"'It's this accursed Science . . . You tamper with it and it offers you gifts.
and directly you take them it knocks you to pieces
in some unexpected way" (68).
H. G. Wells' The First Men in the Moon (1901)

impassioned pleas / term project

IMPASSIONED PLEAS (10%, 5 pts each)

Students will post two separate, 125-150 word responses (no more, no less) to two videos posted at Digging in the Dirt. To calibrate your efforts, please look over these example pleas from a 300-level course. If you subscribe, you will know the moment I publish a new video. (If you post under an alias, do let me know.)

Student responses should tackle some specific idea in the video. My entries will make observations about cinema, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and/or faith en route to preparing viewers to think critically about a particular social problem, novel, and/or film. Write something quite specific which extracts an idea I've raised and engages it by way of: other stories you've encountered, personal anecdotes, and/or relevant observations about art and culture. Do NOT list the word count in your post: these entries are intended to launch conversations among other subscribers to this free, non-monetized site.

When assigning grades to students' brief responses, I will primarily consider voice and tone, so try to evoke feeling in your audience by writing with passion (pathos). You can earnestly plead, humorously regale, or angrily castigate, but take hold of some idea raised in my video and express a decided opinion.

For this assignment, please use first-person singular or plural pronouns (i.e. refer to yourself--for this assignment only).

Note: This is the single most difficult type of writing assignment in this course, as it requires students to accomplish a number of things without going over the 125-150 word limit. Do not be deceived by its brevity into thinking the task easy. These entries will be scored according to the rubric below:

grade A: such a response will address one or more specific ideas in Dr. M's video, and will express a clear and cogent opinion using: 1) grammatically correct prose, 2) precise diction, and 3) lively language enriched by figures of speech (e.g. metaphor, hyperbole, etc.) and/or powerful modifiers (i.e. adjectives, adverbs).

grade B pts: this response covers all requirements of an A, but its structure could be tighter and its creativity edgier. Its diction could be more precise, and its phrasing more spare and exacting.

grade C: this response conveys a particular opinion about Dr. M's video, but retains notable problems with expression (grammar, diction, etc.).

grades D and F: these responses do not include all elements identified by the guidelines above. Whether it barely passes will depend on the writer's skill.

If a student wishes to replace one of the three (no more than one) by writing a fourth Impassioned Plea, they may do so.

TERM PROJECT (20%)

This writing project requires students to envision and describe a state of being that buckles and changes dramatically under the pressures of some kind of cataclysmic event.

structure

Each student's project will include two parts that describe, in turn: 1) a pre-cataclysmic state of being, 2) the adaptive changes experienced by the survivors of the cataclysm. I will not provide length prescriptions, but I recommend thinking about the total project as the equivalent (in time and effort) of a polished, 15-20 page story or 10-page research project.

initial state of being (part one): The first section of the project should describe life before the event happens. You may expand your focus to encompass the macrocosm of interstellar, global, national, or municipal mechanisms and dynamics, or contract your attention to examine life within a neighborhood, a local organization (religious organization, club, etc.), a family, a two-person relationship, or even a single brain.

a life transformed (part two): consider the changes catalyzed by the event. Whether you focus on life at the level of the government or the family (or something else), the kinds of details relayed should match in scope what you describe in part one of the project.

mode

Students may render the world of their imaginings in a number of ways, employing a variety of genres and media. Students must use two different modes of approach as they move across the two required sections. Please note that at least one of the two sections must constitute some form of writing, and at least one of these two pieces of writing must take its cue from option #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, or #6.

Possible approaches include:

• option one: a historical explication in which events are described through a "hindset is 20-20" perspective
• option two: an epistolary fiction constructed of a sequence of letters written to a specific audience
• option three: a diary of entries written before, after, or during the event in question
• option four: a newspaper-style exposition in which a journalist witnessing the events relays them objectively
• option five: an editorial-style report in which a journalist relays and actively interprets events as they happen
• option six: an original short story
• option seven: a video documentary constructed of scripted "interviews" with individuals experiencing the event
• option eight: a short film that captures life lived either before, during, or after the event
• option nine: pages of a graphic novel
• option ten: a narrative poem

assessment

This assignment constitutes 20% of your final grade, and each of the two sections will be worth at least 5 points. Students individually determine a formula they would like me to use when assessing their work. One student may decide to assign 10 pts each to a section one newspaper-style exposition and a section two original short story. Another may choose to distribute 5 points to a section one diary and reserve 15 points for a section three editorial-style report.

Students will also determine what criteria they'd like me to use--in addition to grammar, which I will invariably consider--as I assess each section of their project, selecting 3-4 variables (per section) from the following list:

• ambitiousness: risk-taking; willingness to try something wild and new
• implies depth: the fictional world is fully realized, even if some elements of it are only implied
• narrative consistency: the two sections work well as interconnected pieces of a cohesive unit
• plausibility: however fantastic the tale is, the human variable is plausibly rendered
• design & organization: each of the two parts flows into the next--the whole is logically structured
• lyricism: effective use of literary devices, rhythm, and diction--the writing evinces obvious artistry
• aesthetics: this consideration of artistic merit applies only to project sections which involve a visual component, be it static or dynamic
• pathos: the narrative is moving--it prompts an emotional reponse from the reader/viewer
• voice: this concerns the relative realism of any voices (that of the narrator, if there is one, and any characters)
• intertextuality: the text is aware of literary tradition and canon (incl. literary references, allusions, etc.)

Projects scores will primarily hinge on the final project itself (Wed., Dec. 10, 9 a.m.), but will also be informed by a 8-10 minute oral presentation of the project that follows its completion (Thursday, Dec. 11, 10:10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) Projects can take any form the student wishes, but should in some form or fashion represent both sections of the project. You may present your material extemporaneously (I recommend visual aids--poster board or slideshow) or create a video presentation ahead of time that you play for us.