The project’s title draws in readers, introducing them to its argument.
Sentences throughout demonstrate skillful, engaging use of language.
The conclusion of the script draws the argument to a close, makes a connection to a new context, and suggesting directions for future research.
The script demonstrates awareness of its own limitations or implications, and it considers multiple perspectives when appropriate.
The script demonstrates correct use of grammar, punctuation, and MLA style (including a list of works cited).
Podcast or Video

The project reflects practice or revision, reading or speaking clearly and engaging the audience.
Sources are acknowledged in conversation in podcasts or in text (as appropriate) in the case of a video.
The project is innovative and its design works well with its content.
The podcast or video is clearly designed, legible, and accessible to users.
Images (when relevant) are effectively incorporated, interpreted, and cited.

Strong
Script

The script contains a thesis, supported by analysis of quotations and examples.
The implications of the script could be considered further.
Research could reflect more careful research with credible sources, acknowledging the kinds of sources they are (primary and secondary).
The organization of ideas could be stronger.
Quotations could be more incorporated and analyzed further.
The conclusion could consider further future directions for research.
The project’s title could be stronger, drawing in readers, and introducing them to its argument.
The rationale could demonstrate further revision and proofreading, including demonstration of MLA style (and list of works cited).
Podcast or Video

The design and content work less effectively to make a compelling argument.
The podcast or video is less clearly designed or difficult to understand.
Images (when relevant) could be more effectively incorporated, interpreted, and cited.
Satisfactory. The script and podcast or video are reasonably focused, and explanations or analysis are mostly based on examples or other evidence. Fewer connections are made between ideas, and though new insights are offered, they are not fully developed. The script and podcast or video reflect moderate engagement with the topic. It contains errors in use of grammar, punctuation, or MLA style (and list of works cited).

Underdeveloped. The script and podcast or video contain mostly description or summary, without consideration of alternative perspectives, and few connections are made between ideas. The script and podcast or video reflect passing engagement with the topic. It contains many errors in use of grammar, punctuation, or MLA style.

Limited. The script and podcast or video are unfocused, or simply rehash previous comments, and neither portion of the project displays no evidence of student engagement with the topic.

No Credit. The project is missing or the script consists of disconnected sentences. The script, podcast, or video demonstrates plagiarism: presenting others’ ideas as your own, pasting content from sources (including websites), or drawing on such content without citing it.
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Adapted from https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/a-rubric-for-evaluating-student-blogs/27196
READING LIST:
Adichie, “We Should All Be Feminists” TED Talk

View selections from Young Frankenstein and Frankenstein (1931)
Virginia Woolf’s essay A Room of One’s Own (1928)

Read Mina Loy, “Feminist Manifesto,” “Brancusi’s Golden Bird,” and “Auto-Facial-Construction.”
View Laurie Anderson recordings, O Superman and Home of the Brave.