ENGL 1020, Spring 2021
Major Unit Three: Collaborative Projects and Papers
On United States Subcultures or Social Movements 1900 to the present
--A subculture is a culture within a broader mainstream culture, with its own separate values, practices, and beliefs.
--Social movement: loosely organized but sustained campaign or organization in support of a social goal or ideal, typically either the implementation or the prevention of a change in society's structure or values.
Introduction: We are defined by our subcultures, styles, and social movements. For this unit, we will try to understand the cultural meanings of specific subcultures and movements through research, mini-history, and analysis. Although some subcultures and social movements purposefully defy mainstream American values, others affirm these. Choosing the subculture or social movement that suits your group will influence the success of your project.
Purposes: The purposes of this assignment include:
to choose an exciting and engaging topic;
to do dynamic, college-level research-based writing in a cooperative and collaborative fashion;
to examine various views, academic attitudes, or media manipulations on or about your subject;
to further understand the role of social construction in creating identity;
to mix argumentative, analytical, interpretive, and informative writing styles;
to argue for your interpretation of a given subculture or social movement’s overall value and meaning.
Description: For this unit, students will be assigned to groups to work collaboratively on class presentations and group essays. Each group will choose to study a different subculture or social movement from this list, or the group will come up with its own idea, that must be approved by Mr. Smith.
Possible Groups include:
Subcultures – Group one - Hipsters etc
hippies, hipsters, punks, Goths, movie fandoms, Harry Potter, music fans/festivals (ravers, Deadheads, Bonnaroo, Juggalo), Mardi Gras, Burning Man, Rainbow Gatherings, circus-carnival crews
Subcultures – Group two - Players etc
extreme sports fans (choose one kind, from European football to Nascar to SEC to a specific team), esports, video gamers, role-playing gamers, hunters, car guys
Subcultures/social movement – Group three - Spiritual etc
Evangelical Christians, Latter Day Saints, Pentecostals, Pagans, Unitarians, Buddhists, New Religious movements, Jedi knights, Amish/Mennonite/plainstyle people
Social movements – group four - Protesters etc
The Free Speech Movement at UC in the 1960s, Vietnam anti-war/peace, MLK’s civil rights movement, Black Panthers, second wave feminism, LGBTQetc rights, 1970s/1980s anti-nuke weapons movement, Earth First/Redwood Summer, pro-life/anti-abortion/Operation Rescue, militia/2nd amendment, MAGA, Q-Anon, Black Lives Matter, post-Parkland Youth Gun Control
In addition to the usual and expected standards for effective writing, for the overall success of each project’s content, please plan to include (these points 2-5 can provide an outline and distribution of tasks) :
(1) a non-judgmental, sensitive, open-minded, or non-stereotypical tone (if you find yourself wanting to poke fun at a subculture or social movement, it’s probably best to choose a different one to study);
(2) an accurate, analytical, and manageable mini-history of the subculture or social movement including a presentation of how the members of the subculture/movement view themselves;
(3) a description of the movement or subculture’s contribution to the larger culture;
(4) careful presentation of the existing critical and academic perspectives on the subculture or movement;
(5) an argument showing the group’s original analytical observation, interpretation, and opinion (or opinions) on the topic; and finally,
(6) a diversity of sources properly introduced without plopping and flawlessly cited using MLA style.
Sources: Groups should conduct serious and in-depth research utilizing a variety of sources, compiling a strong Works Consulted-type bibliography drawing from interviews, books, journals, the Internet, television, and film. While internet sources are standard, all papers should include at least one book, one primary and personal interview source, one scholarly journal, and one film or video (YouTube) source.
Annotated Bibliography: The annotated bibliography is “on the way” toward the final version and is paired with your thesis and list of research questions. Annotations are brief -- no more than three sentences -- to discuss the validity of the source for your research angle and thesis.
Essay Final word length: 2000-2500 words (approximately 8-10 pages)
Audience: Readers of a magazine or website that might be interested in your topic; history & culture buffs, young Americans, ages 16-30; educated people familiar with your topic in general, but not with your specific angle, argument(s), or approach concerning the topic.
Team Rosters Finalized (numbers, emails, etc exchanged), Topics Narrowed: by end of class on Monday, March 1
Before Spring Break - Groups Meet Independently inside and outside class time for at least 80 minutes to: further define and discuss Research plans, angles, and questions, (1) decide what direction/angle their paper will take, (2) explore a tentative thesis/theses, and (3) make a detailed schedule of tasks, future meetings, and due dates. At this meeting, the Captain will appoint someone to post the meeting notes and the schedule of tasks to the group’s Google Drive/document. After this meeting, Group Captains will email the instructors a detailed report.
Annotated Bibliography, Thesis, and General Outline -- work on in your first meeting with Mr. Smith before spring break
Completed Annotated Bibliography -- due March 26, 2021
Workshop Drafts: in special group conferences with your instructor 3-29 through 4/7
Reflections, round-ups, & Teacher’s Drafts: Monday, April 12, 2021
· Group Captains are strongly encouraged to assign and delegate all tasks and set up clear lines of responsibility, accountability, and communication. Group Captains should not do more than their fair share.
· Active participation in the groups is required of all students. In unusual circumstances, Group Captains may need to report uncooperative or non-participating students to the instructor. Non-participants may fail the unit or be required to do a separate project in order to stay eligible to pass the class.
------------Grade Sheet---------------
Team Name: English 1020 - Major Essay 3 and 4- Group Evaluation
Team Effort (20 possible)
___the Annotated Bibliography --the alphabetical list of sources with brief descriptive annotations in MLA format--is submitted on March 26 by 11:59pm, including diversity in kinds of sources per the assignment sheet and at least two sources per team member; more sources are better (4 points)
___Final paper is submitted by Google Document to andrew@professorandrewsmith.com by Monday, April 12 (4 points).
___Paper is approximately 8-12 pages long, at least 2200 words, slightly longer is acceptable. (3 points)
___Final paper is in correct MLA format -- title, team name, date, robust internal citations, and polished “works consulted” page with all sources. (5 points)
___Team met twice with Mr. Smith during regular class hours at the appointed times (4 points)
Total Effort Points
Final Essay Quality Points (10 possible)
Team accomplishes these qualities in an exceptional manner:
Team writes a thorough and interpretive mini-history of a subculture or social movement, including evidence how the movement/subculture sees itself. (Purpose) (2 points)
Essay comments on the meaning of the subculture or social movement, including their contribution to the larger culture, in the interpretive thesis and throughout the essay. (Thesis & Purpose) (2 points)
Essay provides a careful presentation of existing critical and academic or journalistic perspectives on the subculture or movement, including at least one academic/critical/journalistic source that adopts a critical stance. (Purpose, Support 1 point)
Essay provides primary research, including the interview source(s), news clippings, YouTube footage, and/or other original sources not yet interpreted by other scholars. (Purpose, Support 1 point)
Essay avoids these pitfalls for this assignment: only summarizing the topic generally but not analyzing or interpreting the movement/culture specifically; getting on an argument soapbox (or any other tangent) about the issue or group, rather than focusing on the movement or culture; failing to provide a diversity of sources. (Purpose, 2 points)
Essay is edited by the team to be seamlessly well organized, with a clear beginning-middle-end, effective transitions, etc. (Organization, 1 point)
Team writes in a professional academic voice, follows the assignment, edits as a teame emphasizing the use of correct grammar and punctuation; team writes a good audience-purpose statement/respects the audience. (Purpose, Audience, Grammar & Mechanics) (1 point)
___Excellent (10)
__ Very Good (8 or 9)
Team accomplishes many of the above qualities successfully.
__Satisfactory (7)
Team accomplishes some of the above qualities in a competent manner.
__Needs Work (6 or less)
Team fails to accomplish a majority of the above qualities or otherwise shows a
serious lack of personal investment in their story or its presentation.
(circle/score qualities achieved)
___Total Effort Points
___Total Quality Points
Grade out of 30