leadership+project+assignment

COMM 111 Leadership Project – 300 points total (5-7 page paper, 20 minute presentation)

The bulk of the course is organized into three crises of citizenship, each of which we will cover for about three weeks. The last week of the crisis is reserved for leadership projects where students present arguments related to that crisis. Students will select a date for which they will be responsible for distributing a //position paper// and then //teaching the class your argument and leading class discussion//. Use the readings as a __springboard__ to generate your thoughts about the topic. This is an opportunity for you to be creative. The position paper, a **5-7 page (with at least 4 expert sources)** paper that uses the readings in the controversy to make //any relevant argument you would like//, should be uploaded to Oaks **by 2pm the day before class** so that the class has a chance to read your work. (Since the rest of the class needs to read your paper to complete their peer review assignment, the **2pm deadline is firm**.) Ultimately, these papers should feature a __single, overall argument and use credible evidence to back it up__. //This is not a paper where you summarize a reading or detail a historical event//. Although you should make connections between your ideas and those in the readings, //this is not an assignment where you are expected to regurgitate points made in the readings.// Put simply, you have total freedom to make any argument relevant to the reading, but you must make it clear and support it thoroughly and carefully. I am, of course, happy to meet and discuss possible topics.

Use Graff and Birkenstein’s advice from //They Say/I Say// to help formulate and structure your paper. You can respond to the controversy, or to a single reading, by 1. Agreeing with a difference or 2. Disagreeing and explaining why or 3. Agreeing and disagreeing simultaneously. Here are a few specific ways you might write a paper using the course readings relevant to that citizenship crisis. These are just suggestions, not limitations:
 * 1) Agree with one of the authors but update his/her views to our current context or apply his/her views to an area not discussed in the reading.
 * 2) Disagree with any important aspect of the reading and explain why.
 * 3) Build your own theory or explanation related to that particular crisis in citizenship.
 * 4) Exploring the importance of a historical period or theory briefly discussed in the readings more fully.

You will then teach your argument to the class and lead discussion about the concepts you are exploring for **20 minutes** followed by a few minutes for questions. This is an opportunity to show the public speaking and organizational skills (thesis and main points) you worked on last semester. Class leaders are expected to have a **visual aid** (on PowerPoint, or Prezi, or a different visual aid software). Class leaders are welcomed to display questions, lead an organized discussion, organize short activities, show __brief__ clips, distribute handouts, etc. so long as each is clearly related to the argument you are making. You are free to organize this period of time as you see fit; just don’t lose sight of your overall thesis or the structure of your argument during your presentation. (One disclaimer: Don’t overload your presentation with video clips; make sure any clips you show are short, relevant, and pre-loaded to avoid technical difficulties. In short, __scrutinize__ whether any clip really belongs in your presentation. __Yours should be the dominant voice in the presentation__.) Also, if you rely on discussion questions, make sure to prime the audience. Asking the audience a broad question is often not enough to get a response. Get them interested in your particular question, and transition effectively between questions to keep momentum going while moving on to explore new topics. Finally, this is an extemporaneous speech in which you will hopefully engage and interact with your audience while teaching your overall argument. __Do not read a speech to the audience.__ **Due: a sign-up sheet for leadership projects will be distributed early in the semester.**