COVID-Adjusted Assignment-Social Stigma and Poverty (11.2)

Project 5 Researched Video Essay

PREFACE
Breathe. We will get through this. I’m sending you all good thoughts.

CONTEXT & PURPOSE
Due to the online format of our class, the requirements for Project 5 have slightly shifted. This document is the new prompt for your final assignment, so please disregard the Spark page version of this prompt.

The core elements of this final project remain the same: 

What’s changing are the expectations, the due dates, and the delivery method for your final presentation. What follows are in-depth explanations of these changes.

NEW EXPECTATIONS
I (Shauna) am completely aware that this course isn’t the center of our universes. We all have much bigger fish to fry and a pandemic to contend with. I’m also completely aware that COVID-19 robbed us of on-campus resources, both academic and technological. You’ve lost access to books, microphones, cameras, and maybe even wifi. Considering these constraints, I am going to proceed with increased lenience and flexibility. If completing any of the listed requirements proves impossible for you because of your current situation, please reach out to me. I’m very happy to find you an alternative. 

Additionally, know that your librarians are still here to help! Check out the 1030 libguide and note the “Ask a Librarian” feature. They might be able to help you track down sources online so that you can still hit that 10-source minimum.

Also, though we talked about audio and video quality in class, I realize that interviewing mass amounts of people, capturing professional-grade audio, and collecting your own footage may prove impossible. Thus, please just do the best that you can with what you have available. For example, though a microphone may not be available, perhaps a phone recording or headphones could provide an alternative. In lieu of an audio lab with a soundproof room, perhaps a quiet room with some pillows (or other soft materials to dampen the sound) could suffice. Be creative!

NEW DUE DATES
I’ve pushed back or consolidated nearly every deadline:

  • Script: 
    • Due Friday, March 27 on Canvas
    • Peer review due Sunday, March 29 via email
  • Storyboard: 
    • Half due on April 2-3 (share with me via email: shaunac@g.clemson.edu) 
    • Full due with your submission of Project 5 on April 24 via Canvas
  • Presentation + Video essay
    • Due Friday, April 24 on Canvas

NEW DELIVERY METHODS
Since live presentations aren’t possible anymore, you’ll be creating a Spark page that walks us—your audience—through your argument and prepares the way for us to fully understand your video essay. In this presentation, you should address the following:

  • Who are you? Establish your ethos as a researcher and video producer.
  • What is your project about, and what led you to this topic? Set the scene for your video essay, and describe your journey to selecting and examining this topic. 
  • Why should we care? Convey the exigency of this project and the takeaways your audience should note. If you have calls to action, this is the time to emphasize them.
  • What should we know about your process? Explain how you produced your video, where/how you gathered your assets, and (if relevant) what challenges you faced to create your video essay. Think of your answer to this question as an expanded Dear Reader letter.
  • How do we access your storyboard and video essay? Insert shareable links to your completed storyboard and transcript, and try to embed your video in the Spark page. (If you can’t embed, then supply a shareable link.)
  • Where did you get your information? Include a Works Cited/Reference page for any source you mentioned in both your video and Spark presentation. Be sure to also include a “credits” page in your video essay itself.

All in all, you should strive to convey what you would’ve articulated to the class in person. Really think about the arrangement of your Spark page, and try to emulate a real-life presentation experience. Don’t feel like you need to write in stuffy academic language; you can take a more conversational tone when addressing the above questions.

Mentor Texts: these examples aren’t totally equivalent to the Spark page you’ll be creating since these creators had the opportunity to present live and also worked in groups; however, these pages could provide you with some organizational strategies and some video editing techniques.

Clemson Construction Project | Women at Clemson | Revisiting Clemson’s Honor | Integration with Reality

RESOURCES
See the Proposal Assignment Prompt for a list of resources to media assets. Also, if you’re using Premiere Rush, know that Rush has an entire library of soundtracks that are really tasteful! Here’s a tutorial on how to access these Rush tracks.

REQUIREMENTS

Your Project 5 submission must include the following in ONE Spark page:

  • A presentation that addresses the above questions under “New Delivery Methods.”
  • A video essay that
    • Is at least 8-10 minutes long (now that we’re not pressed for presentation time, feel free to exceed this limit!)
    • Contains an identifiable argumentative thesis statement.
    • Includes an introduction that establishes your ethos and contextualizes your argument.
    • Makes references to at least 10 credible sources. (Aim to have at least 5 scholarly, peer-reviewed sources)
    • Offers clear and accurate support for the thesis statement.
    • Addresses opposing views in respectful, knowledgeable, and fair ways.
    • Cites sources both in-context and at the end with a credits page. (Please keep the format consistent to ONE format—APA or MLA.)
    • Strategically incorporates visuals that resonate with the script and do not distract viewers from your message.
    • Includes mood-setting background music that helps transition viewers from section to section.
    • Adds sound effects when necessary.
  • A complete storyboard.
  • A word-for-word transcript of your narration in document form.

Submit a shareable link via Canvas (BP 10). Please, please, please ensure that all elements (Spark page, video link, storyboard link, transcript document) are all accessible.