Trends in Literature Final Project

“It is the responsibility of the writer to expose our many grievous faults and failures and to hold up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams, for the purpose of improvement.” –John Steinbeck

“The purpose of the writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” – Bernard Malamud

What’s wrong with the world today? What our assets, collectively and individually?

YOUR TASK: Make a statement and make the world a better for it. Choose ONE project option that will best illustrate your understanding and synthesis of the course and serve as a warning for future readers about a manmade problem that exists already.

Ask yourself, “What if….?”

Begin brainstorming. Consider what if this happened, or that, and then build a thoughtful fictional world around this response. Use the works we’ve covered in class as inspiration, or revisit a writing assignment.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

A. Your project must fit with the course material. Your piece should be intelligent and illustrate/use themes/motifs from the course.

B. The project serves as a warning for future audiences about a concern you have about a manmade problem that exists already.

C. Your project uses a post-apocalyptic, imminent end of the world, or dystopian setting.

D. The project includes a 500 word Rationale that explains how/why you did what you did and how your project fits into this course. It must include text based evidence, which means that you will use direct quotes from the works we read. This is written in essay form.

E. All written parts of the project are submitted to turnitin.com pasted into one document.

F. The project demonstrates an appropriate level of thought and effort. This means that it is well developed (quantity) and insightful (quality).

G. The project is presented to the class in the end days of the course. All written parts of your project will be published in a class magazine.

OPTION 1: THE SHORT STORY

Write a short story that would fit seamlessly into this course. Your story should enlighten us, warn us about the path we’re on, and/or make us question what we think we already know. Your story should find a way to make it clear that you have digested the literature from this course.

Your story should resemble a high-level, deep thinking story that we could find alongside “Heat Death of the Universe,” Oryx and Crake, Soylent Green, “A Pail of Air,” “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,” etc.

OPTION 2: SCREENPLAY + DOCUMENTARY/MOCKUMENTARY/MOVIE

For those inclined to filmmaking, you may opt to follow the same goals as above, but you will write a script instead of a short story and make a movie for your presentation.

OPTION 3: VISUAL NARRATIVE

Using Photo Story (or something similar), create a visual narrative. In addition to a detailed rationale for the project as a whole, you will need to written analysis for each visual.

OPTION 4: MUSIC

The works we read should have moved you in some way. Because you understand the power of music, compose original music that leaves the same impact as the above project choices detail. In addition to a detailed rationale for the project as a whole, you will need to written analysis for each piece.

OPTION 5: Graphic NOVEL

Using Comic Life or illustrate on your own a graphic narrative that would fit seamlessly into this course. Your story should enlighten us, warn us about the path we’re on, and/or make us question what we think we already know. Your story should find a way to make it clear that you have digested the literature from this course.

OPTION 6: Have a Better Idea?

Perhaps you are chomping at the bit to have a chance to create something else that would fit well with the course materials….

DUE DATES

1^st Complete Draft

Double spaced, copies for group DUE: Jan ________

Final Draft

Single spaced, page set upàlandscape, Format à 2 columns

No page numbers

Story Title + byline

Rationale at the end DUE: Jan ________