Enl 133: Victorians and Folklore

Robson and Hillard

• Groups shall contain between 4 and 5 members.
• You may choose the project topic that most interests you. You must choose a topic by no later than class 4: Tuesday, Oct 10. We will send a sign-up sheet around.
• If none of the topics appeal to you, you may elect to sign up for a "rogue" group that devises its own topic. This group, too, must contain at least 4 members. The rogue group must submit a detailed topic description to Molly by no later than Fri, Oct. 13 in her office hours.
• After you have formed, we will provide each group with a set of individual guidelines, study questions, and in most cases initial references, that pertain to your topic.

• Folklore in Harlem Renaissance literature: Hurston, Hughes, etc.
• Disney’s use of folklore
• Ballads in 19^th C. England and Scotland
• Folklore in contemporary women’s fiction (Angela Carter, Toni Morrison, Amy Tan)
• Folklore (legend) in the X-Files
• Folklore in Shakespeare’s plays
• Computer and internet lore
• Contemporary children’s lore
• Urban legends
• Dreams and Nightmares
• Fairy versus alien abductions
• Blason Populaire (racist folklore)

• Choose Topic: 10/10
• Submit an initial presentation plan to Molly 10/26
• Conference with Molly by appt. 11/2-11/7

• Inform Molly of technical equip/ other items needed 11/14
• Submit a final presentation plan or outline to Molly 11/23
• Upon delivery of the presentation, you will submit a written report that includes a draft of your presentation, and an analysis your strengths and weaknesses as a group.

• You will be given a single group grade: this means that you must all work very closely together to help each other stay focused and on track.
• Each group member must participate equally in the assignment, and you must demonstrate this equal division in the presentation itself.
• Part of your task in submitting an initial presentation plan will be to explain the division of labor within your group, and provide justification that each part tallies to one fourth (or one fifth) of the work. There is no single successful way to achieve this parity: part of the challenge is for each member to shoulder part of the burden, and yet still achieve a unified project.
• With this in mind, understand that the group that has each member deliver her or his own 2.5 minute lecture will probably not perform the task satisfactorily, unless the group can demonstrate an overall unification of the material, and a clear understanding of each other’s information.
• Your group cannot create a successful presentation without meeting outside of class. We recommend that you meet once per week to maintain satisfactory progress, but your own group will determine what is best for its presentation style. A group that meets only once or twice is in danger of creating an unpolished presentation.

• Of course, your group will determine most of the direction and content of your presentation. The topic-sensitive information I give your group will get you started and head you toward important information, but it will not lead you through to the end product. This is because the process is as important as the product: you will have to work with groups of people for the rest of your careers!
• Just as with English essays, your presentation should be largely geared toward analysis of your topic. In other words, if "folktale characters in Disney" is your topic, showing clips of Disney films might be a small part of your presentation; but 10 minutes of "Snow White" and "Mulan" clips with 5 minutes of commentary fails in the same way that an essay that is all plot summary fails: it doesn’t display critical thinking.
• That said, your group will be graded on several things in your presentation:

1. Analysis: is there a central, unified argument to the presentation?
2. Background: does the group provide enough information that even those who are not familiar with the material can learn from the delivery?
3. Research/Preparation: is it obvious that the group backs its presentation with a quarter’s worth of substantial preparation?
4. Presentation style: has the group devised a presentation that is creative and pleasurable to watch? (Humor is welcome where appropriate, as long as it does not take the place of analysis!)

• Finally, all presentations should be mindful, as we have tried to be all quarter, of the time and space of your topic. We will be evaluating the extent to which you are able to frame your assertions with historical and geographical meaning.
• Lastly, the amount of work you will execute will far exceed the amount of time you have to present (trust me!) This means that your group’s report to the class will be an explanation or condensation of the larger work you have created together. Therefore, in addition to your 10-15 minutes of talk time, you must also submit an accompanying handout of no less than 3 pages that explains more fully the scope of your project.