August 28th 2009
1. Special Study Projects will be presented during the class sessions on December 1 and 3. We'll agree an order of presentation on November 24. Each student must submit a short personal report (approx. 500 words) on his/her participation in the project on the day the project is presented: this should be a narrative of what you did and why, how effective or not the work was. It isn't a summary of the project itself, but a report on how your contribution to the project worked out.
2. Your grade for the project (15%) will be the mean of (a) the grade for the project as a whole, and (b) your individual report.
3. Projects will be carried out collaboratively by groups of 3-5 students (4 is ideal). They should involve one or more Gothic fictions from the period prior to 1830 not previously studied in class, but otherwise any approach or topic should be acceptable. Ask me if in doubt.
4. Projects can be presented as posters, powerpoint presentations, web sites, dramatic performances, or any other form that you can make work for you. This is also an opportunity to make use of visual materials. The presentation is not an essay, so don't overdo the amount of text. Short, pithy statements, headings, pictures, diagrams, etc., will be more effective than long paragraphs.
5. The project is an exercise in collaboration, and this should be reflected in the form of your presentation. Four individual reports, for instance, will not be as effective as an overview and a good orchestration of contributing perspectives. In fact, there's no necessity for all students in a group to speak, unless this forms a part of your overall plan.
6. A good strategy to focus your work might be to produce an abstract of your presentation in about 200-300 words by or before November 24. I'll put this on the course web site if you have it available by then.
7. Remember that time for presentation is limited: try to time your production so that you can put across your main points in about 20 minutes. This will leave time for viewing your poster (if you have one) and for class discussion.
8. My grade for the project will reflect both the content and the form of the presentation.
9. For examples of previous project work, see:
Miall, "The Resistance of Reading," Romanticism On the Net (1999). See last section "Mont Blanc."
Romanticism course projects (1997), includes Mont Blanc and other projects, with students' reports
Document prepared November 21st 2000 / Updated August 28th 2009