Final Project Assignment
 

Your final project for this course will require you to choose a specific social movement to research and write about. Throughout the semester, you will complete small individual and/or group assignments based on your work regarding this movement. At the end of the semester, you will write an individual or group paper about some aspect of this movement, and you will also participate in a group presentation to the class.

Step 1: Choose a Movement

By September 21st, you must choose which social movement you will focus on for your project. You should hand in on paper or via email your top three choices for social movements to study. I will make every attempt to ensure that every student is able to work with their first choice, but because of the need for a diverse set of presentations at the end of the semester, first choices will not be guaranteed. You may choose any social movement you are interested in for your first choice. Because adequate research material may not be available on all movements, your second and third choices should come from the list of suggestions below:

The civil rights movement, or movements for the rights of any specific racial or ethnic group
Gay rights
Animal rights
Creationism/intelligent design
The environmental movement
Immigrants’ rights or anti-immigrant movements
Nationalist movements in any specific country
The abortion or anti-abortion movements
Islamic fundamentalism
Any anti-war movement
Feminism

Step 2: During the Semester
By October 5th, I will let you know which movement you will be researching. At this time, you will also be assigned to a small group (generally 4-5 people, depending on the distribution of class preferences). Group members will generally be working on the same or closely related movements. During the semester, groups will often have the chance to meet during class time to talk about their work. Small assignments such as quizzes will be completed in class in your groups. The first task you will undertake as part of the project is to begin reading up on your movement using some of the recommended sources I will give you on or by October 5th. You should also refer to the handout on working in groups on the course website for hints on how to make the collaborative process a productive one.

Over the course of the semester, you will also be required to submit six short written assignments in preparation for writing the final paper and completing the presentation. These assignments will generally be worth three points each. These assignments and the comments on them will provide valuable source material for your final papers. Though the due dates and specific requirements for these assignments are subject to change, the tentative schedule of assignments is as follows:

October 19th: 1-2 pages outlining the membership and organizational structure of your movement
October 24th: 1-2 pages identifying the best theoretical framework for understanding your movement and why
November 2nd: 1-2 pages on the strategies and tactics employed by your movement
November 14th: 1-2 pages on the impacts of your movement
November 21st: Annotated bibliography of the sources you will use for your final paper
November 38th: Abstract and outline of your final paper

Step 3: Group Presentation
At the end of the term, tentatively on November 30th or December 5th, each group will create and deliver a collaborative presentation to the class. The duration of these presentations will depend on the number of groups, but you can expect them to be at least 15 minutes and not more than 20 minutes. It will be up to each group how they wish to structure these presentations. You can choose to assign a section of the presentation to each group member and present sequentially (though don’t forget that you will need introductory and concluding sections), or you can choose to work collaboratively throughout the presentation. While visuals will not be required, PowerPoint will be made available for those groups which wish to use it. This presentation will be worth 5% of your final grade for the course, or 1/5 of your grade for the project.

Step 4: Written Paper
On the last day of class, you will turn in a final written paper. This paper may be written on an individual basis or you may choose to work with other members of your group on a collaborative paper. A single-authored paper must be 8-10 pages, a paper with two authors must be 13-15 pages, a paper with three authors must be 18-20 pages, and a paper with four or more authors must be 23-25 pages (not including cover page and bibliography). This paper can focus on one specific aspect of the movement (such as formation, strategy, or impacts) or it can cover the full life course of the movement. However, you should consider the space limitations of your paper and the extent of information available when you choose. If you are working with others who have been researching a different movement, you may choose to write a comparative paper. I strongly recommend that you discuss your options with me prior to the submission of your abstract and outline on November 30th.

Papers must be turned in on time, meet the relevant page limit while using a standard 12-point double-spaced font and one-inch margins. They must include page numbers, a bibliography, and a cover page with a title and the names of all authors. The paper will be worth 20% of your final grade, or 4/5 of the final project grade.

Note on Sources:
As in all aspects of this course, plagiarism will not be tolerated and final papers as well as all interim assignments must be submitted to Turnitin.com as well as turned in to me directly. Remember to properly cite all references using a recognized citation format and to use in-text citations when necessary. Additionally, all authors are expected to adhere to standards of scholarly research as have been discussed in class. To ensure that these guidelines are followed, there are minimum source requirements for the final paper:

1.    Scholarly books and journal articles: Papers are required to reference at least 4-5 scholarly sources PER AUTHOR. Sources on the recommended source list all fufill this requirement. In addition, I can help you find others, and you can talk to a reference librarian for assistance.
2.    Readings from the course materials: You must include 4-5 course readings PER PAPER, particularly those related to theoretical or definitional issues important to your argument. You may also want to look through the Jaswin reader to see if any unassigned readings or biographies are relevant to your movement.
3.    Primary sources: These include newspaper articles, participant observation of movement events or meetings, websites of organizations, or press materials and pamphlets from organizations. Some of these types of materials should be included if possible. Ask me if you have difficulty finding such materials or if you are unsure whether a specific source fits into this category. Remember that these materials are empirical data about your movement and can not substitute for completed analysis.
4.    Other sources: Popular books and magazines may be used if they are relevant, but remember that these sources are not as reliable as scholarly works. Websites are rarely reliable, but are occasionally useful. Rely on the guidelines for evaluating internet sources that are posted on the course website in order to determine if your source should be included. Articles from encyclopedias and wikis should be used only for basic, non-controversial, and faculty information, and be sure to reference the wiki policy on the course website before using a wiki article. You may wish to seek my advice on the use of any of these types of sources.

And Finally…Grading
Students who are working on group projects tend to be concerned about the way in which grades on these projects will be determined fairly. I recognize these worries and encourage you to talk to me at any time if you have concerns about the dynamics of working in groups in general are the functioning of your group in particular. Grades for aspects of the project completed collaboratively (such as the presentation) will be group grades. In the case of clear evidence that any individual has contributed significantly more or significantly less than other members of his or her group, that individual’s grade will be adjusted appropriately. There will also be a chance at the end of the semester for each individual to rate the performance and contribution of her or his group members as well as their own performance and contribution. Scores on these evaluations will not be binding, but will be taken into account as one piece of evidence about individual contributions. All aspects of the project which are completed individually (such as a single-authored paper) will receive an individual grade.