Creative Projects - CLAS 199 - F22
Creative Project #1: Make a Youtube Video!
Details
- Due: September 21, 3 PM EST (share with me via email)
- Length: 7 - 10 minutes
- Format: .mov/.wmv
Assignment
Over the last few weeks, we have been delving into the study of race as an ideological and historical concept. We have looked into how it has been theorized, different approaches to studying it, and its historical trajectory. This project asks you to create a short video lesson for future Holy Cross students summarizing and reflecting what we have learned about so far in the class in a discrete and digestible format.
Your video lesson (7-10 minutes) should 1) define four key terms - race, racial formation, racecraft, and critical race theory; 2) use concrete examples to clarify what these terms mean and how they are different; 3) discuss in brief key events in historical development of racially-based thinking; and 4) reflect on why it is important Holy Cross students to be familiar with these concepts. In addition to producing the video, please share a works cited page with a list of works that you reference and as well as a list of any picture or visual media that you in your video. If you are unsure how create a works cited page, please take at Holy Cross’ citation guide.
You may use the Media Suites of the Multimedia Resource Center in Stein 324 OR the Production Studio of Digital Media Services in Stein 104. They have great equipment and services, including a green screen, professional lighting, professional cameras, and post-production work like titles, overlays, etc. If you are interested in using their services, you need to organize a meeting with them ASAP.
Assessment
A satisfactory project will:
- Be shared via email by September 21 at 3 PM EST
- Be roughly 7 to 10 minutes in length
- Be in an electronic format (e.g. .mov or .wmv)
- Define race, racial formation, racecraft, and critical race theory
- Use concrete examples to explain these concepts
- Offer a brief history of racially-based thinking
- Reflect on the importance of studying these issues at Holy Cross
- Include a list of reading that you referenced in the lesson
- Include a list of any pictures or visual media that you use in your video with hyperlinks to their provenance
Creative Project #2: Write a Pop Culture Blog Post!
Details
- Due: November 2, 3 PM EST (share with me via email)
- Length: 1200 - 1500 words
- Format: Google Doc
Assignment
So far, we have considered how public intellectuals in the 19th and 20th century used antiquity to create and resist racial narratives. As we have discussed throughout the course, antiquity is still being used to create and resist racial narrative in the present moment. For this current project, you are going to look at how the music videos of Lizzo’s Rumors and the Carters’ Apeshit make use of antiquity to counter and challenge dominant racial narratives. To this end, you will analyze when and where ancient images and themes appear in these videos, how the various people in these videos position themselves relative to antiquity, and how this all functions to challenge narratives of Western civilization and white supremacy that we have discussed in class.
Instead of writing a formal academic essay, you will be writing your analysis as blog post aimed at both an academic and public audience. What that means is that you should imagine a wide audience that includes your professors, but also your family and friends. Do not assume that your audience has previous knowledge about the ancient world or specific terms that we have learned like race, racecraft, and racethinking. In addition, a key part about making a blog post is using media (pictures, video, memes, tweets) to make your point clearly. Any media you use should be well integrated into the post and add meaning to the larger point you are making. Finally, a key part of the blog post is explain to your audience in broad terms why this example shows the importance of understanding the past.
To give you an idea of what your blog post might look here (these are much longer than 1200-1500 words), have a gander at Anise Strong’s blog post on Beyonce’s Black is King, Vanessa Stovall and Kiran Mansukhani’s blog post on Lil Nas X’s MONTERO, and Liz Gloyn’s blog post on Rihanna’s GQ Cover.
Assessment
A satisfactory project will:
- Be shared via email by November 2 at 3 PM EST
- Be roughly 1200-1500 words
- Highlight how antiquity features in Lizzo’s Rumors and The Carters’ Apeshit
- Draw attention to how these artists use and interact with ancient objects and themes to counter narratives of white supremacy and Western civilization
- Be written in an accessible way that explains to the audience basic concepts from the ancient world and the academic study of race
- Use media to enhance your explanation and help your audience connect with your writing
- Reflect on the importance of thinking critically about the ancient world
- Include works cited list for any references you mentioned in the blog post
Creative Project #3: Make an Interactive Timeline
Details
- Due: December 17, 5 PM EST (share with me via TikiToki)
- Length: 25 events
- Format: TikiToki
Assignment
For your third creative project, you will create a dynamic and interactive timeline that encapsulates what you think are the main takeaways from our class. The point of this project is to have you go over and reflect on all the different things that we have read and learned about in class. It will help you to synthesize the various strains of thought that we have examined and come away with some clear takeaways from our class.
In terms of specifics, your timeline will feature 25 “events” (think broadly here - they can be historical moments, dates for speeches, intellectual movements, or publications of certain books or articles) that we have learned or read about in class that you feel like clearly articulate the complexities of the relationship between race and antiquity that we have learned about in class. Some examples might include the publication of Morton’s Crania Aegyptica in 1838 or Frederick Douglass’ 1854 speech against scientific racism. Please note that the events do not have to have a specific date - you can specify a date range or an approximate range for something like the Curse of Ham. There is no restriction on the range of events that you include in your timeline, you can select both ancient and modern events depending on what you want to emphasize.
Each “event” that you put on the timeline will feature a brief reflection (70 - 100 words) laying out its broader significance in the study of race and antiquity. You will also include an appropriate image (a picture, meme, collage) or video that represents the event you have chosen. For example, an entry on Shelley Haley’s “Be Not Afraid of Dark” (2009) might read as follows:
Haley’s work applying CRT to ancient texts reveals two key insights. First, it shows how racialized forms of thinking has shaped the way that we read ancient texts, building in numerous misconceptions into the academic study of the past. Second, it reveals how CRT and its tenets can open up new and rich avenues for the study of the ancient world that bring about a complex understanding of the past. As such, it charts a new way forward to building a more robust and dynamic field of classics in the future.
In addition to coming up with your set of events, you will need to come with a title for your timeline and provide a short introduction to it as well. The short introduction (100 - 150 words) should highlight the key themes related to race and antiquity that your events highlight and summarize your takeaways from the class.
In order to build your dynamic timeline, you will use TikiToki, an online platform for building interactive timelines. You will need to make a free account for the site in order to create your timeline. You can find linked here a useful tutorial on how to sign up for TikiToki as well as how to build a timeline with the site. Once you have finished building your time, please share it with me.
Assessment
A satisfactory project will:
- Be shared with me via TikiToki by 5 pm EST on December 17
- Consist of 25 events
- Provide a short description (70 - 100 words) of each event highlighting its significance to the study of race and antiquity
- Include an image or video that pertains to each event
- Feature a short introduction (100 - 150 words) that summarizes the key themes of your timeline and your essential takeaways from the class