I would recommend first choosing a topic and then narrowing it down to a specific issue. One major content recommendation is to keep in mind and answer the questions of your issue affecting who, when, where, and how? How does your issue affect society? What is the social meaning? And equally important is what can we do about it?
This project is a more simple and independent format for a graded assignment in this class. Through this format you are free to explore different sources (even though you will need to choose ONE primary source) that can help you fulfill the requirements and expectations for this project. It also gives you the freedom to choose any aspect of the issues and topics covered in this race and ethnicity class.
Please follow these useful pieces of information, requirements, and expectations in order to complete your assignment. It consists of a 3-5 pages long (of actual content) reaction paper where you should include (where applicable) a synopsis along with personal reactions in relation to your chosen media source. Your personal reactions should also clearly and intelligently establish the link between your chosen source and the course material you are relating it to.
Acceptable media sources for this project are: 1) A book (fiction or non-fiction), with a central theme or story strongly related to the course. 2) An article, online or printed, from an academic journal, newspaper, magazine, etc. 3) A documentary* dealing with any specific notion covered in class throughout the semester. (You cannot use any we watch or are recommended in class). 4) A movie* of your choosing as long as it strongly relates/discusses/deals with/pertains to any notions covered in class.
If you use any of the 'banned' sources (in any variation) you will receive an automatic failing grade of 0 points.
The ‘banned' documentaries, films, and books (in any variation thereof, book, play, or otherwise) are: - Reel Injun - Miss Representation - Finding Forrester - Freedom Writers - The N Word - Remember the Titans - The Green Mile - Gone Girl - Amistad - The Help - American History X - Coach Carter - Gran Torino - 42 (The Jackie Robinson story) - Crash - The Hunger Games (any) - The Blind Side - The Color Purple - Malcolm X - Central Park Five - The Butler - Django Unchained - A Time to Kill - Boyz n the Hood - 12 Years a Slave - 187 - Schindler's List - The New Jim Crow - Snow Falling on Cedars - Girl Rising - Dark Girls (by M. Alexander) - To Kill a Mockingbird - Shawshank Redemption - Selma - Men of Honor - The X-Men (in any variation) - Avatar - Red Tails - Selena - Straight Outta Compton - Higher Learning - G.I. Jane - Dope - Mean Girls - 8 Mile - Hairspray - 13th (2016 Documentary) - Mississippi Burning - Glory Road - A Bronx Tale - West Side Story - Any DISNEY film (animated or not) - Get Out - Hidden Figures
Please remember that all videos and documentaries watched in class are considered internal sources and also cannot be used as your primary source for your project.
Go and find original and challenging media sources that deal with any topics and/or notions covered in class throughout the semester, or dealt with in your textbook. You still have a plethora of choices available to you.
Please make sure that you choose a reputable media source. You must also write a paper with a strong and detailed correlation to the course. You will need to include a discussion and source that are easily correlatable and very reciprocal. Choose your source VERY carefully. This is one of your main challenges for this project.
Your media source also needs to be verifiable and proper bibliographical information needs to be included. Please be very careful with these requirements. There are no second chances for your media reaction project and it represents 25% of your final grade.
For this project you will only be required a minimum of one primary external source, in this case your main chosen media source. Logically, you are also required to utilize and include internal sources (actual course material from your posted lectures and/or textbook) and any other external sources will be considered secondary sources. A bibliography for this assignment is required and the same writing guidelines for the course apply (with the exception of length and sources' requirements).
For your media reaction project, 2 1/2 pages or less (of actual content) earns you an automatic failing grade and over 2 1/2 - 2 3/4 pages long of content equals a considerable grade penalty.
To conclude this section, I will be grading your media reaction project on the following specific aspects:
1- The choosing of ONE main external source. (Any other sources are optional)
2- A solid, clear, and productive synopsis and/or explanation of your source. What is it, what is it about, main theme(s), why you chose it, how does it fit your project? (I recommend you dedicate, at least, one page of your work to this section)
3- A solid, clear, pertinent, relevant and well-established course material correlation. I expect you to go beyond just saying which unit, section, or lecture your source correlates to. Explain your correlation in great detail. I also suggest you correlate your source to ONE main aspect of course material, shy away from having multiple correlations that can, and more than likely will, dilute the strength of this important requirement. (I also recommend you dedicate, at least, one page of your work to this section)
4- I will expect personal insight inclusion along with your reactions to your chosen source, its meaningfulness, your chosen course material correlation, and equally important, the social meaning of your project. (I, once again, suggest that you dedicate one page of your work to this section)
The usual formatting expectations (expect for length and sources' requirements) should be followed as established in your posted writing guidelines handout.
If you have another idea for a source that does not fit the ones listed above please contact me for feedback. This is done in order to ensure that you are still within the parameters, requirements, and expectations for this assignment.