Group Project Proposal

Due by email at 3:00 P.M. on Sunday, March 2. Must be sent as an attachment in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format.

Each group needs to submit only one proposal for the group. Your group leader should send the proposal to me, and I’ll send my response to the group leader, who can then forward the response to the entire group.

Like with your proposals for the research-based ethics essay, the goal of the proposal is again to begin a dialogue between us. I want to have an idea of what your group is working on and of any questions or problems you are having.

Your proposal will consist of four short sections:

Section 1: What business, campus unit, or non-profit organization will your group be working with? Remember, you have to receive written permission from the group that you’re working with and only one group can work with any one business. Have you received permission from the business you picked? If not, what are your backup choices? Finally, will you need to arrange meetings with the owner or manager of the business to get information for your project?

Section 2: Provide a brief breakdown of each group member’s responsibilities? Who will be doing what? I want to see that the workload will be distributed roughly evenly throughout the group. Also, remember as a group to create your own deadlines and to take advantage of your group members’ strengths. For example, if someone in your group is good at making graphs or charts, then you should have that person work on that material.

Section 3: What types of sources is your group going to use? Where are you finding your sources? What types of information do you need to generate yourselves? What information, depending on the business’ cooperation, do you need from the business?

Section 4: Ask at least two specific questions you have about this assignment. I will respond to your questions the best I can. Please do not ask questions such as “What do we need to do to get an A on this project?”; instead, your questions should be about content or structure: “How much space should we dedicate to introducing our green philosophy?” or “Where in this business plan should we express our own opinions?”

Evaluation: Like other homework assignments, your proposal will be graded on a check-plus, check, check-minus, no credit scale. All group members will get the same grade.

Citation info for “The Corporation”

Some of you are using The Corporation in your papers. Below you’ll find the appropriate works cited format for the film.

MLA Style

The Corporation. Dirs. Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott. Zeigeist Films, 2005.

APA Style

Achbar, M. & Abbott, J. (Directors). (2005) The Corporation [Motion picture]. Canada: Zeitgeist Films.

Research-Based Ethics Paper Reminders

Remember to bring 4 copies of your completed rough draft on Tuesday, February 12. You’ll be exchanging your drafts with classmates in preparation for the workshop session on Thursday, February 14.

This weekend, I’ll go through the pages you turned in yesterday, and I’ll provide you with some feedback, especially pertaining to your introductions and thesis statements.

Let me know if you have any questions.

“On Our Own Land” and “Fast Food Women” [Extra Credit Opportunity]

The Writing Program Film Series will be hosting Anne Lewis on Friday, February 22nd, for screenings of “On Our Own Land” and “Fast Food Women.” The event will be held in the W.T. Young Library Auditorium; doors open at 3:00, and the screening begins at 3:30.

Extra Credit Opportunity: After viewing these films, pick an ethical framework to describe the dilemma presented and the ethical solution. Your opinion doesn’t have to agree with Anne Lewis’s; your task is to offer a well-reasoned interpretation and a thoughtful solution/resolution for a dilemma presented in one of the two films.

Your extra credit paper should be well-written and approximately 1.5-2 pages, double-spaced. Be detailed in presenting the ethical framework, and include as many specific examples as you can remember from the film.

Here’s what you’ll get: I’ll grade your paper on a normal 12 point scale (12 for check plus, 9 for check, 6 for a check-minus), and I’ll add as many points as you get to your homework points total. At the end of the semester, you’ll have these extra points built into your sum before it’s averaged. For those of you who missed a quiz or homework or who have turned in assignments late, this extra credit should especially help you. For the rest of you, it’s a chance to either boost your grade or to get out of a single-weighted homework assignment down the road.

You don’t have to sign in at the film, but please make sure I acknowledge seeing you there. Also, you can’t leave the film early if you want to receive the extra credit.

Let me know if you have any questions about this extra credit assignment.

Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? [Extra Credit Opportunity]

Do you want to earn half a letter grade extra credit on your first project, the research-based ethics essay?

Here’s what you have to do:

1. Attend the Writing Program Film Series screening of Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? on Thursday, February 14, in the W.T. Young Library Auditorium. Doors open at 7:00 P.M. and the screening begins at  7:30. You don’t have to sign in, but make sure I see you there. Make sure you stay the whole time. If you get up and leave during the film or the Q&A (except for an emergency), then you won’t be eligible for the extra credit.
2. After seeing the film, write a one page letter to a specific person or audience (it could be a friend, parent, grandparent, sibling, etc.) explaining why that person should see this film. Reference specific parts of the film that you think appeal to the person, and think about the needs of that person: why would that person like this film? What would he or she gain from seeing it? You don’t actually have to send the letter to the person; you just have to give it to me.

Stipulations

1. Your letter has to be satisfactory level for you to receive the extra credit (equivalent to what would receive a “check” on homework); if it’s not satisfactory level, I’ll give you one chance to fix it.
2. For doing the extra credit, you will receive one-half letter grade added to your first project. On the 12 point scale, this means that you will get one more point. For example, a B- (8 points) would become a B (9 points).
3. Remember, for Eng 203, you must receive a C-level grade or higher grade on all major assignments to pass. The extra credit cannot take you from a non-passing grade to a passing grade. For example, if you received a D+ on the paper and did the extra credit, then you would still have to do a rewrite. The project itself has to be at C-level. Your extra credit would be applied after the rewrite succeeds. Therefore, the rewrite would take you to a C- (5 points), and the extra credit would bring your grade up to a C (6 points).

Let me know if you have any questions about the extra credit assignment.

For more information about the Writing Program Film Series, please visit the website.

If you would like to learn more information about Film Series event, you’re invited to join the Film Series Facebook group.