Option One: Multimedia Exhibit

Using at least two media - written text, visual images, sound, video, sculpture - create an exhibit about work in Youngstown for a general audience, someone who hasn't been in this class and may not know much about Youngstown. You may imagine your exhibit as a contribution to the growing website about Youngstown on the Center for Working-Class Studies site, and I will add the best of these exhibits to that collection. You may also simply create your exhibit to stand alone. In either case, your audience is people who know little about Youngstown and haven't thought much about the issues in this course, but who are interested enough to look at what you've done. You'll need to provide some context for them and be sure that your exhibit communicates the main ideas you want to convey. Along with the exhibit, turn in a 1-page commentary, telling me what you hoped to accomplish in your exhibit, why you did it the way you did.

Option Two: Dream a little

Last week, when we were talking about the problems of Youngstown, Marcus raised a very good question: what can we do about it? I think that's worth pursuing. If you choose this option, write a proposal to some specific public group - the city council, the regional development authority, the members of ACTION, the Board of Trustees of YSU, or some other group - offering one concrete suggestion to improve the quality of life and work in the Youngstown area. As with any proposal of this kind, your paper should include an explanation of the problem that you hope to solve, a description of your idea, and a discussion of how that idea would help solve the problem. 

Due dates and other schedule notes:

Next week, we'll spend time talking about the exhibit that is already on-line, and we'll look at some other examples of multimedia representations of Youngstown.

By April 24, you should decide which of these options you're going to pursue. In class that day, we'll divide into two groups to work on these. I will spend some time talking with each group, going over the issues and some formatting and process notes to help you prepare.

On April 26, we have a computer lab reserved, and I will work in the lab individually with you on these projects. Also on that day, I will arrange for a colleague to conduct an interview with some of you about this course, as part of my on-going research project. You may choose whether to participate in that interview, which you would do instead of working in the lab on your projects.

On May 1, you should bring a draft of your project to class, with 3 extra copies (1 for me plus 3 more). We'll spend some time that day and on Thursday of that week working in small groups to look for ways of improving these projects.

Final projects are due May 8, in my box, in my office, or posted to your own website on-line (send me an e-mail with the URL), by 3 pm.

Grading Criteria:

• Does your final project demonstrate your creative, critical thinking about work in Youngstown?
• Does your project demonstrate your understanding of the central ideas of the course, especially the relationship between representations, history, work, and social relations?
• Would your project communicate effectively with your intended audience? Is it professional and clear, but also interesting and persuasive?