Group Projects
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Students are required to participate in one Group Project which will include a classroom presentation and a document to be turned in to the instructor. Students may choose to participate in either an Historic Food Project or an Historic Music Project.

Projects must be on topics relevant to U.S. history between 1774 and 1974.

Group Projects will be presented in class November 17-20

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Requirements


1. Historic Food Project

Each group choosing to do the Historic Food Project will prepare a small booklet of recipes drawn from online historic cookbook and cooking sites, published histories about cooking in America, and/or from your own family recipe boxes. Each group will also prepare a few food samples for the class to taste.

The recipe booklets should include a minimum of 8 recipes and no more than 20. Booklets must have:

* A title page giving the title of the project and listing the names of all participating group members.

* A statement (approximately 1,000 words) about the historic context for the recipes.

* A bibliography of 5 references, including at least 1 print source.

Each group may choose to focus on food during a particular time period or examine how a specific food or recipe has changed over time. Or you could focus on the foods that a particular immigrant group introduced to America or foods popular in a particular region.

Click here for some suggestions on food topics and how to do research for an Historic Food Group Project.

During class on the scheduled due date, the Historic Food Groups will briefly describe their projects to the class and offer a few tasting samples. You do not need to provide samples of every recipe. For the classroom presentation Groups may choose to prepare an automated slide show using presentation software such as PowerPoint, Keynote, or QuickTime, but this is not required.

Presentations should be approximately 15 minutes in length. Be creative and have fun.


2. Historic Music Project

Each group choosing to do the Historic Music Project will assemble a CD of historic music and place it in a jewel case with cover art and liner notes.

The CD should include a minimum of 8 songs and no more than 20. The jewel case must have:

* A title page giving the title of the project and listing the names of all participating group members.

*Liner notes with a statement (approximately 1,000 words) about the historic context of the music and a list of all the song titles, performer(s) and date(s) of performance.

*A bibliography of 5 references, including at least 1 print source.

Each group can choose to focus on a particular genre of music and/or a particular time period up to 1974. Or the group could focus on music relevant to a specific event, for example, music of the Civil War.

Click here for some suggestions on music topics and how to do research for an Historic Music Group Project.

Click here for a template to layout a jewel case CD booklet in Microsoft Word.

During class on the scheduled due date, the Historic Music Group will present their project to the class. Groups may choose to have a single member serve as a “DJ” to play and discuss the music. Or groups could prepare an automated slide show using presentation software such as PowerPoint, Keynote, or QuickTime.

Presentations should be approximately 15 minutes in length. Be creative and have fun.

Grading


The Group Project is worth 12.5% (125 pts) of the course grade. Group Project grades will be based on:

1. The instructor’s evaluation of the recipe booklet or CD with booklet and the classroom presentation (100 pts)

2. Student evaluation of the classroom presentation (25 pts)


Click here to read the Grading Rubrics for the Group Projects

Instructions


STEP ONE: In class on September 24 or 25, students will choose whether they want to participate in a music or food project. The instructor will divide the class into groups. Groups will meet for a few minutes during class to exchange telephone numbers and e-mail addresses.

STEP TWO: On Wednesday, October 15, students will meet individually with the instructor to discuss progress on their group projects. Following this meeting students will submit via e-mail Group Project Progress Report #1. Click here to download the Progress Report #1 Form.

STEP THREE: Groups will meet on their own time to develop a plan for their projects and divide up the workload. Groups may meet as often as they feel necessary to accomplish the task.

STEP FOUR: By Monday, November 10, all students will submit Group Project Progress Report #2 to the instructor via e-mail. Click here to download the Progress Report #2 Form.

STEP FIVE: Groups will present their projects to the class and submit their booklets and cds to the instructor during the week of November 17-20.

Schedule


Groups formed: September 24-25
Group Meetings: arranged by students on their own time

Progress Report #1 DUE: Wednesday, October 15
Progress Report #2 DUE: Friday, November 7
Presentations DUE: November 17-20