Group Project:  Japan and its Arts

Group Assignments/Responsibilities

First:  Review each of the areas pertaining to Japanese art and culture listed below.

Second:  Decide which of the areas your group would like to learn more about.

Third:  Sign up for one of the areas AS A GROUP (this means you will have to come to agreement)

Fourth:  Devise a plan for completing your work:
 
                (a) Using the worksheet provided, assign tasks to be completed by each student in the group
                (b) Exchange contact info between your group members--while some time in class will be provided (class periods on April 19 and 20 will be devoted entirely to this                       project), the majority of this work will be accomplished outside class. There is a place for contact info on the worksheet, and the instructor will provide a copy of                       these to each member of the group, so that everyone has the plan, including due dates.

Fifth: Begin work immediately! All presentations will be on May 11, 2011


Areas from which to Choose:

(1)  Culture and History:        

        Natural Environment of Japan
        Sacred stories/secular stories
        Traditional Ways of Life/Beliefs/World View
        Religious Traditions
     
(2)  Art and Architecture of  Buddhism/Zen    

(3)  Traditional media (you may choose any two areas of focus:  ceramics, textiles, lacquer ware, painted scrolls)Emakimono (painted horizontal scrolls)  

(4)  Art of the Edo Period:  Ukiyo-e  

(5)  Recent/Contemporary Art (including Manga and Anime BUT YOU CANNOT LIMIT YOUR WORK ONLY TO THESE)

(6)  Graphic Design  


EACH GROUP MUST COMPLETE/PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING FOR  THE AREA THEY SELECT:


    Web Resources:  (At least five)  I will evaluate the quality of your sources based on the following criteria, so I will expect you to provide me IN WRITING an assessment of each site based on these criteria: How reliable is the source--i.e. who sponsors the site?  Is the site maintained and the information current?  What types of information does the site supply? Why was that useful to your particular research? Are there good images available on this site?   Why did you choose this site? A hard copy of this information should be submitted to me by April 3 and a copy should be provided to each group member. You must cite your sources using a standard format. If you are unsure as to how to do this, see the following two guides that help you with the MLA style sheet: MLA Handbook OR the Purdue Online Writing Lab. Another commonly used guide/style sheet is the Chicago Manual Style. Either of these is acceptable to me.

    Print Resources:  (At least five)  Your sources MUST include at least one source published within the last five years and one journal article You must provide FULL citations for each source (this means the author(s), title, where it was published, publisher, date, and if it is an article the page numbers and information for the journal (volume, number, etc.).  I will evaluate the quality of your sources based on the following criteria, so I will expect you to provide me IN WRITING an assessment of each source based on these criteria:   Sources should be as varied as possible--what does each source offer that is unique?   How reliable is the source--who wrote it and what are their qualifications?  What types of information does the source provide?   Does it have good quality illustrations? What is the call number of the book?  Why did  you choose this source? A hard copy of this information should be submitted to me by April 3 and a copy should be provided to each group member. You must cite your sources using a standard format. If you are unsure as to how to do this, see the following two guides that help you with the MLA style sheet: MLA Handbook OR the Purdue Online Writing Lab. Another commonly used guide/style sheet is the Chicago Manual Style. Either of these is acceptable to me.


    Assigned Reading:  Select one fairly short reading (no longer than 10  pages) that you feel would give fellow students a good overview of your topic and/or that provides detailed information on one aspect of your topic. (this may be a web article or print article, or it may be an excerpt from a longer book) Tell me IN WRITING why this source was selected for students to read (see the criteria under web and print resources) A hard copy of this information should be submitted to me by April 26 and a copy should be provided to each group member.

    Web Assignment:  Devise a web assignment that you think would be interesting for students and would help them learn about the area you are studying. You have five examples of web assignments from our course (you have completed one, or will be completing one). Write a description of this web assignment, explaining what you hope students will learn through this assignment about your group's chosen area. You must include the URL of all websites used in the assignment. This assignment must be original. A hard copy of this assignment should be submitted to me by April 26. Include this description of the assignment at the end of your powerpoint presentation.

    15 Minute Power Point Presentation of  Your Topic  Area with Images:  This should give your fellow students in class a basic overview of your area.  You can incorporate storytelling, performance, music, or an activity into your presentation if you would like.  Check with me if in doubt about what you have planned.  If you need images from books or journal articles scanned for your presentation, mark them with post-it notes and bring into me at least a week in advance of your presentation (also bring a CD to which we can burn your images). Your presentation should be burned to a CD and this CD should be clearly marked with your group's name and all the participating students' names, as well as the area about which you are presenting. Your presentation must cite the resources used in your presentation (cite the resources for each slide) and you must have used print sources, as well as web resources. This CD is due April 26.

    Each individual student will be required to submit a written account (typed) of the work they completed for this group project by the due date of the presentation. Your assignment grade is based primarily on your individual work on the project.

NOTE:   ANY PLAIGIARISM WILL RESULT IN A GRADE OF "0' FOR THE STUDENT RESPONSIBLE. If any student can not complete their assigned task on-time, they must contact EACH member of the group AND the instructor to let them know there is a problem and how soon the task will be completed. Lateness will affect that student's grade. When a student supplies information to the group, they must also provide the instructor a copy of that information at the same time.