Assignment task: Elevator Pitch Assignment
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled. - Plutarch
Socrates told us, "the unexamined life is not worth living." I think he's calling for curiosity, more than knowledge. In every human society at all times and at all levels, the curious are at the leading edge. - Roger Ebert
Overview of the Theme:
You are in charge of your own theme for the course. Step one is to choose a word/virtue/ideal that captures your curiosity - one that you would not grow tired of learning more about this semester. You will develop questions centered on the theme you choose and then do research inspired by those questions, conduct interviews to gain new perspectives on your topic, and eventually create products in mediums of your own choosing. A few theme examples that come to my mind: failure, success, marriage, forgiveness, joy.
Your first assignment is to select your word/virtue/ideal - your theme - and "pitch" your idea to me.
Format of your Pitch:
A piece of writing or a video presentation. You choose your medium. Do not stress about meeting a word count or length so long as all of the following elements of the pitch are included. Quality over quantity. What To Include in the Pitch:
Curiosity narrative story: Describe in vivid detail the inspiration behind your topic selection. Tell me a story. Place the audience inside a moment or moments in time and use descriptive language to capture the details of the event(s).
Explain why your topic is worth exploring (the so what? of the project) and why you will have sustained curiosity in the topic. (Finishing this project - the work that comes after this pitch - will require a great deal of self-motivation. Therefore, convince me that the word you choose holds some intrinsic motivation for you by explaining how it connects with what you want to achieve in your scholarly pursuits, personal passions, future career, or contributions and influence on your community).
Explain 3-5 BIG questions (these will be broken down into smaller questions in future assignments) that you want to research and explore in your interviews and research. Make sure your questions meet the following criteria: researchable, open ended (not a yes/no question), debatable, interesting, purposeful).
Important Note: Do NOT try to answer your questions! Please watch the supplemental video instructions and video on topic selections to ensure you are on the right track. You should not already feel like you "know" the answers to your questions. You are presenting the questions, not the answers.
4. Present 5 sources you would like to read/watch this semester. You do not have to read/watch these sources but explore them enough to know they are valuable/credible sources to help broaden your understanding and help answer your questions. You can either submit a works cited/ page for these sources OR ensure that you provide enough clarifying information (title, author)
5. Provide the names of 3 people you would like to interview as part of your research and explain why they may offer an interesting perspective on your topic. These should be people you have access to (via phone, email, or in person).