Assignments

Turnitin Information
Class ID: 2173939
PW: technorom
 
Reading Responses & Reflective Blogs
Over the semester, you will produce various types of weekly response: some prepared outside of class and others prepared in class. For Reading Responses, you will produce a 1-2 page response (a minimum of 300 words) to the assigned reading for that week. These will be used to stimulate your thoughts on the texts and to serve as ideas for your essays. Because these Reading Responses pertain to that week�s readings and are not useful after the discussion has been completed, late Reading Responses will not be accepted. For the first few Reading Responses, bring a printed copy to class. After we have set up our online Google space, post your Reading Responses to the appropriate Group Forum by 3pm.

Every two weeks, we will work on our Digital Projects in a computer lab. At the conclusion of that Digital Session, you will write a 300-word blog entry that will act as a journal of your experiences. Questions will direct this writing.

Each Reading Response and Reflective Blog is worth 8 points (total of 13). Students who write nothing or who write frivolously will not receive credit for the exercise.

 

Oral Presentation on The Last Man
 Instructions (pdf)
Schedule of Presentations (pdf)

For this Presentation, each student will research the production, illustrations, reviews, etc. of The Last Man and present those findings on an assigned day as well as lead a discussion. See detailed instructions above.
 

Digital Project Overview, Assignments
 Digital Project Overview: General Instructions (pdf)
See below for Final Project Instructions

 Because this course is premised on producing a (Post) Postmodern edition of Mary Shelley�s Frankenstein, each student will be responsible for annotating 1-2 chapters of the 1818 text. Traditional editing of this type requires much collaboration, editing and researching. We�ll do all of this; however, we�ll perform this in a digital environment. We will spend multiple days in a computer lab working on this Digital Project and learning Google Docs, our online platform. Each Digital Session is preceded by discussion days as well as nine mini-essays/assignments spread throughout the semester.  As instructions are distributed for each assignment, they will be added here and in the online Schedule.

Detailed instructions will be provided at a later date. Essay lengths range from 300 to 1000 words and will receive up to 11 points each. After submitting the essay for comments, you will integrate the assignment into your Digital Project. My comments are intended to help you revise the mini-essays for the final submission. The assignments that are written essays will be submitted to Turnitin.com for verification.
 

1. Timeline: Literary Historical Research (Due 2/7)
Instructions, Library List, Special Collections List & Student Years (pdf)
View the web version of Timeline

This assignment requires students to amass information about his/her four years during 1780-1840 � our long version of the Romantic Era. Students will use various types of resources to complete a timeline. On the due date, each student will add his/her findings to a single, collaborative timeline. In addition, each student will submit an electronic version of his/her individual timeline for assessment. My comments will be returned and intended to help students continue to add further to this timeline. Because we will collaborate on this timeline throughout the semester, students will be able to add to any section. Students will also be able to link from their chapters to this timeline for any relevant references.

2. Delicious Links Essay (Due 2/21)
Instructions (pdf)
View the web version of this list of Online Resources

Students will create a list of favorite URLs that address particular themes of the class, including, sublime, landscape, monsters, science, technology, etc. Each resource will be assessed in 20-50 words. We will create a collaborative document in Google Docs.

3. Explication of a Poem (Due 3/6)
Instructions (pdf)

A poetry explication is a relatively short analysis which describes the possible meanings and relationships of the words, images, and other small units that make up a poem. Writing an explication is an effective way for a reader to connect a poem's plot and conflicts with its structural features. Shelley�s Frankenstein relies upon, even references, several Romantic-era poems. For this assignment, each student will choose a Romantic-era poem that has not been discussed in class and that is relevant to his/her chapters/letters. Use the Mellor/Matlak anthology or the Related Texts (in the Online Schedule) to choose your poem.  You may not use a poem that has been (or will be) discussed in class. See the instructions above. (Turnitin submission).  Check individual student projects to view the integration of this assignment into their web pages.
4. Analysis of a Minor Character (Due 3/20)
Instructions (pdf)
View the web version of these analyses

A character analysis allows for an in-depth critique of a minor character from Frankenstein. This analysis will then be added to your web pages of chapters/letters and linked. (Turnitin submission)

5. Investigating Mary Shelley�s Manuscripts, Journals & Letters (Due 3/20)
Instructions (pdf)

Mary Shelley�s manuscripts, journals and letters have been reproduced in printed facsimile, many of which our library owns. In this assignment, students will read through these resources to make connections with their own chapters/letters. Check individual student projects to view the integration of this assignment into their web pages.

6. Review of Reviews (Due 4/1)
Instructions (pdf)

Reception of a novel is almost as important as our classroom discussions. In this assignment, students will analyze several reviews about Frankenstein, writing a review of the reviews. This assignment, too, will be added to the web pages of chapters/letters and linked. (Turnitin submission)

7. Adaptations (Due 4/8)
Instructions (pdf) -- revised 4/7/08

As we have begun to discover, Frankenstein was borrowed, translated, adapted, parodied and copied throughout the nineteenth century. We�ll take this idea further afield. In this assignment, students will present on an adaptation of Frankenstein in any media form (movies, comics, graphic novels, fiction, drama and more). The adaptation may come from the nineteenth or twentieth century. On the due date, students will provide clips or snippets to the class and discuss this adaptation in addition to adding it to the web pages of chapters/letters.

8. Keepsake Authors Mystery (Due 4/10)
Instructions (pdf)

The Keepsake is a literary annual, one of those nineteenth-century publications that was part of popular culture. However, rather than being identified, many authors requested that they be labeled "the author of....." For this assignment, each student will solve the mystery of authorship by using various resources to discover the identity of one author. This will be added to your Frankenstein web pages and linked. See detailed instructions above. (Turnitin submission)

9. Peer Review (Due 4/22)

The reason for creating web pages of this Frankenstein project is to allow others to see your work. Eventually, all student pages will be linked to each other. For this assignment, write a critique of two other student pages. Both of these critiques will be posted to the Discussion in Google Groups. The recipient of the critique will read through the critiques and revise according to these comments.


Final Project: Frankenstein Digital Edition

The Final Project is a culmination of all of the mini-assignments plus further work on your part. At the Final Exam meeting day, you will present your Final Project to the class: a digital edition of chapters from Frankenstein, complete with a Rationale. The Rationale will synthesize not only your scholarly adventures but also the theoretical and critical reasonings associated with your Digital Project. Your Reading Responses and Reflective Blog entries can help you with this Rationale. You must present in order to receive a grade for this project. Detailed instructions will be provided at a later date. Below are general instructions about choosing your text and constructing your website using Google's Page Creator.  We will have a Digital Session dedicated specifically to web design.
 

Part I. Choosing Chapters & Cutting/Pasting Text
 
Mary Shelley originally published this novel anonymously in 1818. The 1818 version was re-printed in 1823 with Mary Shelley�s name added to the title page. In 1831, Shelley published a revised version that differs substantially from the 1818 version. Because the 1818 version offers an un-revised version of her story, it is often the most taught. Indeed, our Longman edition is from the 1818 version. For this reason, it�s imperative that we use the 1818 version in our annotated version. We�ll rely on the transcription created by Stuart Curran, University of Pennsylvania, in his extensive Frankenstein website, complete with images, maps, contextual materials and more: http://www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/knarf/Text/text.html

The text of both the 1818 and 1831 editions are on this site, but in pieces. When you finally decide on your two chapters/letters, begin cutting and pasting your chapters from this Website into a Word document and checking the text against your Longman edition. We�ll transfer this text to your website during a digital session.

Chapter Assignments & Students -- see here

Part II. Creating & Naming Your Frankenstein Website
See instructions & requirements for your website

As we go through the semester, we�ll continuously add elements to your web versions of the Frankenstein chapters. This means that some of you will become webmasters for the first time. When creating websites, we always have to keep in mind the critical value of our technological tools. In other words, just because something is "cool" doesn�t mean that it belongs on your website. The design (colors, graphics, fonts) must have a purpose, and the navigation must be intuitive. We�ll discuss good design practices in a Digital Session.


Part III. The Rationale

This final essay (1200 words) acts as both an introduction to your Frankenstein web pages and provides the reasons behind your design decisions. The Rationale will also synthesize the theoretical and critical reasonings associated with your Digital Project. This is also an essay in which you analyze your use of various themes that have been discussed in class. In other words, this is not simply a narrative about your actions, it is also an intellectual analysis about the Romantic Era. Your weekly Reading Responses and Reflective Blog posts will be the basis for this essay. The Rationale should be integrated into your website as the introductory page. For an example of a Rationale, see here: http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/harris/StudentProjects/Kim/Rationale.html


Part IV. The Final Presentation

During the final exam meeting (May 19th, 2:45-5pm), each student will present his/her Digital Project to the class. Since everything will be available online, submission of a CD-Rom or other media is unnecessary. In order to receive a grade on this final project, you must present.


Part V. Grading the Final Project

The Final Digital Project is a completely separate grade from all of the mini-assignments and will be assessed on several aspects: writing abilities (clarity, depth, etc.), design elements, navigation, integration among pages (linking) and creativity.