Throughout the semester, you have critically analyzed a number of artifacts. Now it is your turn to propose an original artifact, namely, a movie. You (or your group) are a screenwriter, and you are planning to propose an original movie to the producer (me!). As budding sustainability experts well-versed in the art of rhetoric, you are perfectly suited to write a movie that appeals to a wide audience and has sustainability as a core theme. (Fortunately for you, your producer also understands sustainability and rhetoric, so can provide feedback on both counts.) The movie can have any story, but must meet the following criteria:
You have the option to complete this project individually, or in groups of up to 4 people. I have created a discussion board to help you find others to be in your group. Once you find group members, one person from the group needs to email me, and cc the others in the group. I strongly suggest that you work in groups
For group communication, I have created a discussion board that is viewable only by your group members and me. Once you tell me who is in your group, you will be able to view the discussion board.
The Final Project must have the following components for full credit. This must be double-spaced, 12 pt font, and submitted on a Word document. If your submission is longer than the prescribed length, that element's score will be reduced by 50%: You must perform your own word count and indicate the number of words in each section.
Note that you will also be graded on overall clarity and organization. The descriptions of each component must have a good flow and quality description. See rubrics for full grading description.
You must submit this via a Microsoft Word document. One submission will be provided per group.
Your final project will be completed in multiple phases, spread out over the course of weeks, as follows. For ALL elements, 50% will be deducted from that element if it is longer than prescribed.
If you work in a group, you must indicate which group member worked on each section for each submission.
I'm sure you or your group will have a number of interesting ideas for movies, but for the initial proposal, you must submit one idea. This is a relatively short assignment - the proposal is only a few paragraphs. This gives your group the opportunity to begin solidifying general movie details and gives me the opportunity to provide you with feedback in a short period of time. This feedback will hopefully help you determine which of the ideas you will use for your final project.
Each initial proposal must have the following elements for full credit.
You will submit this via Discussion Board, which is only visible by you (or your group) and me. See the rubric for grading, and the Canvas or Google Calendar for due dates.
This is worth 5% of your Final Project grade (0.75% of your overall grade).
For your full rough draft, you will complete a full rough draft of the Final Project. You must have all the elements of the final project for full credit. See the Final Project Description [1] for full details, and look at the rubric to see how this will be graded.
For full credit. You will submit one draft per group: You must have all of the elements of the final project in rough form.
This assignment is submitted to me via Canvas. You must submit a Microsoft Word Document. See Canvas for the complete assignment description. See the rubric for grading and the Course Calendar for due dates.
This is worth 20% of your Final Project grade (3% of your overall grade).
For your final project, you will use the feedback provided to you on your rough draft and finalize your project. You will submit one project per group if you are working in a group. For full credit:
You will submit this via Canvas. You must submit a Microsoft Word Document. See Canvas for the complete assignment description. See the rubric for grading and the Course Calendar for due dates.
You will recieve 2% extra credit on this assignment just for working in a group. E.g. if your grade is 90% you will be bumped up to a 95%.
This is worth 75% of your Final Project grade (11.25% of your overall grade).
You will engage in a discussion board during the last week of the semester. Each person (or group) will be assigned one other project to critique. You will provide substantive feedback on the following aspects of the movie proposal: attractiveness to a general audience, effectiveness of the sustainability message, strongest rhetorical content, weakest rhetorical content, and quality of the plot.
The discussion board will have two parts:
See Canvas for the complete assignment description. See the rubric for grading and the Course Calendar for due dates.
For extra credit, you or your group can describe a movie trailer. The details are as follows:
See Canvas for the complete assignment description. See the rubric for grading, and the Canvas or Google Calendar for due dates.
This is worth up to 1% extra on your final grade.
The final project is broken down into multiple sections, spread out of the course of weeks. See Canvas or the Google Calendar for the due date. See the next page for a description of each section.
Requirement | Item Location | Submission Location | Number of Submissions | Percent of Final Project Grade |
---|---|---|---|---|
Initial Proposal | See content on Canvas. | Canvas - Modules tab > Final Project | one group submission | 5% |
Full Rough Draft of Final Project | See content on Canvas. | Canvas - Modules tab > Final Project | one group submission | 20% |
Final Project Submission | See content on Canvas. | Canvas - Modules tab > Final Project | one group submission | 75% |
OPTIONAL Extra Credit - Movie Trailer | See content on Canvas. | Canvas - Modules tab > Final Project | one group submission | 1% of FINAL grade (not Final Project grade) |
Discussion Board | See content on Canvas. | Canvas - Modules tab > Final Project | group submission, individual responses | 4% of FINAL grade (not Final Project grade) |
Links
[1] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/emsc240/?q=node/595