Ancient Religious
Reflections:
Sacred Places Past and Present
INTG305/CLAS245
1st Semester 2007-2008, Department of Classics, Monmouth
College
Individualized Project
Each student will pursue a semester-long project which
combines personal reflection and scholarly research
in pursuit of a comparison of personal sacred space with at least one
sacred place examined in the course. Preparation for this project must include
library research, analysis of historical evidence, and original work.
The project must also demonstrate significant use of
ancient primary sources as well as secondary, scholarly material. A prospectus
for this project is due around mid-semester. See
individualized project guidelines
for additional suggestions about choosing a topic and
completing this assignment.
The
central product of this project can take the form of a research
paper, creative writing, artwork, website or any other work which deals
with material covered in course readings or discussions.
Note: Powerpoint presentations MUST contain detailed
information in the notes area.
Some further reflections on Powerpoint
presentations:
A Powerpoint should not be considered a product in itself but rather
as a visual enhancement of the product (i.e. paper) in which you present
your project. Therefore, the Notes section for every slide will contain
substantial text. Powerpoint presentations which only present
information on the screen are generally of poor quality. Filling a
Powerpoint screen with lots of text in small fonts is distracting and
difficult to read. Powerpoint presentations in which people simply read
exactly what is on the slide is somewhat insulting to an audience which
can read for itself. Rather the Powerpoint should complement what the
speaker has to say. So, the Powerpoint, should provide illustrations and
perhaps occasional bullets which help a person understand your product
more fully.
Sources for all images used in the project must be fully cited in a list
separate from the annotated bibliography.
All central
products must be accompanied by:
1.) an
abstract of the product
(c..100-150 words). This abstract describes
and summarizes the product so that the audience can obtain a general
idea of the paper, artwork, or other product before viewing or reading
it.
2.) a project overview and self-evaluation
(c.750 words) which contains the following information::
a.) a summary of how the project was conceived and
prepared b.) the goals of the project;
c.) an explanation of how you used and analyzed sources (originality);
and d.) your evaluation of the ways your project meet the project goals
(self-assessment);
3.) an annotated bibliography of a
works consulted.
A good starting point for this bibliography is the list of websites
evaluated by the class.
(Annotations summarize the resources and explain how they were used in
the project. A typical annotation will be at least thirty words, not
including bibliographic information);
NOTE: A minimum of ten sources are required for
a B-range grade;
more are encouraged for a project worthy of an A-range grade. Course books
and website evaluated by the class can be cited in the bibliography
but only as complements to at least ten additional works. The quality of
the material consulted will significantly affect the grade. It is highly
recommended that a variety of resources be consulted, including
books, journals, and websites. Heavy reliance on a single kind of resource
(especially encyclopoedia articles) is not advised. For format of
bibliographic references, see Writing
Guidelines.
This is the
form which will be
used to evaluate your project.
This individualized project will count 25% of your final grade.
This material has been published on the web by
Prof. Tom Sienkewicz for his students at Monmouth College. If you have any
questions, you can contact him at toms@monm.edu.
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