The goals of this project are:
- to work as a group
- to learn about activism
- to become more aware of community resources
- to imagine engaging in social change
Although you will be given some class-time to meet as a group, you will also need to meet outside of class, especially when you begin to work on the final essay and the class presentation. It is each group member's responsibility to complete their task, collaborate with the group and contribute their fair share to the project.
Week 1: March 6
Each group will be assigned a scenario and a list of questions. Each member of the group is to take one question and investigate it. By investigate we mean any or all of the following:
- interview a resource person
- consult local agencies for information
- identify materials in the library or on the web
- Begin brainstorming as a group to identity possible resources for everyone involved.
Week 2: March 13
Each member of the group will report his or her findings to the other members in the group. This means answering your question in a 1-2 page paper for distribution in section to others in the group and to the GSI. Include the steps you took, what information you gathered, how you gathered it, what difficulties you encountered. Once you have put the sections together, decide what gaps still exist. Is there material you were unable to find or a piece of the question you still are unable to answer? Discuss as a group how to address the unresolved issues.
Week 3: March 20
Begin to compile your findings in the form of an editorial for the Michigan Daily (5 pages). Find a way to call attention to the issue so that it arouses both interest and concern on the part of your potential readers. This means not just collating your five individual answers, but synthesizing what you have learned. The editorial should include the following:
- why is the problem of your scenario a feminist issue?
- how is the problem currently being addressed either on a local, national, or international level?
- what is lacking in terms of resources?
- what additional measures should be taken?
The essay should also include a list of three references providing further information on the topic. Each citation should be followed by a 2-3 sentence description of the source's content.
Finally, your group should determine how to present your findings to the rest of the section in a 15 minute presentation. Since you can't describe everything you did and learned, decide what you think is most important to share with the class in the alloted time and distribute the tasks so that all group members participate more or less equally.
Grading: Each project will be given a group grade.
Essay due in section the week of March 27