EA 40 Japanese Ghosts Winter 2014
Group Final Project
DEADLINES:
GROUP PROJECT TOPIC: Send me your chosen topic by 5 p.m. on Tuesday March 4 via DROP BOX "Proposal" (click on "assignment submission") so I can organize class presentations for the following week (you need to be prepared to either go on Tuesday or Thursday). Only ONE person per group needs to do this. If you don't know how to use the drop box, click here for directions.
In your proposal submitted by drop box, please provide:
1. Names of the people in your group
2. The topic of your presentation. Give the name of your anime/manga/film/novel/short story (etc.) and a sentence or two about what you will focus on in that story. This is so I can make sure that groups are not doing exactly the same topic.
3. How you will be presenting in class. To expedite quick transitions between groups, power-point presentations on gmail or flash-drives are encouraged! If you need to use your laptop, please make sure to bring the appropriate connector. But if you will need to use the VCR or DVD player, let me know that fact so I'll be prepared.
IN-CLASS PRESENTATIONS WEEK 10: Tuesday March 11 or Thursday March 13: Presentation Schedule
GROUP PROJECT WRITE-UP PAPER DUE WEEK 10: 3-5 page paper (it can be longer, but at least 3 full pages) due by drop box March 14 at 5:00 p.m. (only ONE person needs to upload per group). You may also upload your PPT presentation here (highly recommended).
At the top of the first page of your write-up please include:
1. Names of members of your group
2. Name of the topic you are analyzing (i.e. name of the anime/manga/film/short story etc.)
EVALUATION: 20% of your grade. 10% class presentation, 10% paper, averaged.
Evaluation Criteria:
Presentation: good organization, clear presentation of material, technology used well, well-focused (doesn't simply summarize the plot), finishes in 5 minutes, and EMPLOYS CRITICAL AND HISTORICAL ANALYSIS to support points.
Paper: good organization, clear presentation of material, well-focused (doesn't simply summarize the plot), EMPLOYS CRITICAL AND HISTORICAL ANALYSIS, and provides additional conrete details to support your argument, includes citations/bibliography
METHODOLOGY
1. Find at least 2 other people to form your group (3 people is ideal, no more than 4). I will provide some time to do this in class. If you still haven't found group members by the end of the 6th week, let me know and I'll try to find you a group.
2. Choose a story dealing with the supernatural, preferably the supernatural in Japan or Asia. It should have been written in the modern or contemporary period (late 19th c. to the present), but the story can be set in any period (Heian, Medieval, Edo, Modern). It can be in any media: literature (short story, novel), drama, anime/animation, live-action movie or television, manga/graphic novel.
3. Ideally you will write the paper first, and then create your presentation from that! The following methodology assumes you will do this....
4. It is probably best to choose one character or one aspect of the story to analyze since you only have 5 MINUTES to present. Both your class presentation and your written paper should focus on the critical analysis questions we use in class (author, audience, goals, genre, historical context, etc.). For example, what new cultural anxieties is the story addressing? How might a new medium (anime or live-action film) be affecting the visual representation? Why does the ghost appear -- what is its motive? And how does this compare to earlier motives? How is the ghost pacified (or not)? Again, how does this compare to earlier ghosts?
If it is a new use of an earlier form (ghost, demon, fox or other animal etc.) or story (Michizane, Rokujo, warrior ghosts etc.) discuss how the use and visual representation has changed (or not changed) to meet the contemporary context. (You can model this on my lecture on the changes in the Rokujo story as presented in Tale of Genji and Aoi no Ue.). DO NOT SIMPLY DO A COMPARE AND CONTRAST OF VISUAL SIMILARITIES.
If it is a completely new form of the supernatural, how do you think it relates to earlier forms studied in class?
5. Answer the above questions in your 3-5 page paper (type-written, double spaced). Here you should be able to provide more concrete details to support your critical and historical analysis.
Please remember that if you use outside sources, YOU NEED TO CITE YOUR SOURCES. It's okay to use/cite Wikipedia and other internet sources, but please remember that the internet tends to be completely ahistorical and this class is all about historicity!
6. Create a 5 minute presentation for the class (including some visuals). Provide a short clip, images, etc. to illustrate your story. Present to the class the main (or most interesting) points of your analysis.
As noted above, a power-point presentation (with images or imbedded video) on a flash drive or easily downloadable from gmail is highly encouraged!