Group Research Project

Due November 30-December 11, 2001

Academic Integrity:  rules and opportunities

With all group members participating, each group will create a presentation applying methods for critically decentering one's standpoint to research on an issue in global feminisms.  The presentation will take up one class period; for the second class period, the group will involve the class in a workshop or discussion focused on a specific action that the group has taken (and recommends to others) to address the issue.

Researching

The guidelines for decentering that you have developed individually and as a group as your main guide for framing research questions.  What do these guidelines suggest you should find out about your topic?

Other research questions to consider (not all of them will be relevant to each topic):                   

• Where have you encountered this issue before in the course?  How does it relate to materials we've studied previously--the Beijing conference and follow-up, the chapters in Global Feminisms Since 1945, the issues in Globalized Woman, Desert Flower, the packet readings for the talking paper? 
• What's the big picture?  What are the relevant statistics and how can you get them across effectively?  What stories do the numbers tell?
• Can you find testimony about your issue--personal stories told by people immersed in the issue?
• What's the impact of this issue on the well-being of women (and children, men, families, communities), and in what ways are women agents in addressing the issue?
• What historical, cultural, and other background information would be helpful to know?  For instance, how does the structure of gender relations relate to your topic?  Are there particular cultural practices or historical events that we need to learn more about?  Are there specific people or organizations involved with this issue that we should all know more about?

Presentation Format

The method of presentation and the dividing of responsibilities among group members are up to your group, but you should work toward creating a way of presenting your material that clearly communicates key issues in your topic area, engages the rest of the class, and brings out the strengths and interests, areas of agreement and difference within your group.  (See Assumptions of Dialogue Culture for some general guidelines.)

Think about: 

Will you use handouts? the board? a flip chart or posters? food? music? videos? websites or PowerPoint?

Can you devise a skit, creative exercise, or workshop format that will dramatize key issues in your topic area while drawing in the participation of the class as a whole?

How will you conduct discussion?  focus on key passages in the reading?  raise broad discussion questions?  conduct a participatory workshop?  (Take a look at Local Action, Global Change by Julie Mertus, on reserve at the library, as a resource for devising workshops.)

Words of caution:

DON’T simply read directly from print or internet sources; pick and choose among the sources, and restate the most relevant information in your own words.

DON'T overwhelm your audience with a whole lot of factual material they can't absorb.  Pick the most compelling and significant facts, and show the audience why they matter.

Evaluation

The instructor and the class will evaluate each group presentation for relevance to the problem being studied, articulation of broad and specific issues, attention to variant perspectives on the problem, use of varied formats and media, and engagement of the class as a whole.