collaborative project guidelines

What lessons have we learned from the historical travel writings and para-literary works of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries? How do they shape not only our view of this very modern city but also the way we communicate about travel?

The Project:
This collaborative, multi-modal project comprises a bulk of the work students will do during their stay in London. Its overall aim allows students to express their vision of the city using techniques employed by those authors we've read. Within small groups, students will create their own "modern ambulator" or "new microcosm" recording their experiences in London.

As you wander the city, whether in official field trips or on your own, make observations, take photos, and record notes. The content here is largely up to you, within the following parameters.

• cover at least 2 London neighborhoods (see list)
• select at least three of the following broad categories:
• history
• theatre
• the arts
• transportation
• the economy
• entertainment
• parks
• food
• sport
• social structure

Along with experiential elements of the travelogue, the project should include and properly cite necessary contextual research to support its claims. In other words, it should possess an clear aim (thesis) and structure rather than appear as simply a flurry of images. Please be sure to record sources in MLA formatting.

Requirements:
Component parts for this project include the following three elements, as described below:

• multi-modal presentation (10 points)
• written component/preface of travelogue (10 points)
• peer and self-evaluation (2 @ 2.5 = 5 points) ** bonus

I recommend prezi or google presentation (not powerpoint) for the multi-modal presentation, which will be delivered to the class on the last day of class, 29 July. Presentations should be at least 15 minutes in length, include the voices of each of the members of the group, and encourage questions at the end.

While the bulk of the travelogue will be visual, students will also prepare a collaboratively written preface to the travelogue, also due on 29 July at class time. This document will be submitted on turnitin.com. The preface should be at least 750 words and should offer insight into the visual argument that accompanies it. It should also speak critically (albeit briefly) to the models of travel literature we studied in the course that most influenced this project.

The peer evaluations will be recorded in two parts: one, an in-class review (2.5 points) to assess the presentation as it is delivered, the other a self-evaluation by the members of each group (2.5 points), wherein peers indicate their own contributions to the project. The latter will be available on google as a survey.