1. Participation 30%
2. Presentation 30%
3. Final Project 40%

Participation (including comments) (30%)

A grade will be given based on the level and quality of participation and contribution reflected in engagement with the readings, class topic, and each other. You must post a comment of the readings on the class website (in “the comments section”) prior to midnight, the day before class.  In addition to engaging with the readings, you should pose one or two questions you would like to explore further in class. The comments will be available to each person to view, allowing me to prepare for class the next day. The grade breakdown is 20% (comment) and 10% (participation in class discussion).

A note on comments: In your comments, you should pull out ideas and concepts you find compelling, and/or consider how the readings speak to each other, and/or identify 1-2 questions, quotes or sections you find persuasive and why / how they relate to your work / what is insightful / what further questions are raised when reading the author. You must, however, avoid free flow posts that do not engage with readings. Some people write lengthy comments as a way of keeping notes.  Others are more succinct.  Others are inspired to create something. Still others like to read each piece in relation to a theme or lens, and their own larger questions related to their research/journalism/ activism / artistic expression / policy work. Go with what works for you, but ensure you engage with the readings closely and critically. Finally, if something sparks (another reading, a documentary, a pod-cast) you think is relevant to share, please do so. You may contribute as much as you like to the blogs/discussions. Cross talk is permitted by the site.

The posts must relate to the readings and topic for discussion. Posts that ignore the texts in question, have a very slight connection to them or introduce unprocessed free-writes will be noted.

Presentation: Case Studies or Reviews (30%)

Each presentation is 25 minutes in total.  I will assign dates for your presentations.

Please send me by September 20th a one-paragraph idea on your case study or review. You are welcome to see me during office hours. Presentations will start on September 24th.

 Case studies: A case study is a detailed examination of a social or political issue or phenomenon. For this seminar, you will research and present a case study that relates to social justice and difficult knowledge.  This may be a subject in the news; an issue at an institution (ex. an inquiry, museum or the university), a social setting (ex. a classroom, a neighborhood, fieldwork research), a group of people (ex. a grassroots organization, an art collective); a moment in time (ex. a protest); an issue as it emerges at a particular time (ex. freedom of expression), or represented in an object or symbol (ex. a monument, a logo).

Review

Your review will be of a documentary, pod-cast, literature or exhibit which relates to social justice and difficult knowledge. 

Structure of presentations: Each presentation is to be 15 minutes, followed by an exercise for 10 minutes in which you will design an activity to engage the class to think through a question related to your case study or review. Design the exercise to enable the students to apply the knowledge you shared in your presentation.  You may use creative approaches, such as drawing, movement, poetry, voice or more “conventional” approaches such as discussion of a question, group work or photo.

Your narrative should be largely presented orally with photos, videos, or illustrations (as visual narrative or visualizations) in the PowerPoint. Some text can be included but avoid lengthy, bullet point lists and integrate only key, substantive short textual interventions.

You will be evaluated for a) clarity of presentation; b) research and analysis of topic; c) making connections to the course topic / readings (this can be nuanced, don’t take it too literally), d) effectively developing an engaging exercise to involve the class in a deeper analysis of the subject and e) being able to demonstrate the value of the exercise / a summary of what was learned.

There will be one student presenting each class and in the last one hour – to avoid going overtime in the class, do a practice run at home that times it. Please ensure you arrive 20 minutes before each class to ensure your presentation works on the system (sound, visual, otherwise) and to work with the other student to ensure your presentations are on the same laptop (so we can avoid switching mid-way).

4. Final Project (40%)

 Project on a topic/issue of interest that draws on the course material (literature reviewed, discussions, presentations) and on a critical question regarding scholarship, creative praxis, policy, representation and difficult knowledge. The project will advance an exploration of the selected theme/issue. Creative formats are encouraged and accepted (webpage, performance, podcast, video, display, poster, radio program, policy brief). Please submit a two-page proposal that includes a topic, rationale and expressive form to be used by October 22^nd.  You should make an appointment with the instructor before or after the proposal is due to discuss.  Examples of final projects from other classes will be posted on the website.

Evaluation:
Content (50%);
Format (20%);
Writing (10%);
Design/visuals (20% for creative projects)

Other considerations in the evaluation of the project are:
Clarity of ideas
Originality of ideas/vision
Coherence content/image/vision (for creative projects)
Proper balance and integration of readings/ideas from the course

The due date of the final projects will be December 15, 2021, at midnight.  Submit via canvas.