Projects

This group assignment will give you the opportunity to synthesize what you have learned this semester as well as add to your knowledge of how the complex interactions of geography, history, built environment, language and the arts have shaped "globalization." It will also provide a chance to work purposefully in teams toward effective communication.

Working together in (ideally, intercultural) teams of four or five, you will explore facets of one of the key questions we consider in 21G.076 from the perspective of at least two of your focus cultures:

• What are the contending definitions of globalization?
• What are the principal agents of change?
• How have those agents of change been transformed in our contemporary world?
• What's new, what's hybrid, and what's traditional?
• What does it mean to be a world citizen?
• How can world citizens preserve cultural specificity?

Each team will be composed of 4-5 members. Every team member must speak, so the length of time will depend on the number of people on the team. Each presentation should last between 15-20 minutes, and will be given in class during Sessions #22 and #23. Appropriate visual aids should accompany the presentation. Please be ready to answer questions from the instructors and your classmates after your presentation is finished.

In Session #16 you will meet in quartets (not your teams) to come up with a short list of topics or questions that are related to the core questions of 21G.076 and that intrigue you. Then, you will try to narrow down the topics so that each could be reasonably developed into a 15- to 20-minute presentation. The instructors will compile all of the topics that you have generated and choose ones that are most suitable for the course and presentation goals.

Creating the presentation will be a multi-step process that will take place throughout the rest of the semester. It will begin in Session #17 when we will ask you to identify and rank the topics you are interested in. Based on that exercise, we will help you put together your teams, which we will announce in Session #19. On that day, we will give you some time during class to meet with each other and begin to shape your topic and roles. We will also review factors that help and hinder effective teamwork.

By Session #21, we would like a one-page memo from your team describing the focus and framework of the presentation and an initial list of resources you will use. This will require some research outside the course materials. The proposal should include a statement with your key message and a description of what role each team member will take during the presentation.

Memo Template (PDF) (Courtesy of Jane Dunphy. Used with permission.)

Group Presentation Evaluation (PDF)

Student Projects

The following reports, presentations, and other documents are examples of student work. All materials are presented courtesy of the authors, and used with permission.