Project #3: Research (Short Documentary)
Assignment: In this project, students will produce a concise documentary film incorporating
academic research and interviews to explore a cultural practice that brings them joy, providing a
reflective examination of its significance and impact.
As with Project #3, this project should not have an argument, but instead fully explain and explore
the cultural practices, objects or ideas detailed. The project should carefully explain their central
topic through clear, direct, and appropriate research throughout. The video should 10-12 minutes in
length and utilize 6-8 verified sources correctly cited in MLA style at the end of the video or in a
separate Works Cited page.
As with Project #2, for your research you can utilize online sources that are verified (have a
credentialed author & have a place of publication). Since this is a research-forward project, you
should be utilizing more scholarly sources than primary or secondary. These sources should be cited
in MLA format at the end of the essay. The essay should also utilize in-text citations for any
summaries, paraphrases, or quotations. Utilize the MLA Handout included in the Assignments
Sheets folder as a point of reference. As with Project #2, while you can use sources discussed in
class, they do not count towards the total number of sources required.
Design: For a video project, you will need to use video editing software. If you have a Mac, I
suggest using iMovie; for PC users, Windows Movie Maker is relatively easy to use.
In creating your video essay, take advantage of the affordances of video. Create a voiceover that
explains only as much as necessary. The power of video essay is its ability to create visuals that can
stand in for text or the spoken word.
When you finalize the video, please upload it to YouTube or Vimeo. Video files of this size are too
large and unwieldy for me to download to grade.
Audience: The audience for this essay should be those who are interested in learning more about
the cultural practice, object, or idea that you’re explaining or exploring. You should not assume any
prior knowledge, so you’ll need to provide some basic information to your audience about your
topic.
Planning: There are two planning documents for this project. First, you’ll create a journal entry
focusing on a proposal for your research project for instructor feedback and approval. Next, you’ll
submit a rough draft for peer review by the date below via Discussion Board. You will also need to
submit this via iCollege for a completion grade. Failure to do so will result in an automatic 5%
reduction off the project grade. Finally, the final for this project is due on the date below to
iCollege.
Submission: Submit the link to your video project to iCollege by the date and time below. Do not
submit the video or audio file itself, as it is too large for me to store.
Grading: Your essay will be graded based on the rubric on the final page of this assignment sheet.
Some questions to consider as you finalize this project include:
1. How do I utilize the mode of this project (video documentary) to connect with my
audience in a way that makes them interested and engaged?
2. How do I reflect on and extend discussion on my chosen cultural practice, object, or
idea in a way that’s clear, compelling, and meaningful to an audience?
3. How do I utilize outside research in a way that’s beneficial to the audience’s
understanding in this project to to provide context regarding my chosen topic?
4. What do I hope listeners will take away after watching my documentary about the topics
you discuss?
Deliverables Checklist
