ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR GEOG 433 – GENRE PRESENTATION AND MAJOR PROJECT
Genre Presentations:
You will be responsible for one presentation on a musical genre (one of the ones profiled in the course or another – for instance, flamenco, salsa, or Cajun/ zydeco) using one or more of the themes outlined in the course outline. I ask that your presentation address the following: why it was chosen, a bit of history on the genre, discuss how 2 or 3 of the themes mentioned in the course outline apply, and using visual and audio samples to illustrate your points. You are encouraged to use PowerPoint, but this is not essential. If you wanted to explore a specific genre through a particular artist or band, this is an option. Aim for approximately 10-12 minutes. All genre presentations must be complete by Thursday, April 3 rd .
Please be prepared to provide a copy of your PowerPoint in case I want to share it with others in the class.
It will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
 Did you fulfill the four criteria listed above, particularly addressing course themes?
 Did you offer some sources for your presentation?
 Were you able to present without any major technical glitches?
 Did you avoid a monotone delivery – i.e. look and sound interested?
 Did you avoid talking too quickly or too slowly, and try to be smooth not choppy?
 Did you make eye contact with all parts of the room?
Alternatively, you may do a 15-page double-spaced cumulative journal, with references, consisting of reflections on the readings, lectures and videos. Both of these options will be
worth 20%. The journal is due on Thursday, March 27 th , and will be evaluated on the basis of the quality of the writing, originality, quality of connections made, and proper referencing.
Major Project:
This assignment can either consist of an analytical essay delving into, or comparing, one or more genres, or something non-traditional like a short story, photo essay, song cycle, short video, or collection of poems. If you choose the first option, you could also look at a topic like music and gender. Again, writing quality, originality, how well-structured your paper is, and how solidly referenced will be the key to your final grade. You will be required to turn in an outline/ proposal (worth 5%) on Thursday, January 30 th (it should include your topic, a page
budget and three initial sources), with the final submission (due Tuesday, April 8 th ) worth an additional 25%. A general rule is to always reference your sources parenthetically throughout
your written work (I prefer APA; change in your course outline). Also: print all assignments
double-sided or on scrap paper.