This is a self-designed project using both words and images, an assignment you'll devise for yourself through consulation with your instructor and others. It must involve a type of technology or a medium which you have not yet used--or used very little. It should also:
assist you in completion of your major (a portfolio piece in a capstone course, for example);
assist you in some personal hobby or life task;
—OR—
assist you in your current or future workplace.
You will submit a brief proposal for instructor approval, present a well-developed draft to the class for a 10-min. discussion and critique, and hand in a final version by Dec. 16th (Wed. class) or Dec. 17th (TTH class). As with Project #3, you will include a Supplemental Notes which comments on your experience, aides your instructor in fairly grading your work, and reflects on class materials and lectures for this last part of the term.
Purpose
The purpose of this project is give you practice with visual technology and/or a visual medium you haven't used much before, to help you further reflect on visual culture, and to offer practical assistance with some facet of your life through a visual-verbal medium.
Suggestions
A short comic book (drawing heavily of course on McCloud).
Something involving "new media": computer software such as Flash, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, or Typo3; newer computer hardware; new web genres(social media such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs); new directions in poetry and fiction (visual poetry, animated poetry, small-screen poetry, hypertext fiction, interactive fiction, visual memoir, etc.).
A film (narrative, essay, documentary, or some invented genre).
Installation art (something 3D which uses space as part of its form).
Performance art (real-world events framed as art, or art works framed as real-world events).
A one-act play (you'd turn in a script and perform the work on film, YouTube, or some other venue).
A political brochure or pamphlet (relatively easy--would likely need multiples).
A TV commercial.
An additional component for a project already completed. I.e., take your photo essay or timeline and build on it in some way, using additional media.
Proposal
Your proposal should include the following:
A name or title for your project.
A description of what you hope to make (1 brief paragraph).
A description of your intended audience (1-3 sentences).
An explanation of how the project is appropriate for this course (2-4 sentences).
An explanation of your goals in creating and completing this project (1 paragraph). This should include some reference to the aims and requirements listed under "General Instructions" above. Why have you chosen this assignment for yourself? How will it help you? How will it challenge you? What new medium or technology will you use?
A plan for completion (1-2 paragraphs). This should include mention of what sources you will consult (both primary and secondary), what equipment or tools you will use, and aproximately how much time you will devote to each step leading toward a final product.
A summary of the criteria by which you believe your work should be evaluated (1 paragraph).
Headers to assist the reader of your proposal.
Editing and proofreading for clarity, concision, and adherence to standard sentence conventions.
If your project idea changes as you work on it, you may modify the content of your proposal. Be sure to discuss it with your instructor first.
Supplemental Notes
This is a document distinct from your main project. It should be 2-4 pages, typed and double-spaced. As you did in Project #3, you will comment on how successfully you achieved your aims, problems encountered along the way, and anything your instructor may need to know when she grades your work. You will also reflect on how course materials, subjects, and lectures for this last part of the term contributed to your understanding of visual language and culture. This latter segment should make up roughly half of the document, and include key terms and concepts used in class along with reference to one or more films discussed.
Other than 2-4 pages double-spaced, there is no particular format for these Notes. Just include clear identifying information at the top and staple all pages together.
Evaluation Criteria
Though you will propose personalized criteria for your own project (see above), all projects must also:
include both a verbal and a visual component;
be sufficiently complex and challenging (a full month's worth of work, taking into account standard expectations for outside-of-class coursework hours);
be original and new (not an already-completed project for another course);
show awareness of fundamental design principles;
show awareness of audience;
show insight, imagination, creativity, and/or intellectual engagement appropriate to its audience and purpose (and/or as advised by instuctor in her personalized feedback);
show sensitivity to class critique;
include a Supplemental Notes written according to the instructions above;
be carefully edited and proofread for stylistic and mechanical lapses.