Rights and Race Research

Senior Seminar
Rights and Race Research Project

100 pts – power point
50 pts - presentation

For the next few weeks we will spending most of our time directly working on or doing support work on a power point project. As we have done in the past, the specific thesis of your research power point will be individually established by each student, but generally will fall with in the subject area involving issues around peoples civil rights or about race in America. The specifics for this project include:

•A Power Point that you will present to the class (see attached rubric)
•10 – 14 slides, 6 lines of text per slide.
•MLA citation methodology
•In-Text citations - 3 paraphrased citations and 3 direct quote citations.
•4 different sources need to be used in the slides.
•A Works Cited Slide (the last slide) – Minimum 5 source listed

As we spend time in the media center I have planned 6 days in the media center for doing research on your topics. For each day each student needs to turn in a “source write-up” sheet. (see Attached) These will be available and due at the end of each day we are in the media center. Late source write ups (not turned in at the end of the hour) will be reduced by 25% each day. These can not be made up after four days. In the case of an excused absence students will be allowed to turn in work the next day but this may need to be done as home work.

Additionally, there is a formal outline that students should use to organize their thinking. A due date will be announced at a later date.

The following issues will be important factors in determining your grade for this project:
Did you fulfill the specifics of the project listed above?
Professionalism of your power point.
Professionalism of your presentation.
When you presented, did you know your topic or did you read it.
Timeliness – was it turned in on time.
Was it well researched – was it evidence/fact based.
Did you analyze the evidence and discuss its importance with regard to your
Thesis.
Did you use evidence as listed above?
Grammar and mechanics – Have anther person proof-read your work.

Research Projects Source Write-ups

Students are expected to produce 3 source write-ups of their research for their senior seminar research papers. Students are to use academic sources from online databases that are scholarly in nature (not just anything from a Google search). For each day we visit the computer lab, students need to read and then write up a summary of one article/source pertaining to their topic. In addition they need to include a specific statement of the authors position/argument listing the data they intend on citing to support their position detailed in the article. This will usually be a solid paragraph in length. They also need to write down the following bibliographic information for each article reviewed:
Title of Website
Title of Article
Author Name
Website URL (address)
Date of Creation
Publisher
Date of Listing
Location of Publication
Page Number

These papers are due at the end of the class period for each day in the lab.

Research Project – Senior Seminar

Research Project - Gender in American

Over the next few weeks students will be conducting research on the issue of gender in America. Students are to begin by doing general reading/research about the topic as it exists in society today and then progress toward developing a specific topic and thesis for their projects. Students need to find and use information from 3 different academic sources when communicating their supportive evidence for this project. We will have from December 1st - December 12th to research and construct their projects. The presentations of their projects are scheduled to begin December 15th. The format of this presentation can be in a wide variety of formats including, but not limited to: Slide shows, posters, time lines, tri-fold displays, etc. Check with your instructor to confirm that what you are doing is acceptable and so that you have an understanding of the expectations for your projects visual element.

Professionalism will be an important component for every aspect of your projects grade. Be neat – don’t just throw things together at the last minute. Take the time to put things together so they are straight. If you are cutting things out and pasting together cut carefully and be precise with your work. Organize your work so that it visually makes sense and so that its intentional in its presentation. Your visual should be able to communicate your message with out you explaining it to the viewer. Check for grammar – this is a formal assignment. Also check for spelling. Have people proof-read your work for errors and to make sure that what you are saying make sense. Practice giving your presentation to others and have them point out areas where you struggled to communicate your thoughts.

You could consider focusing your report on how gender roles have changed or evolved over since the 1900’s. What are gender roles like today? Are they OK or are they not OK? Is their equity in jobs, pay, rights, equality, status in our culture.

Rubric for Research Project - Presentation
Total Points 50

Criteria for presentations

Professional and practiced use of materials
•Materials were seamlessly integrated into the presentation
•Materials were integrated but not smoothly – student read from sources
•Student seemed to be learning about the materials they produced during presentation

Formal Language
Used – Both verbal and non verbal
•Exceptionally well done – formal register and body language used throughout
•OK/can improve– a mixture of casual/informal used.
•Need to improve – Casual register used. Inappropriately informal

Knowledge of their subject matter
•Student clearly learned material deeply and thoroughly understands materials. Higher order thinking is clearly displayed during presentation.
•Student had information but was unsure of it. Superficially understands material. Low order thinking is displayed during presentation.
•Student was not sure of materials and/or lacked understanding of materials.
Read it – did not know it. Little of no thinking is displayed during presentation.

The following is the range of scores for the above mentioned criteria using the following scale.
Exceptionally well done. 100% - 80%
Fairly well done but can improve. 79% - 60%.
Need to improve – work not at an acceptable level. 50% - 0%

Rubric for Research Project – Materials
Total Points 100

Criteria for presentations

Professionally made materials
•Materials are of the highest quality and professionally made. Grammar, mechanics, layout and final product are great.
•Materials are of decent quality but not professionally made. Grammar, mechanics, layout and final product have errors but still communicate message.
•Materials are not of decent quality and are not professionally made. Grammar, mechanics, layout and final product have errors that interfere with the message of the project.

Research
•All point are reinforced with source materials
•Some points have research to reinforce them but many do not. Danger of academic dishonesty, plagiarism, or laziness.
•Few or no research to reinforce your points. Dishonest or plagiarized

Prepared
•Student came into class prepared and ready to submit their work
•Student was not totally ready – needed some class time to finalize presentation
•Could not turn in project because it was generally not ready.

The following is the range of scores for the above mentioned criteria using the following scale.
Exceptionally well done. 100% - 80%
Fairly well done but room for improvement. 79% - 60%.
Need to improve – performance not at an acceptable level. 50% - 0%