Black Nationalism Final Project:
What does it mean to be Black in America?
For the final project you will create a multimedia presentation (combining more than one format such as text, photographs, graphics, illustrations, video, and audio) to analyze one of the themes, concepts, movements or people we studied this semester in Black Nationalism.
Preparation.
Step One. Take a moment to think about all you learned and experienced in class. Jot down your thoughts. Review your list. Put a check next to the topics you’d like to explore in more depth.
Step Two: Do a Google search of three potential topics. Consider what’s out there on the open web regarding your top interests. Does a Google Search help you narrow down your choice. Are there opinions, images, resources that increase your interest in a particular topic?
Step Three: Share your interests and ideas with members of the class. Are there others who would be willing to explore the same topic with you?
Final Project Guidelines.
You will create a multimedia presentation that analyzes the idea of Blackness as a social construct whose meaning has changed over time. Your presentation will include the following:
Thesis/ Argument/Claim:
Your presentation must answer the guiding question: What does it mean to be Black in America, past, present and future?
To support your claim, you will consider the following:
History and background information
How minds, lives, society, history, laws, policies, etc. have changed and/or remained unchanged
The ways Blackness is present in the world today
What must be learned to prepare for the future
Your research will include primary sources* and secondary sources* as well as current reactions to the guiding question . Reference sources (subject encyclopedias, dictionaries, guides) will be a great place to start your research. Use the Black Nationalism LibGuide to help you find primary, secondary and reference sources.
*primary sources are sources that come from the same time period you are studying. Some examples are newspaper articles, posters, radio programs, diaries, letters, photographs, statistics of the time, poetry, music, film, speeches. The key definition is the source was created at the time of the event, person, movement, etc you are researching.
*Secondary sources are sources that look at the event after time has passed. They provide analysis and interpretation of what occurred. They use primary sources to support their interpretation about the event, person, movement, etc. Examples of secondary sources are books, scholarly journal articles, documentaries. The main point is the source was NOT created at the time of the subject.
