Final Project

As your final project for the course, you will construct a website on a topic concerning the Korean American community.  As a group, you will analyze an aspect of the Korean American experience, historically or contemporaneously.  This can be a cultural feature, issues or problems that face Korean Americans, political systems or institutions that affect Korean Americans, aspects of Korean society or culture that influence Korean America, etc.  Your website will present the issue and provide an argument or analysis of the topics from multiple perspectives.

Format

Similar to a research paper, you will produce an academic website with a purpose/argument.  Your website will consist of six pages total: a "Home Page," a "Conclusions" page, a "Works Cited" page, and three additional topic content pages that will be determined by your group on your topic.

One way to structure your website would be to think of your Home page as a paper introduction (with thesis/argument), and the three additional topic content pages as the evidence/analysis sections of a research paper. Your Conclusions page then summarizes your argument/perspective and provides final thoughts and analyses.

Content

Similar to an introductory paragraph in an academic paper, your Home Page can serve as an introduction to your project and your argument/analysis.  Your three topic content pages should examine different aspects of the problem/argument you present in your homepage.  Tie your research, perspectives, and analyses together in your conclusions page.

The bulk of your website should be text and analysis written in your own words. The text of your website (excluding the text on the “Works Cited” pages) should be equivalent to an 8-10 page research paper.

Citations

As part of your research you must consult a minimum of 4 scholarly sources (e.g. books, academic journal articles, etc.) that are not drawn from the syllabus readings. While you may use sources such as popular media articles (New York Times, etc.) or census data, these do not count as scholarly texts. You may use and cite the assigned readings from the syllabus, but these must be in addition to your 4 outside sources. You may not use Wikipedia or other unverifiable sources. Photos, videos, and other media that you may include on your webpage must also be cited.

Like a traditional research paper, you should cite ideas and quotations throughout your website using in-text citations in addition to your Works Cited page. Citations should follow proper MLA format.
Once your group has determined the topic of your website, have one of your members secure a website space.  I suggest weebly because it is a free web service and fairly user-friendly for people who are not super-tech savvy, however, if you prefer a different web host, feel free to use what you're familiar with.  The group member who creates the web account for the group should share the login information with everyone.  Alternatively, weebly has a feature (under Settings->Editors) where you can add editors to the website with separate logins.

Final projects will be in groups of 5, and are due December 18 by 5 pm.  A 1-page final project proposal will be due November 15.  Proposals should outline your topic and argument and give a tentative overview of how the pages of your website will be laid out.

The last two sessions of class will be devoted to the presentation of your websites.  Walk us through your website/argument and explain your research and analysis.  Each member should contribute to the presentation. Your group’s presentation should be  10-12 minutes long.  Grading of the websites will be partly based on the instructor’s evaluation of the final product and partly based on a peer evaluation of individual team members’ contributions to the group.

​Final Project Grading and Due Date Breakdown​
  • 1-page Project Proposal:  Due November 15 (2 points)
  • 10-12 minute presentation: December 13 & 18  (2 points)
  • Final Website: Due December 18 by 5 pm (17 points)
  • Peer Evaluations: Due December 18 by 5 pm (4 points)