finalprojects

APWH Final Projects 2009

WHAT ARE WE DOING

As part of your fourth quarter grade & as your final exam grade you will do a final research project on a topic in world history.

All assignments will require and be evaluated on:

·the topic chosen

·your in-depth research of the topic (historical)

·your use, evaluation, and citation (as appropriate) of sources

·the organization and accuracy of the content of your project

·following directions (described below, more detailed rubric will follow)

Familiarize yourself with the rubric, especially the parts about citations!!! ]

TIMELINE & DUE DATES

5/19 and 5/20 in Media Center - Search for sources on your topic. You need to share your preliminary Noodlebib bibliography with me (Class name: Bond-Lamberty APWH Final Projects) for your first-choice topic starting at 8 pm Monday night (first come first serve for topics). The preliminary bibliography will be a formative grade.

5/19 and 5/20 In Media Center - Begin/continue work on your project. I will be checking outlines (including thesis) for a formative grade.

5/26 (in F111) and 5/27 (in Media Center) - Continue research.

5-28 (in A225) and 5/29 (in Media Center) – Seniors need to present and/or submit projects. Those who wish to get my opinions on a rough draft will need to submit it to me in class or email it to me over the weekend. This will be my last days in class with you until after the project is due.

If all have finished by 5/29 then the remaining time you can watch movies in class. If you are not finished, I have the Media Center reserved in my absence and I will be in sporadic email contact for those who need me. If you have not finished by 5/29, then your projects are due the day of your final exam.

EXAMPLES OF APPROPRIATE FORMATS

This is not meant as a definitive list of projects, others can be done with an instructor’s approval. If you are having problems choosing a topic or narrowing down your focus, I can help you. Only one group may do the Survival Manual or APWH soundtrack. Furthermore only one group may research a certain topic for each assignment (so only one paper on Mongols, etc.). For most projects, assignments focusing on only one region will be discouraged.

Topics to be done individually only –no partners allowed.

Brief research paper

You must pick a global topic (i.e. not just related to one present-day country) related to something that we have discussed in class, but which we have not covered in-depth (meaning, you must pick a topic that requires research on your part). Then you must pick a question related to that topic and answer it (can be comparing and contrasting, analyzing causes and effects, examining change across time, etc.). Research the answer to that question and then write a concise (I would ideally not like anything much over 5 pages double-spaced) paper presenting your findings on this topic.

Letter to an official

You need to pick a significant present-day global problem or conflict and research its causes and effects. Then you must come up with a solution for this problem. You need to write a letter to an appropriate individual (i.e. US Secretary of State, UN Secretary General, etc.) concerning your views on this problem. Your letter must include:

Movie Assignment

Choose ONE film (historical ones approved by me; one film per person, and not ones already done by past students) and write a review of the film. Include in your review: the film’s historical accuracy and point out inaccuracies providing specific evidence to back up your claims. Conclude your essay with an explanation of why the filmmaker was/was not true to the history. This is a hard project, and you will need to do extensive background research for this. For your presentation you can use a video/DVD format showing clips from the film as your evidence, but you still need to summarize your findings on paper, citing specific scenes and evidence to support your claims.

Cannot do the following movies: MULAN, INDOCHINE, Z, MASTER AND COMMANDER, ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA, ASOKA

Topics to be done individually or with up to one partner

APWH soundtrack

Create a soundtrack to go with the course. You will need to research music from all geographic regions and eras and find either historically significant songs (from an APWH perspective) or songs that discuss/illustrate historically significant events, periods or themes from the different units. Include songs other than those I have played in class. Ideally the songs would be from more than just Western artists. This sound track should have a minimum of 27 songs (3+ songs for each unit). You should also include liner notes on each song or artist as appropriate and an explanation of why they are suitable for a soundtrack about world history in general and that period in particular. Your presentation should essentially be similar to one of my music presentations, but only playing a few clips.

Illustrated children’s book

Pick a topic from the themes, regions and eras covered in APWH. Must be approved by me. Research that topic further to be able to elaborate on it. Then prepare an illustrated (drawn by your hand) children’s book (simple vocabulary and proper grammar and spelling) on that topic. This project must include a paper explaining why this is a significant issue to include in APWH, what you have found from your research, and what would be learned from the book (this is where you could include your citations).

DBQ

Write a Document-Based-Question on a selected topic (not one that we have done already, I have a list of suggestions if you cannot come up with a suitable topic). Your presentation should include the question and document on overheads (as well as an electronic copy for me). I have some sources for you to start your research. Your question should include:

Topics to be done individually or with up to two partners – so three people total

Survival Manual/Website for APWH and Detailed Recommendations for revisions for next year’s class

You have made it through my first year of the APWH course at Northwood. What would you have liked to have known before coming to this class? You will create a manual/pamphlet and a Northwood-linked website that will help next year’s classes.

At the same time I’d like detailed suggestions on how to improve the course. So what would you have liked for me to do differently in the course to improve it (while meeting the requirements of APWH)? Your final product should be in the form of a paper/memo to me and a website for your classmates and future members of the class.

The research aspect of this assignment is minimal (but it does require some research) you will need to conduct a survey for your classmates to answer (with appropriately worded questions approved by the teacher). You should also interview some of your classmates to get a more in-depth and varied views on some questions and topic. You must include their views in the pamphlet and memo. I would also like to see their responses to the surveys, and could even make completion of it a grade (however you need to make sure that they are answered fully). You can use humor- but please take this seriously and produce something that is useful. I will require an electronic version of your material so that parts of it can go onto the class website for next year.

Materials that should included, can include others too if desired:

Song & video/PowerPoint (ideally a School House Rock type of song & video or mnemonic devices) – This will go on my website. Pick a topic that is from the themes, types of questions, regions and eras covered in the APWH course. Research that topic further to be able to elaborate on it in your presentation. Then prepare a song and a video (a la School House Rock so lyrics included) or a PowerPoint with the lyrics and illustrations (and the song itself) included in the PowerPoint on that topic. The song should have original music and lyrics. This project must include a paper explaining why this is a significant issue to include in APWH, what you have found from your research, and what would be learned from the song. For your presentation you will need to play the video (perhaps not in its entirety depending on time restrictions).

CANNOT DO SONGS ON THE FOLLOWING TOPICS: Mongols, Cold War, Turks, Columbian Exchange, African Colonization, Polytheism,

Historical electronic game (to be put on my website)

Pick a topic that is from the themes, regions and eras covered in the APWH course. Research that topic further to be able to elaborate on it in your presentation. Then prepare an original game that would teach those playing it about that topic. Simple Jeopardy type games are not the idea, but rather a game like History of the World or Civilization. This project must include a paper explaining why this is a significant issue to include in APWH, what you have found from your research, what would be learned from the game and why you set it up the way you did. For your presentation you should play part of the game illustrating different scenarios only.

CANNOT CREATE GAMES ON THE FOLLOWING TOPICS: EPIDEMIC DISEASES, EGYPT/MESOPOTAMIA, WWII, INDIAN OCEAN, CRUSADES

Topics to be done individually or with up to four partners – so five people total

Reduced APWH

Summarize a major era into either a play (like Reduced Shakespeare) or animated movie (I need it on a DVD). The final product should be no longer than 20 minutes and cover all the material in the era, including social, political, economic, and cultural aspects. This project will require little research, but a lot of outside work planning the script and filming (I would encourage you to have access to your own cameras and movie making software). This project must include a paper explaining why you chose to include the topics/scenes that you did, what would be learned from the video and why you set it up the way you did.

Illustrated Timelines (digital ideally)

Summarize the course into illustrated time lines. The final product should present the key topics of the course, so from 8000 BCE to present around the world. This project will require little in-depth research, but a lot of work creating and illustrating the time lines (can be drawn by hand and scanned in or by computer however you may not copy pre-existing time lines!] You may choose to divide the time lines by regions or themes. This project must include a paper explaining why you chose to include the topics that you did, what would be learned from the time lines and why you set it up the way you did.

The Daily Show

Produce a topical entertainment show (modeled on Jon Stewart, Saturday Night Live, Stephen Colbert, etc.) from a specific era. This project will require your group to understand the political, social, economic, demographic and cultural situation of the era. You must cover at least three regions from the era (one of which cannot be the United States or Western Europe and one which must be Latin America or Africa). Your production must include a monologue, a short comic segment (“Top 10 List,” “The Word”), and a guest interview (an actual person living at the time or a person that represents a class/group of people). The project is intended to be humorous but accurate and based on your research. The written component of this project will be a script that includes citations. Note: it would be wise to videotape your project as your group may be pressed for time in class during presentations.