| AMST2103
Intro. To American Studies
Prof. Takacs
Fall 2003
Collaborative
Web Project Assignment: Global Oklahoma
Instructions
| Requirements | Style | Grading
Criteria | Due Dates | Topic
Ideas
General
Instructions:
In
groups of 2-3 you will work collaboratively to help explain how global
relations impact the local context of Oklahoma. You will do this by
identifying and studying one tangible way in which the processes of
globalization, specifically economic globalization, touch our lives
in Oklahoma. Together with your partner(s), you will produce a web page
that addresses this global connection and its impact on local social
relations. Specifically, your web page will explain the nature of the
global connection and then consider how it requires Oklahomans and/or
Americans to reconceptualize their sense of themselves as a people (i.e.
their identity). YOU MUST INCORPORATE REFERENCES TO AT LEAST THREE SECONDARY
SOURCES DEALING WITH YOUR TOPIC IN THE TEXT THAT COMPRISES THE BODY
OF THE WEB PAGE. That is, you must quote, summarize, or paraphrase these
sources to lend authority to your claims about the impact of globalization
on Oklahoma. You may use any of the secondary sources we have discussed
in this unit (LaFeber, Friedman, Klein) to help with this, or you may
use newspaper or magazine articles, web pages, or scholarly essays that
you find on your own. YOU MUST SUBMIT A RESEARCH PLAN AND ANNOTATED
BIBLIOGRAPHY IDENTIFYING YOUR SECONDARY SOURCES BY NOV. 25 (see instructions
for this on the last page).
Requirements:
The
web page must include a title that identifies the objective, theme,
or angle of the page, approximately 1000 words of text (the equivalent
of 4 double-spaced pages) that expounds on this topic or theme, and
multimedia elements that enhance and expand the analysis (hyperlinks
to other sites of information on the internet; images, graphics, sounds,
etc. that illustrate or comment upon the issues that are the focus of
the page, and so on). In addition, to the main content, each page must
include a bibliography that identifies the source of all information,
images, sounds, etc. This bibliography MUST conform to the Modern Language
Association’s style for formatting citations (see the handout
on “MLA Hints” inside the “Web Project” folder
in the “Assignments” section of Blackboard for instructions
on how to use MLA format). Finally, the page must list your names as
authors of the project.
Web
pages should be submitted on a CD-Rom. The file should be saved under
the name of your specific subtopic (“immigration.html,”
for example, not “globalization.html”).
A
Word About Style:
Remember
that your goal is to communicate information and design your web page
accordingly. Avoid garish colors or overly ornate font styles. You will
be penalized if your web page hurts the viewers’ eyes or otherwise
impedes communication. Ultimately, however, I am grading the content
of the web page more than its design. Pretty pages that say nothing
will fail; less-pretty pages that say interesting and important things
will pass. “A” quality pages will incorporate form and content
to produce a consistent message.
Grading: Your work will be graded collaboratively; that is, you and
your partner(s) will receive the same grade on the assignment, so each
of you will be responsible for policing each other and keeping each
other on task. The research plan and annotated bibliography will count
for 50 points; the web page will count for 150 points. Together this
assignment comprises 20% (200 points) of your course grade.
Web
pages will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- The
clarity and importance of the topic selected
- The
clarity, concision, and coherence of the analysis of the issue
- Is
it clear what the topic is?
- Is
there a claim made about the meaning of this global phenomenon and
its impact on how Oklahomans/Americans imagine their identity?
- Is
the rationale for studying this phenomenon clear (i.e. is it clear
why your audience should care or what they will learn)
- Is
the content of the Page organized logically and coherently?
- Does
it provide a thought-provoking and far-reaching analysis of the
topic? Are ideas fully developed and supported by primary (images,
sounds, etc.) and secondary (scholarly or analytical) source materials?
- Is
the meaning and import of all evidence explained sufficiently?
- The
clarity and contribution of the design elements
- Does
the design contribute to rather than distract from the ideas on
the page?
- Is
there a nice balance between the use of text and images, graphics,
sounds, etc.?
- Are
all ideas easily accessible within the organization of the page?
Are tables, lists, or frames used to help organize data where appropriate?
- Are
font sizes, styles, and colors varied only to indicate importance
or a shift in focus (i.e. not gratuitously)?
- Are
annoying design elements, like garish colors, overly ornate and
unreadable font styles, and distracting graphics or sounds, kept
to a minimum?
As
this is a collaborative project, you will each receive the same grade
on it. Therefore, it behooves you to review each other's work constantly.
If there are problems within the group dynamic that you feel I should
be aware of, please email me (takacs@okstate.edu) with the details
or come to see me during my office hours in advance of the submission
deadlines so that I may intervene appropriately.
Due
Dates:
- Nov.
25 Research Plan and Annotated Bibliography (50 points)
- Dec.
4 Web Page on CD-Rom (150 points)
We
will use class time on Dec. 4 to present the web pages to each other;
you will be expected to articulate an explanation of the “gist”
of the project as you show it, but this presentation will be very informal
and ungraded. There should be no need for lengthy preparation or anxiety.
This should be fun!
All
instructions are available in the Assignments folder of Blackboard in
case you lose your assignment sheet.
Topic
Ideas:
To
give you a clearer idea of what’s appropriate for this assignment,
here is a selection of possible topics. You are encouraged to identify
your own topic related to globalization and its impact on Oklahoma;
these should be used only if you can’t think of one yourself.
In general, the more specific and narrow your focus the better, so I
would select a particular example (a business, group or person), in
each case, to focus the discussion on.
- Trace
the production process your Nike shoes or Levi jeans followed and
consider what that means for the “made in America” notion
of production. In what sense are these “American” products
or “American” companies? Are such descriptions meaningful
anymore and where does that leave local producers and consumers?
-
Consider what the globalization of culture has meant for local cultural
producers. For example, how does the global size and structure of
McDonald’s impact Oklahoma’s local burger joints? How
does the formation of global media corporations alter the local media
or impact local cultural producers (musicians, for example)?
- How
has the formation of the “World Wide Web” impacted local
cultural production and dissemination? For example, how has the existence
of file-sharing sites, like Napster or Kazaa, enabled musicians to
reach a broader audience? How have local businesses, political organizations,
and regular individuals used the internet to connect to a broader
world (I’d focus on a specific example)?
- Discuss
how the Port of Catoosa fits into global trade and what that means
for Oklahomans. How important is the Port to local business and culture?
How has its presence change the way Oklahomans represent themselves
to the world?
- Examine
the causes and effects of Hispanic immigration in Tulsa or OKC. How
is this connected to processes of globalization and what does it mean
for the identity of these communities?
-
Examine the impact of NAFTA on corporate expansion or corporate downsizing
in Oklahoma. How has global trade impacted Oklahoma businesses and
what does this mean for the state’s identity?
- Examine
the impact of global financial relations on corporate expansion or
downsizing in OK. For instance, why did WorldCom and Williams suddenly
experience financial crisis after years of good times? What has this
crisis meant for the identity of Tulsa, in particular, as a city?
- How
has the growth of global financial trading been reflected in the growth
of local Casino culture, specifically under the jurisdiction of local
Indian tribes?
- How
has the growth of interest in global financial trading (speculating
on the stock market, investing in Mutual funds, building an investment
portfolio, etc.) altered individuals’ attitudes toward money,
work, and their local communities? For example, you could examine
the recent debate in Tulsa over the one cent sales tax for economic
development (Vision 2025)—why did detractors not support the
measure though it would improve local community conditions? Why, in
particular, did they reject the portion of the sales tax that would
be earmarked for corporate investment in American Airlines and Boeing?
- Consider
the impact of human rights discourse on local politics. For example,
how has a human rights narrative been mobilized by local Indian tribes
to stake claims for resources and to define their identity? How has
it been used by local Hispanic communities?
- Trace
the historical roots of Oklahoma’s populations. Where did we
come from and how does this challenge assumptions about our identity
as a homogeneous and relatively static (unchanging) community? How
has the integration of the globe made relocation to or from Oklahoma
easier and what does this mean for the state’s identity?
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