Final Project
Purpose
Throughout the course, we will be confronting new and exciting approaches as well as critically assessing criminal legal responses. Each of you will have a personal connection to the material. I want to honor those experiences and give you the power to create your own final project. The purpose of your final project is to express what you've learned in the class through a creative format.
The format of your final project can be any medium besides a traditional research or essay paper. You can work alone or in teams of up to four people!
Example formats include:
Op-Ed
Comic (webcomic, computer- or hand-illustrated)
Boardgame or virtual game
Photography series
Social media campaign
Website
Children’s book
Workshop or webinar
Podcast
Script for a film or play
Sculpture/modeling
Video
Poetry
Song
Short story
Interview with someone with direct experience
For a purely visual (no text or audio) format, please include a short written narrative with your piece.
You can combine or choose other formats! The sky is the limit! :)
If you are feeling like a little more structure would be helpful, I recommend an infographic! I have instructions and tutorials for you. You can modify for this class (there will be no peer-review and the required content will be different).
Examples
I know, it can be hard to imagine what you could create!! Here, I am sharing some examples to help give inspiration!
A coloring book for children of incarcerated parents - Camryn Emfinger
Social media campaign - Undergraduate students at Suffolk University in MA
https://www.instagram.com/paveinfo/?hl=en
Tasks
Project Proposal (20 points): Develop your project idea and complete the Project Proposal on Blackboard. Part 1: A project summary of the work you’ll be completing for this project. This should be at least one paragraph long and as specific as possible. What format will you be using? What will it look like when you’re done? What are the main points you expect to relate in your finished project? Part 2: Your suggested project grading measures, where you will list exactly what, in your view, you need to complete in order to earn full credit for this assignment. Be specific! Clearly explain what would constitute an Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor project.
Unless I foresee a significant problem with your suggested grading measures (or if it’s obvious you didn’t take this part of your proposal seriously), I will approve it for you to use for your self-evaluation. If I foresee a major problem with your proposed project, I may ask you to revise and resubmit your proposal. If I foresee minor issues, I may ask you to meet with me and discuss strategies for successfully completing your project. You are also encouraged to schedule a meeting with me (calendar will be provided) or communicate with me over email or Discord to ask questions or discuss ideas. We will even have a Discord channel specifically to discuss the final project.
One of your classmates has graciously shared their project proposal! Take a look at this example.
Final Project (100 points): Your final project will be evaluated according to the criteria decided upon by you with my feedback/approval (50 points) and the criteria below (50 points).
In addition, you must also include a final project reflection (20 points, go to the e-porfolio page for more information) in your e-portfolio with your self-evalaution.
For your final Project (100 points), you'll be graded on the following components:
Content
Choose a topic that is related to the course, covering one or more of the issues discussed during the class and how transformative justice fits or could potentially reduce the harm associated with the issue.
Imagine you are presenting this topic to someone who has little to no background in criminal justice.
Here are some potential topics (these are examples, you can choose a different topic as long as it is relatable to transformative justice):
Victim/survivor experiences with the criminal legal process
Criminalization of abuse
Abuse to prison pipeline
Disparities in system-involvement among marginalized people
Issues with overpolicing and surviellience
Mass incarceration/supervision (i.e., ineffectiveness, systemic harm)
What transformative justice looks like in practice
What accountability or justice means
What needs to occur in order for transformative justice to work
Think creatively about these topics! For example, a comic could be focused on a superhero who seeks to address harm and safety without the criminal legal system. A short story could document two scenarios of cases handled by the criminal legal system or in the community.
Be sure to provide your proposed solution to the issue and/or your specific recommendation(s) for the U.S. to prevent or reduce the harm associated with your topic.
There is no minimum length, however, there must be enough information to inform the public with little-to-no background in criminal justice and to make a compelling argument for your stance.
Grading Criteria (0-25 points)
Reputable Sources
Here's the potential bummer... You must build your final project on reliable sources and cite them. Reputable sources include materials from class (i.e., reports, articles), peer-reviewed journal articles, credible news outlets and non-partisan (meaning not affiliated with a political group) research resources (e.g., The World Health Organization, The Sentencing Project, Vera Institute of Justice, Pew Research Center, Prison Policy Initiative, or The Marshall Project). Your interactivities provided you with statistics and reliable information on the topics above! Use them!
In Blackboard, there is a folder in the navigation pane under Resources called "Library Resources." That folder will provide you guidance in finding sources.
If you google "pros and cons" on your topic, non-reputable sources will come up. These websites will list pros and cons with no links to actual research. They are based upon someone's insider knowledge and are not credible. You must find sources of information based upon outsider knowledge, or research. In this example, you can see that there are no links or references to actual research.
Now, this isn't to say you can't use a quote from someone with direct experience or discuss your personal opinions. You just have to make sure its clear! Take a look at this infographic on dog training programs made by a former student. She found a quote from an incarcerated man who participated in a rehabilitation program. That was a great addition! But, she also had plenty of outsider knowledge to back up the quote.
Grading Criteria (0-10 points)
Creativity
Creativity is difficult to measure! Basically, as long as you create something new to the best of your ability, you will earn full credit!
Grading Criteria: (0-5 points)
Citations
I know, you thought making a creative final project would help avoid having to cite. Sadly, it is necessary, so I and your audience can see that you got your information from reputable sources.
Depending on your format, it may or may not make sense to include in-text citations. At the minimum, you must have a list of references to accompany your project.
All citations must be in APA Format.
Here is a video tutorial on citing in APA and my favorite APA citation generator.
Grading Criteria (0-10 points)
Self-Evaluation
The grading criteria you created with your proposal (with my feedback) will be used for half of your grade. You will submit your self-evaluation in your final project reflection (e-portfolio).
Grading Criteria (0-50 points)
Submitting
Please submit the file on Blackboard. If the file or product cannot be submitted on Blackboard, send it to me via email, Google Drive, or set up a time to bring it to my office in-person.
Criteria for Success
The best final projects will address all of the required components above. Importantly, have fun! I chose this assignment over exams or papers to allow for creativity and self-expression.
This project might push you out of your comfort zone. Don’t panic! You can do this & I am happy to help any way I can.
This is my first time assigning this type of final project! Let me know what you think along the way!
Fellow instructors: Please feel free to adapt and use this assignment. I would like to thank Drs. Rebecca Stone, Jessamyn Neuhaus, Christina DeJong, and Lia Reiter for sharing their "unessay" instructions that helped me build this final project!