African studies

Assignment 1: Reflective Writing Exercise (3 pages) This assignment asks students to personally reflect on the course as well as one or more of the topics, authors, periods or genres that we studied this term in 3-5 pages. Additionally, reflections should detail your reasonings for picking what you chose to discuss. Students are encouraged to incorporate one or more of the broad themes noted in the course description of our syllabus and apply your thoughts in relation to course content including course texts. Students should think, “if I was to describe this course to someone who knows nothing about African American Literature, what would be the first things that come to mind?

Students will be evaluated on their ability to integrate personal reflection with course content. If comfortable, incorporate feelings and memories readings and authors may have evoked. Including quotes from texts help to establish connections and should be supported with in-text citations and a works cited page (not included in total required page count). Read the Reflective Writing grading rubric for more detailed information on this assignment.

Assignment 2: Intellectual A/V Mix The purpose of the Intellectual A/V Mix is to offer you an opportunity to select a topic, theme, event, author or period and complete an Audio/Video Mix. The guidelines for this project are extremely flexible allowing students to select anything that you wish to research. Students MUST make the case for how your chosen topic connects to African American literature, life or culture.

Examples of themes include literacy and power, freedom, heritage, fear, opportunity, creativity, social justice, or revolution. Once you have selected your topic, you will then “mix” audio, video and your intellectual commentary into a coherent project of some sort. There are minimum media numbers that you must incorporate, detailed in the rubric.

This project IS NOT a PowerPoint or Prezi, a speech or formal presentation. Instead, I would like for you to do something a bit more creative. Students will choose one of the applications/platforms or methods listed on the grading rubric recording a performance from within Spatial (in 3D). Your Intellectual A/V Mix assignment should represent your understanding of your chosen topic. If your project is shallow or demonstrates little real research done, then you will not receive full points. You are encouraged to use creative modes of expression like spoken word, dance performances, media projects, video projects, or even podcasts.

Students have (4) options for this assignment:

1. Create a mixed-media website.

2. Short intellectual commentary video with audio/video clips and images.

3. Performance in Spatial using your avatar.

4. Create a podcast and website. The podcast must have at least 4 episodes created in

Anchor integrating audio clips. The website must have embedded video components.