You will form a group with no more than four members.  As a group, select one of the above contemporary world writers (all of whom have been recognized with either a national book award, the Pulitzer Prize in Literature, or have been named  Nobel Prize Laureates in Literature).  In observance of this semester’s world literature focus, most of the above novels have either been written about--or by a person from--a culture other than the United States or Great Britain.  A few of the novels (those written by Toni Morrison, Jeffrey Eugenides, Ann Patchettand Barbara Kingsolver, for example), are written by American authors but in response to the experiences of those from another culture.  It is recommended that you do a bit of research before you settle on your author;  once your group has told me what novel you will be studying for the independent reading project, you may not change. Only one group per author, please. 

Be sure that you do your advance research and that you are aware of the subject matter of the novel choices; you should choose a novel that will hold your interest and that your parents will not have a problem with.

The following are the components of the project.  Decide who in your group will be responsible for each task.  Please keep in mind that each group member is responsible for a separate assignment,  and although the largest portion of your project grade is for the group’s finished product, each group member will also receive a separate grade on the task for which they were exclusively responsible. 

The group’s finished project will consist of a 20-minute presentation that includes all of the following work.  The presentation must be video-taped (perhaps a difficulty for some, but keep in mind you have the whole semester to produce a single 20-minute video).  If necessary, I can lend a video camera to a group that cannot get hold of one.  Please remember, however, that there are 10 groups and only one camera available to borrow. 

The finished presentation video must be saved to a DVD, CD or removable hard drive (ipod or jump drive), and the medium must be checked for classroom compatibility prior to the date of presentation. 

Please note that at no time will any member of your group attempt to present a summary of the novel’s plots or characters.  Such a summary is always hideously boring for the class to sit through and a futile effort; you cannot present a comprehensive, understandable and meaningful summary of a novel in 20 minutes.  Instead, your job will be to present a complete exploration of the theme of the work, which you can do in a way that is meaningful and interesting to your classmates.  Remember, however, that I have read every one of the above novels, and I know the plots of each, so do not attempt to take shortcuts to actually reading the novel and producing your own analysis.

Task One:  Project Leader.  The project leader is responsible for noting the group’s progress in reading the novel, reporting to me any problems or concerns throughout the course of the semester, and, perhaps most importantly, coordinating the group presentation.  The project leader will be responsible for organizing the handout materials, gathering the materials produced by each group member into one single presentation on DVD, CD, or removable hard drive (ipod or jump drive), and testing the medium of presentation to make sure it works prior to the date of presentation.  Please note that all of the video taped tasks to follow must be consolidated into one video prior to presentation.

Task Two:  Art Analyst.  The art analyst will be responsible for finding the novel’s theme in at least three works of art from different forms, structures or genres (for example, music, film, painting, sculpture, photography, or poetry).  You must choose works from a well-known artist.  The art analyst will present each work of art to the class, explicate it (discuss the theme, technique(s), materials used, symbolism, influences, visual impact, etc.), and connect it to the theme of your group’s novel.  10 minutes max.

Task Three:  Pop Culture Analyst.  The pop culture analyst will draw connections between the novel’s presentation of theme and the phenomena of popular culture.  Specifically, look for the theme in world events, news stories, television shows, etc.  Explore how the theme might be presented differently than in the novel.  It is very important that you lead up to some analysis of popular culture or the contemporary state of human affairs.  This, in other words, is where you make it apparent that the novel has relevance in today’s world. 10 minutes max.

Task Four: Man-on-the-street Interviewer.  The interviewer is responsible for, essentially, using the novel’s statement of theme as a guide to devising a series of questions that they will ask individuals (not their own group members) in a man-on-the-street interview.  The purpose is to explore contemporary individual attitudes regarding the novel’s theme.  10 minutes max.

Consider the following:

·         Never videotape someone without their permission or without explaining to them the nature of your project

·         Although it is more difficult (but often more interesting and revealing), it is better to interview complete strangers who are not teachers or students on this           

          campus

·         Although the interviews can (and are more entertaining when they are) humorous, make sure they are appropriate for class viewing.

·         Conduct enough interviews so that you might be picky about which ones actually make it on to your video.  They should be the most interesting interviews.

Please Note: You have all semester, but don’t procrastinate!  Give yourself enough time to do the project justice and to consolidate the various tasks of your project onto one video.  Remember that a group member who does not follow through with his or her task affects the grades of all group members even though he or she will suffer the greatest penalty to their own grade.

The independent reading project is worth a total of 225 points (150 points for the overall group’s product and 75 points for the individual task specific to each member).

Presentations  will take place over the course of approximately two weeks (January 8-19, 2007)