The objective of the final assignment is to select your own topic, a topic that is of particular interest to you. If you have a well-formulated topic or set of topic ideas in mind, it is fine to continue communicating via email and please send me an elaboration of the proposed topic. If you do not, then I would be happy to brainstorm with you possible topics, but make sure to schedule an appointment to talk via Zoom or in person.
Below is more information about either of the options that you must complete for the final project assignment:
Final Paper Option
Overall, the main idea of the final paper assignment is to explore further (beyond what we have already done in class) a key course theme/set of themes or concept(s) that you find particularly compelling, productive or problematic by putting two or three of the course books into a conversation with one another. The texts and themes are of your own choosing and the only requirement is to coordinate your paper topic in advance with me.
One way to write the paper is to use a current event, policy, colonial legacy, or an environmental project in a particular geographic context – such as uranium mining on aboriginal land in Australia or the rise of indigenous land rights or racial justice movements in North America or the travel of e-waste to China and Ghana – as a lens through which to conduct such an exploration. This approach would enable you to provide us with insights about how the course texts and thinkers, with their key themes or concepts, translate (or fail to translate, as you might argue) into lived reality.
There is another way to approach the process of writing the paper: to engage in a close textual analysis of the course texts themselves and examine critically the central claims of the texts, the structures of the arguments, the concepts they develop and assumptions they presuppose. For instance, you can stage conversations between Thoreau, Silko and Neidjie on their competing understanding of the relationship between people and land, and how such a conversation might enrich our responses to the ecological crisis or, let’s say, between Fanon and Gandhi on how each of them views the role of tradition and modernity in the struggle for decolonization.
Either way, the expectation is that in both cases the paper should use two or three of the course readings as its backdrop and main sources and then build on them, showing good understanding of the main themes and arguments, and how your case study or close reading of the texts contributes to these themes.
Creative Project Option
For creative projects in the place of a final paper, I usually discuss the parameters of the project directly with each student and I do not have a uniform set of guidelines. Here are a few examples:
Short stories: For short stories, the page requirement is usually the same as for a paper (8-10 pages). The main idea is to make sure that the story is written in such a way that makes it easy for the reader to recognize the major themes of the “classic” texts that the story is inspired from or based upon.
Poetry: For students who have decided in prior classes to write a long poem or a series of shorter poems, the total for the poems has often amounted to around 2-3 pages and then they would also provide a companion essay (let’s say 4 pages or so) that offers poetry/song explication and highlights the connections between the course books and themes and the poem. But these page ranges have been flexible, depending on the investment of time and creative practice that each individual project has required. For the poem, students need to make sure that: the poem is laid out in a meaningful way and has an appropriate and effective title that captures the essence of its key theme; the words chosen are precise and creative; and that the poem enlists 2-3 poetic devices such as simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, pun, oxymoron, symbolism, hyperbole, etc.
Songs/EPs: For song and EP final projects, in general, I have avoided setting any word or page/line limits – sometimes songs can be shorter than poems. They can derive their appeal and power from feeling and affect as much as from complexity of lyricism. In most cases, students would end up writing between 3-5 songs (within the range from 20 to 35 lines per song).
Mixed media projects: mixed media projects have often offered a blend of some of the above guidelines – for example, you can create a drawing or a painting, accompanied by a musical composition or a song, and by a 2-4 page artist statement that provides a composition/song/painting explication, highlighting the connections between key themes in the course books and the project. Here I encourage students to focus on topics that are not immediately apparent from viewing the project such as symbols or metaphors, themes and issues underlying the artwork, materials, scale, weaving patterns, etc. Thus, the artist statement should also address things like the choice of techniques and medium: what creative techniques are you using? What do such techniques allow you to do that the writing of a paper on the topic would not be able to? Create new images or build new concepts and habits of thought and perception? How is the use of mixed media intended to impact bodies – of the artist and viewers alike?
Grading (papers)
Your papers will be evaluated by your use of textual evidence and argumentation, your understanding of the key themes and arguments, and the style and clarity of your exposition. You will receive specific comments and feedback on your analysis and the quality of writing as part of my evaluation of your papers.
A/A– Paper offers a clearly stated, interesting/challenging thesis, which is supported with sufficient, appropriate, and logically interpreted evidence. The paper shows that the writer has thought about the assignment and developed his or her own ideas about it, instead of just offering minimal responses to the different components of the assignment. Interpretations of theories are sophisticated and supported with textual evidence. The paper should engage the reader in the inquiry, convincingly answer or negotiate opposing views, be well organized and clear, and free of significant grammatical flaws. Writing is between good and brilliant.
B/B+ Paper offers a clearly stated thesis which is supported with sufficient, appropriate evidence, organized and interpreted logically. The paper stays on topic, considering all the relevant aspects of the assignment. Interpretations of theories are plausible and supported with textual evidence. Writing, including outline and grammar, is solid but lacking the deeper insight necessary for excellence.
B– Paper offers a thesis and attempts to support it with arguments. However, the thesis is simplistic and/or the arguments weak or unconnected to the thesis. Interpretations are weak or problematic, textual evidence weak. The use of sources is limited. Writing and organization have problems that affect readability.
C/C+ Paper offers a minimal thesis and minimal or no arguments in its support. Interpretations are misguided and/or unsupported with any evidence. There may be a lack of clarity, the evidence may not always be sufficient and appropriate, or the interpretation may have logical flaws. Writing — both at the level or essay organization and grammar — is problematic.
D+/C– No thesis, no arguments or no textual evidence. Organization incoherent, writing very awkward and borders on unintelligible.
D Barely passing work that shows effort but is so marred by serious problems that it cannot be considered a satisfactory essay. No thesis, no arguments, no evidence. Writer has no conception of most rudimentary aspects of writing (paragraphs, outline).
F Failing work –for example, a hasty, sloppy essay that shows little or no thought, effort, or familiarity with the text. The paper displays a fundamental lack of understanding of the principles that guide scholarly endeavors. Examples include but aren’t limited to gross mistakes in citing source materials as well as significant errors in framing the paper (e.g., writing a short story instead of a paper, etc.).
SD 3800 Voices in Sustainable Development 