The Assignment: 

Construct a fictional character, including age, gender, and status characteristics.  Pick a culture (one we have discussed in class or one you chose), and describe your character's life and experiences.  The project should show what it is like to live day-to-day in this community for this individual.  Use a real culture, incorporating your individual into a specific society. I want you to do this from only one perspective so you can see how much factors like age, sex, gender, religion, etc. can impact daily life.  

The Medium:  What form can the project take?  It can be a paper, slideshow, video, song, diary, poem, or whatever else you can think of.  Find a medium of communication that works best for you!  Some of the best projects turned in are the ones written as diaries or mock interviews.  Be creative! You can include art work, pictures, music, letters, etc!

I have included a sample of a musical composition one student submitted (he also had text of course, but the video was the main piece.)

FAQ's: 

Length of project:  Papers should be between 5-8 typed pages (double-spaced).   Videos should be 10-15 minutes.  Slideshows 25-50 slides (depending on amount of content per slide). 

How many topics should you cover?:  5-8 is a good number.  More is OK, but you might not be able to give them much life or detail.  The exact count will depend on the nature of your project, but 5 is the bare minimum.   

Sources:  You may use both library and Internet resources (you may NOT use Wikipedia, etc.).  You must use at least three academic/scholarly references. A bibliography with proper documentation of all research is required.  I expect at least 5 sources total.  More is better.  

Citations:  You may use any format you would like (APA?  Sure!  MLA?  Of course!), but you have to use one and be consistent.  This includes internal citations within the text!  (I know that breaks the narrative flow, but we need academic integrity here.) 

Conclusion Page:  Also, make sure you include a conclusion page indicating which concepts or theories were used in this project.  For instance – how did you show evidence of the social construction of gender?  What theoretical perspective(s) did you use and how?   Etc.

What makes a good project?  Any culture you are interested in.  Some hints to consider.  Don't pick something too obscure.  While fascinating, you may not be able to find enough information.  Some cultures are pretty common and you will have to share resources.  This might be problem if you are a procrastinator (guilty!).  Examples are the Amish, Ancient China, Ancient Egypt, Aztec, and Edo Japan.  They can be done, but you will be competing a little.  :)    Finally, don't be too broad/specific.  Ex. China = too broad.  Narrow it down to a time period and maybe specific area.