Midterm Project
Media & Music — Spring 2004

Purpose: This is the third stage of your semester project.  It is designed to help you make progress on your semester project, and to provide an occasion for substantial feedback.

Product:  The baseline for your midterm is a typed, double-spaced paper of 5-6 pages, though it may take other forms and it may be longer.  Typeface should be clear and readable (Times New Roman is recommended), 12 pt. font, 1" margins, unless youÕre doing something artistic.  It should meet all the stylistic standards of your chosen genre.  You do not need a separate title page.  Keep a backup copy of your project in all its stages for your records. 

Your concept journal and my response to it will tell you exactly what is required.  Refer back to these documents.  If you are not clear on what you need to do for the midterm, ASK ME.

Date Due: a print copy is due in my mailbox (1117 CL) by 3pm on 3 March.  A copy must be posted online by 11:59pm that night.

Requirements: The midterm is a piece of formal writing.  No matter what path you choose, the midterm should be:

• Polished.  This means (at a very minimum): typo and error-free, well-formatted, nice to look at, paginated, etc. 
• Intellectual.  Your project should reflect a great deal of thought and creativity on your part.  It should make use of ideas from at least one week (readings and/or class discussions) from the semester.  As appropriate (and especially if you write an academic paper), your project should also present logical and cogent arguments.
• Revised.  You'll get a chance in class to have someone look it over.  Make sure you revise your paper to account for your peers' comments.
• Organized.  It should display logical and coherent organization. 
• Cool.  Do something that you are proud of and that will engage your audience — and me.

Evaluation:  Midterms will be graded on a standard university scale:

90-100 = Rocks my world.  Outstanding in three or more areas, solid in the others.

80-89   = A good piece of work.  Possibly outstanding in one or two areas, solid in the others.

70-79   = Average work.  Could improve.

60-69   = Lacking something important. 

0-59     = Thanks for playing. 

To determine your grade, I will give you a score of 1-20 in each of the following areas:

Conceptualization (Is the project well thought out?  Developed?)

Ideas (Is the project intellectually robust?  Does it offer fresh ideas or new takes on old ideas?) 

Other Content (research, interviewing, art, etc.)

Style/Creativity/Organization (Is it polished?  Did I laugh or cry?)

The "X" Factor (aspects of the paper not covered by the other four areas)

Drafts: I will happily read drafts, but you must print them out and bring them to my office hours (or make an appointment).  I will not read or comment on drafts emailed to me.