2014 CULTURE JAM

For this project you will be assigned to a small group but we will also be working as a class to support each group’s project. For this process to work, everyone, everyone, needs to bring a game-day attitude and communicate regularly in and outside of class. We might make mistakes in this process, but we will recognize and learn from them.

Step 1: Research and brainstorm:

On April 30, each person will come to main class with a list of at least five, and no more than seven, specific potential jam project ideas. For example, “climate change” isn’t good enough. You need to develop activities that can be done here in Portland to make a significant impact on a community or an audience.

We will process these lists as groups and as a class so that the projects complement each other.

We will focus on creating projects that in some way “jam” our ideas (social, political, economic) about that topic and identifying the purpose of your jam (educate? entertain? provoke?).

Step 2: As a group, write a proposal (3 pages) that explains your project. Include the following information: An explanation of its purpose and how you will accomplish it. Justify why you think it will be effective. Who is your audience? What research/theories support your project? What do you expect the impact to be? What are the possible speed bumps or unintended consequences and how you will address them? Identify potential collaborators and saboteurs. When and where will your jam take place? A list of tasks that need to be done and assign who is responsible for each. A project timeline. How will you document and record your jam?

Turn the typed proposal into me by May 12. I will hand them back with feedback on May 14.

Step 3: Conduct and record your culture jam.

Step 4: On May 28, each group member will turn in a minimum 4-page critical reflection of the project in which you will describe your group’s process from your perspective. Including:

What challenges/problems you ran into. How were they handled or solved?

How did you work together as a group (were you a good/bad apple?). Did everyone do an equal amount of work? Assign a letter grade to yourself and each group member.

How did you utilize your skills and talents?

Explain IN-DEPTH (quotes and examples from the texts) how your jam connects to a reading from each term thisyear (3 total).

Describe what you learned through doing this type of activity and relate it to the assignment learning outcomes.

Step 5: In-class presentations on May 28. Your group’s presentation will be ~7 minutes long, well-rehearsed, and do the following: Show evidence of the project (~3-4 minutes; prezi, film, etc.). Explain if your jam was successful or not, and why you think so. Describe what you learned as a group by conducting the jam (i.e., connections to course materials).

 

Field Work: The World is Your Classroom

DUE: April 14

 

Step I: Pick one location out of each of the three categories below to visit and observe (plan on spending at least two hours at each place); then figure out how and when you will get there:

Portland Japanese Garden, Oxbow Park, Waterfront Park, Portland Classical Chinese Garden , Powell Butte, Willamette Park, Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, Oaks Bottom, Peninsula Park, Leach Botanical Garden, Tyron State Park, North Park Blocks

Step II: You’re going to need to take some kind of journal with you to record your observations and write notes that you will later use to write a paper on the three places you visit. DO NOT depend upon your memory for this! Not only will taking notes help you remember things you might forget or mix-up later, the act of writing the information down frees up your mind to consider things at a deeper level.

Begin with, but DO NOT limit yourself, to these questions:

the role of water in this system? evidence of human construction or influence? how do you feel in each place? What about it (and you) brings out these feelings? Why? draw/sketch something in each place that catches your attention. After drawing it, do you look at it differently? Explain why or why not. describe how each place smells.

what’s the weather like? How does that influence your perceptions of, and experience in, the place? how many other people are there? Does that change your perceptions and experience? Explain why or why not.

Step III:

Write a 4-5 page reflective essay that compares and contrasts the different types of “nature” represented by each place. Connect your observations to ideas in both The Closing Circle and Feminism and the Revolt of Nature.

Keep in mind that for each “reflection” you make about your visits, you will need to cite and describe specific examples from the places—so that the reader experiences the place as you did and can therefore share in your reflection.

I expect this to be a polished (well thought out, written, and edited) piece of writing.

Turn in your notes and sketches with your polished paper.

 

Daily Water Audit

DUE: Data due in Mentor Lab 4/28; Report due in main class 5/5

 

Overview: For this assignment you will record your water usage from April 21st through April 27th (one week).You will take what you’ve recorded (your data) and convert it into a data set so that you can create charts in Excel, and you will write an analysis of your findings.

Learning Objectives:

To practice collecting and recording quantitative data,

To convert quantitative information into graph form,

To provide accurate explanations of information presented in mathematical form (i.e., graphs),

To use quantitative analysis of data as the basis to make sound judgments and conclusions about personal water resource use.

Directions:

Track your use of water all week by keeping track of the minutes of washing and number of flushes, etc. To calculate your weekly water consumption for each type of use, multiply your total usage for the week (in minutes or # of flushes) by an estimate of the ‘gallons per flush’ or flow rate for the appropriate fixture. Fill in the missing gallons per use with data from other side of the assignment.

In mentor session:

Format your raw footprint data into an excel file.

Use your data file to create two different styles of graph that summarize the data in your footprint. Think about what type of graph allows you to illustrate your usage patterns. However, NO PIE CHARTS!

Pick one of your water uses and create a graph for it.

Pick another use and make a graph showing how much water would be saved through a conservation method. For example, how would a 5 minute shower reduce water? This requires that you re-calculate one of the estimated uses, based on a different flow rate, gallon per flush, etc., and then create a graph that shows the amount of resources that would be saved through this change.

Make sure that your graphs are titled clearly.

When finished you will have a total of four graphs.

Graphing MUSTS: Label the axes and include the quantity/unit presented (for example, gal.). If using a black and white printer, make sure the patterns in the bars/lines and legend are distinctive to the reader. Color graphs on the monitor don’t always translate into clear, easily understood graphs generated on a black and white printer.

After creating your dataset and graphs, you will:

In 3-4 well-developed paragraphs (~300 words/1.5 pages):

identify and describe the main patterns in your graphs,

explain the additional insights you gained by graphing your data,

articulate your thoughts regarding the pattern of your water consumption,

describe and explain any shortcomings in your data or its collection,

identify and explain the most effective change(s) you can make to minimize your ecological footprint, and

support your points with specific reference to individual graphs.