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The midterm for this class is relatively simple but its purposes are very serious.  It is worth 15 points. Take your favorite essay that you have written for the course so far (or you could write a new essay based on the topics we have discussed on IRL Mondays). You will need to extend that essay to at least 750 words.  This means that you have the following choice of topics:
  1. What is African American Language?  Why is it important? Political? Charged?  (you wrote about this for the unit called “They Want EFX: Introduction to AAL”)
  2. What does the oral tradition, Flossie and the Fox, teach us about race, language, and AAL?  (we discussed this in an IRL class)
  3. What is the historical context of the Blues and its relationship to slavery?  (you wrote about this for the unit called  “’Can’t No Grave Hold My Body Down’: The Sacred-to-Secular Continuum” )
  4. How and why are Spirituals an important part of the AAL tradition? (we discussed this in class)
  5. How and why is Gospel music an important part of the AAL tradition? (you wrote about this for the unit called “’Can’t No Grave Hold My Body Down’: The Sacred-to-Secular Continuum")?
  6. How and why is Sister Rosetta Tharpe significant or relevant for the study of African American language?  (you wrote about this for the unit called “’Can’t No Grave Hold My Body Down’: The Sacred-to-Secular Continuum")
This essay will be archived on our course archive (click here to see the site).  No one will be able to see your essay until the end of the semester when the site goes fully live.    Please consider the importance of your voice and personal intervention in digital discourse today as this is where so much of 21st century meanings and values are communicated!  However, in the end, it will your choice and yours alone as to whether or not you want your writing public.  Click here for the Students' Rights in Digital Collaboration to hear more. ​
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Because this essay will have a public audience and will also use multimedia tools, it may be somewhat different from other essays you have written in college.  For that reason, make sure that you are writing about something that you really like. You have two goals for this project: 1) create a theoretically rich and insightful piece of scholarship; 2) design a creative and multimedia webpage based on your essay.  

1) What you need to do to create aN insightful piece of scholarship

  • incorporate at least three separate sources/texts that we have read in class
  • make sure that you are not saying things like "slang," "proper English," "broken English"--- linguists do not speak like this since these are not accurate descriptions of language (this is an English class so we talk about language in better ways than this)
  • use APA in-text citations (click here for a guide book)
  • include an APA bibliography (click here for a guide book)
  • name every author and title of the text you are referencing
  • give details about each event, person, or text in your essay because you can NOT assume that readers know who or what you are talking about
  • write AT LEAST 750 words
  • be witty, creative, interesting, etc in your style... real people will be reading this, not just a teacher

2) What you need to do to make a creative, multimedia webpage

  • use at least two weblinks (when you click on words like this phrase, that is a weblink--- click here for more information on this)
  • Use at least two images--- these images must be weblinked to their source and right or left-justified that match the political issues and specific topics in your essay
  • Use at least one video (right or left-justified) or gif that matches the political issues and specific topics in your essay
  • ​Upload your prezi or google slides (this was the assignment from September 19 on the syllabus)
  • Include an interesting bio and image of yourself on your page
If this list sounds confusing, don't worry!  We will work on the technology issues together in class.

Here is a sample prezi created by Sara Yuen in 2016.  

​Your prezi (or google slides) will be embedded on your webpage like this prezi is embedded here.

2016 lab day:
October 6 (l2.72.06)

 If you are absent, this demo will not be repeated for you.  
​There simply won't be enough time. 

2016 Due date:
Wednesday, October 19 at noon

You will no longer have access after noon!  Make sure that you ask any questions that you might have in our IRL session on October 17!  
Be sure to see the Skillz Help section of this website for information on quotations, paraphrasing, etc. 
Click here for extra help with the ePortfolio.  If you would like a new page made, send an email!
Make sure that you also go over the 15 point-scale to understand how this project will be graded.