Final Project
| Segment | Due date |
|---|---|
| Proposal | R 17 Jan |
| Rough Draft | T 22 Jan |
| Final Draft | R 24 Jan |
The final project for this course asks you to engage with the notion of the zombie text in your own field or to write a critical analysis essay about a zombie text or zombie texts. While I do not have a specific guideline for each field, I do have “design constraints” that will help you imagine and pursue this project. Please note that everyone in class must produce an artist’s statement to accompany her/his final project.
Project in your field:Consider the theories, texts, and ideas we have encountered about zombies in this course. Working within your discipline, propose, design, and execute a project that engages with these texts and ideas to produce a profound statement, idea, or expression of the zombie as you understand it and its relationship to popular media. As you work, develop an artist’s statement that explains your choices and motivation explicitly. Your statement should engage with both source texts AND critical texts to give the reader a sense of what shaped your project. Expectations:Your project should draw from a wide range of influences encountered in this course. Ideally, you will not be responding to one zombie text, but several; similarly, several critical ideas and/or themes should influence your endeavor. You must complete each step of the development process as outlined in the class schedule. This includes a project proposal, a project peer discussion, a project peer review, and a final project discussion on the final day of class. You must also complete an artist’s statement explaining your project. This statement should be concise and clever, engaging and thorough. You should use the statement to explain which source texts and what ideas influenced your work on your final project. Nitty Gritty:You must participate in the preparation process for the project on both the proposal and artist’s statement. Your artist’s statement must be 1000-1200 words. You may not have fewer than 1000 words, and going over 1200 is frowned upon. The scope of your project will be determined in conversation between you and the instructor—as each discipline has different parameters, each project will have a different scope. Keep in mind, though, that this project represents the equivalent of a project produced over half a semester. |
Critical Essay:In place of producing an artistic project and artist's statement about zombie texts for your field, you may instead write a critical essay about one or two zombie texts. The critical essay assignment is primarily intended for students whose discipline does not allow space to do the "Project in your field" assignment, though any student may choose this option. Your essay should consider the sources and texts we've encountered in class and engage with one of them to produce a critical reading or interpretation. Alternatively, you may select a zombie text outside of class (pending my approval) as your subject matter. Expectations:Your critical essay should be a complex, careful analysis of your text. You should use the strategies and tools we've discussed during the term to isolate details and build your argument. Students who choose to include a literature survey in their writing process must, of course, cite carefully any ideas borrowed or quoted, and must produce a valid works cited as well. You must complete each step of the development process as outlined in the class schedule. This includes a project proposal, a project peer discussion, a project peer review, and a final project discussion on the final day of class. You must also complete an artist’s statement explaining your project. Nitty Gritty:You must participate in the writing process (proposal, rough draft final draft) and turn in all materials to me at appropriate times. Your essay must be 2500-3000 words (8-10 pages, not including Works Cited). You are encouraged to obtain illustrative screenshots where possible. The scope of your project will be determined in conversation between you and the instructor—as each argument will require different kinds of evidence and different approaches. Keep in mind, though, that this project represents the equivalent of a project produced over half a semester. |
