Final project

Your final project will be self-directed and should link topics explored in class with  specific practices and issues that interest you most, centering on your chosen theme for the semester. I expect that most of you will return to one of your creative explorations and develop it further, but that is not an absolute requirement. Collaboration is an option as long as each person has a set of clearly outlined responsibilities that are submitted for approval.

It is also encouraged that you think about this final project as the first step toward your capstone where you can experiment with ideas and test project feasibility.

NOTE: The final project schedule listed below is set up to allow you to finish this work before your final exams begin. However, we do have a final exam period scheduled Monday December 18 from 4-6pm. If there is consensus among the class that you would prefer to workshop projects in class on December 5 and present final versions on the 18th, I am willing to switch to that schedule.

You will present your final project in class on December 5.
You may use any presentation format you like, including an interactive one, but there must be a visual component (it’s fine if this is just a screen showing your completed project). Plan for your presentation to take at least five and no more than ten minutes. Tell us:
– what your project is
– why you made it
– how you made it, including challenges you faced along the way
– how it sums up your semester in DCC and/or experience in this class
– where you would go from here in further developing or distributing it

By December 12, you must post your project online with a write-up of your presentation. You are welcome to expand on what you said in class, but must include all the points listed above. Write at least 700 words in addition to any words included in the project itself.


This is the rubric I use to assess DCC projects. The factors are in order of importance.

1. Thoughtful engagement with course concepts and assignment. Are you meeting the expectations that have been set up for the assignment? How vividly can I see the influence of readings and discussions in your work?

2. Nuance and complexity of ideas explored. How deeply are you reckoning with the challenges and contradictions that surround the aspects of media, culture, and identity on which you are focusing?

3. Evidence of effort exerted. Have you put substantial time and energy into this work, researching beyond class material and seeking help with conceptual and technical difficulties as they arose?

4. Originality and imagination. How fresh and exciting are the concept and execution? Is there scope for further development beyond this class?

5. Technical proficiency. How effectively are you making use of the methods you have chosen? This doesn’t necessarily mean that your project will be technically elaborate, but that you understand the affordances of the method you are using and are taking advantage of them.