This page consists of projects from my first semester in humanities. We did two projects, both very interesting and beneficial to my learning. Each project took many weeks to come up with a final product. I enjoyed both projects and look forward to future ones in second semester.
The Tragedy Project
For this project, we began by focusing on Greek Tragedies, and how they used to form a sense of moral code in their society. We read Greek Tragedies, and then were asked to choose a modern day social issue and create our own tragedies on that issue. In our tragedies, we had to make the audience/reader feel pity and fear, along with create either a video, graphic novel, or stop-animation to represent our tragedy. This project took place over about a seven week period. |
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Project Reflection:
For my project, I focused on the social issue of abortion. My partner and I created a video, supporting the pro-choice argument of abortion. In this project, I am most proud of our prologue in our video. For our prologue, we decided to have our main character dreaming. She was dreaming of her past, and the dream flashed between a rape scene, her getting sick, her at the doctors, and her parents finding out she was pregnant. When we first began filming, we weren’t sure how we were going to make the video have an effect like she was dreaming, and we were also unsure how we were going to have it flash between different scenes. We took our dilemma to our digital arts teacher, Roxy, and she said that we didn’t always have to add effects to the video on the computer, we can manipulate the camera itself. For example, for our rape scene in the beginning, we were confused on how to make it look dark and scary, as well as blurry and unclear because our character was dreaming. Roxy helped us, and we decided to put chapstick on the camera, to make the scene look blurry. Then, we took a black light, and a normal light and took a journey into the teacher’s bathroom. In there, we turned off all the lights besides the two we brought in, and put chapstick on the camera. When we put this scene into iMovie on the computer, we were also able to add a dream effect, and manipulate the sound of the voices in the scene to make it more scary. I am very proud of this scene, as well as the other scenes in our prologue. We put a lot of hard work into editing and filming to make our video as real as possible. I am proud of the work we created, and I am excited to continue to make more work next semester.
There are many key things we had to focus on to be successful in this project, one of them being time management. For a student next year, I would say that they should definitely not let themselves get behind. Since we are so close to the end of the semester, everyone has a lot of work to finish in other classes as well. Blowing off your project to the last minute will only make your life harder, and it could possibly bring down your grade because it might not end up being quality work. In my project, one thing I would have refined was adding one more clip to our video. In this clip, we would have been showing our main character dropping off the baby at the father’s apartment building, and then leaving it behind. This was originally in our script, but because of the limited amount of time, we unfortunately had to take it out. Our video still makes sense, however it would have been more clear if we would have added that last clip. The reason why we weren’t able to add that clip is because we fell behind schedule, and we didn’t have enough time to film. I would say for next year, each student should carefully plan out what they are doing each day so they don’t fall behind like my partner and I did. However, I still feel like I did a great job on this project, and both my partner and I made a great video, even if it is missing one clip.
I feel as if one of the reasons why my project was so successful was because my partner, Hailey, and I worked really well together. We both balanced out the work load well, and we were able to corporate, as well as have fun while making our project. I think it worked out so well because I am so close with Hailey, and I have known from past experiences that we work well together. I think that having the opportunity to choose partners for this project was nice, because I felt as if I was able to prove that I am able to work well with the people I am closest with. It was also nice because Hailey and I already knew each other's schedules, so we were able to work around that to meet outside of school. We were comfortable around each other, and we already knew we got along well. Sometimes working in partners can be challenging if you can’t both agree on an idea, however, I believe that Hailey and I seemed to agree on almost everything in this project. We both worked together to edit and film, and we both stayed on track to turn everything in on time. I think that being able to work with such a close friend was really nice, especially because of how well we both worked together. We both put 100% effort into each day in order to create a project that was revised and was able to make a strong point, and I think we are both proud of that.
Overall, I think this project went really well. Although, one thing that proved to be the most challenging was the time management. It was hard because we had very limited time to complete this project. You really couldn’t get off track during class, otherwise you could easily fall behind. I overcame this problem by planning out what my partner and I were going to do each different day of the week. This helped because that way we had a different goal to meet each day. Some days we wouldn’t complete all of our filming, so we had to continue that the next day. This would make us behind, but we ended up getting catched up by working together outside of school to edit our video in iMovie. Personally, these last two weeks of classes have been very stressful. I have had a lot to turn in, and I have had such little time. Now knowing that I have turned in my humanities project, it has taken off a lot of stress. I put a lot of my time and energy into that project and I am so excited about our final product. Although I did struggle with time management, I learned to overcome it. I also learned new strategies to get things done, such as making goals each day. That way your mind wants to meet that goal, and you don’t get off track as easily. However, I think that this project was a good way to end the semester, and I am excited for the new projects that we will be starting in January.
There are many key things we had to focus on to be successful in this project, one of them being time management. For a student next year, I would say that they should definitely not let themselves get behind. Since we are so close to the end of the semester, everyone has a lot of work to finish in other classes as well. Blowing off your project to the last minute will only make your life harder, and it could possibly bring down your grade because it might not end up being quality work. In my project, one thing I would have refined was adding one more clip to our video. In this clip, we would have been showing our main character dropping off the baby at the father’s apartment building, and then leaving it behind. This was originally in our script, but because of the limited amount of time, we unfortunately had to take it out. Our video still makes sense, however it would have been more clear if we would have added that last clip. The reason why we weren’t able to add that clip is because we fell behind schedule, and we didn’t have enough time to film. I would say for next year, each student should carefully plan out what they are doing each day so they don’t fall behind like my partner and I did. However, I still feel like I did a great job on this project, and both my partner and I made a great video, even if it is missing one clip.
I feel as if one of the reasons why my project was so successful was because my partner, Hailey, and I worked really well together. We both balanced out the work load well, and we were able to corporate, as well as have fun while making our project. I think it worked out so well because I am so close with Hailey, and I have known from past experiences that we work well together. I think that having the opportunity to choose partners for this project was nice, because I felt as if I was able to prove that I am able to work well with the people I am closest with. It was also nice because Hailey and I already knew each other's schedules, so we were able to work around that to meet outside of school. We were comfortable around each other, and we already knew we got along well. Sometimes working in partners can be challenging if you can’t both agree on an idea, however, I believe that Hailey and I seemed to agree on almost everything in this project. We both worked together to edit and film, and we both stayed on track to turn everything in on time. I think that being able to work with such a close friend was really nice, especially because of how well we both worked together. We both put 100% effort into each day in order to create a project that was revised and was able to make a strong point, and I think we are both proud of that.
Overall, I think this project went really well. Although, one thing that proved to be the most challenging was the time management. It was hard because we had very limited time to complete this project. You really couldn’t get off track during class, otherwise you could easily fall behind. I overcame this problem by planning out what my partner and I were going to do each different day of the week. This helped because that way we had a different goal to meet each day. Some days we wouldn’t complete all of our filming, so we had to continue that the next day. This would make us behind, but we ended up getting catched up by working together outside of school to edit our video in iMovie. Personally, these last two weeks of classes have been very stressful. I have had a lot to turn in, and I have had such little time. Now knowing that I have turned in my humanities project, it has taken off a lot of stress. I put a lot of my time and energy into that project and I am so excited about our final product. Although I did struggle with time management, I learned to overcome it. I also learned new strategies to get things done, such as making goals each day. That way your mind wants to meet that goal, and you don’t get off track as easily. However, I think that this project was a good way to end the semester, and I am excited for the new projects that we will be starting in January.
Socialization and Identity Project
Everything we learn and every concept we believe in comes from our interactions with society. Society has made us the people we are today, without us even realizing it. The clothes we wear and the actions we make are all because of a large process called "The Cycle of Socialization". An ongoing cycle that has every individual fooled, with the judgmental categories and rankings of one another. This cycle has seven social identity categories that define who you are as a person. These categories help judge a person both negatively and positively. Yet, this process as become so large that it has taken over all of our society and all of our reasoning, and society can't seem to find a way to stop it.
Project Reflection:
Mask: What are you most proud of about your mask? Why?
Overall I think the the Identity/Socialization Project was very beneficial. The one thing I am most proud of on my mask is the ski goggles. I think they were painted well, and they definitely pull the mask together to create me. Without the ski goggles my mask wouldn’t be complete. On my mask I have a lot of different symbols that represent different topics that I covered in my essay. My mask is painted half a light skin color and half a dark skin color to show that I am half Egyptian. The ski goggles connect these two different races to represent who I am, and tie together my whole mask to make it come together as one. Both sides have different symbols on them and would be considered complete opposites if it wasn’t for the goggles. The goggles also represent how I was blinded by this cycle of socialization, up until this very day. They represent who I am, how I have been socialized, and what I will be for the rest of my life. I chose the ski goggles to represent this because I love to ski, and I thought it would be a great way to show the person I am proud to be.
Quote: Quote the section of your essay that you are most proud of and describe, in detail, why you are proud of it.
“The cycle of socialization is a system of norms and values that give our society its structure, almost like an invisible force field hovering over Earth. There is no way to remove it because it isn’t visible, yet it has shaped us into the people we are today. However, just like in the movies, there is a way to break through this force field, but in this case the power lies in our own hearts and our own minds.” This is a quote from my essay, and am proud of this because I feel as if I was able to relate the cycle of socialization to something creative and I brought another perspective to the readers mind. Personally, I feel as if I learn topics better when I am able to relate them to something in my own life, or something that I have seen before. Taking how I learn and putting it in my essay was a good way to help the reader understand the impact that the cycle of socialization has on our lives, in a creative yet simple way. I am proud of my whole essay, although I feel as if this was one of my stronger points.
Biggest Take-away: What will you remember from this project? Why?
My biggest takeaway from this project would have to be learning about the cycle of socialization, because it changed my views on society and made me begin to notice how I act and have been socialized as an individual. It made me realize that the seven social identity categories are only made up of stereotypes, and it brought a different perspective in my head. I shouldn’t let society break me down. I can still follow the norms and have the same values without being the same as everyone else. It made me realize that being different is better, because it shows that this ongoing cycle of socialization can’t reach that certain individual. Most importantly, the one thing I will always remember from this project is that society has socialized every individual to be who they are, yet if we stop following these stereotypes we would all be become the individuals we secretly want to be.
Habit of Heart and Mind: Which habit of heart and mind do you need to work on in your next project to get better at Project Based Learning? Why do you need to improve and how that Habit of Heart and Mind will help you?
The one habit of heart and mind I need to work on for my next project is evidence. I say this because I didn’t do a lot of extra research besides inside of class and what I already knew. I could have made my evidence a lot stronger if I would have taken more time to look up the topics I chose to write about. I feel as if my evidence right now is strong, but there is always room for improvement. Having stronger evidence in project based learning will really help me backup my argument, along with helping me go more in depth by giving me another person’s perspective. Not only that, but having clear evidence will really help the audience understand the topics at hand. All parts of the habits of heart and mind are important when it comes to project based learning, however, I think that getting stronger, clearer, and finer evidence will really benefit me for the future.
Overall I think the the Identity/Socialization Project was very beneficial. The one thing I am most proud of on my mask is the ski goggles. I think they were painted well, and they definitely pull the mask together to create me. Without the ski goggles my mask wouldn’t be complete. On my mask I have a lot of different symbols that represent different topics that I covered in my essay. My mask is painted half a light skin color and half a dark skin color to show that I am half Egyptian. The ski goggles connect these two different races to represent who I am, and tie together my whole mask to make it come together as one. Both sides have different symbols on them and would be considered complete opposites if it wasn’t for the goggles. The goggles also represent how I was blinded by this cycle of socialization, up until this very day. They represent who I am, how I have been socialized, and what I will be for the rest of my life. I chose the ski goggles to represent this because I love to ski, and I thought it would be a great way to show the person I am proud to be.
Quote: Quote the section of your essay that you are most proud of and describe, in detail, why you are proud of it.
“The cycle of socialization is a system of norms and values that give our society its structure, almost like an invisible force field hovering over Earth. There is no way to remove it because it isn’t visible, yet it has shaped us into the people we are today. However, just like in the movies, there is a way to break through this force field, but in this case the power lies in our own hearts and our own minds.” This is a quote from my essay, and am proud of this because I feel as if I was able to relate the cycle of socialization to something creative and I brought another perspective to the readers mind. Personally, I feel as if I learn topics better when I am able to relate them to something in my own life, or something that I have seen before. Taking how I learn and putting it in my essay was a good way to help the reader understand the impact that the cycle of socialization has on our lives, in a creative yet simple way. I am proud of my whole essay, although I feel as if this was one of my stronger points.
Biggest Take-away: What will you remember from this project? Why?
My biggest takeaway from this project would have to be learning about the cycle of socialization, because it changed my views on society and made me begin to notice how I act and have been socialized as an individual. It made me realize that the seven social identity categories are only made up of stereotypes, and it brought a different perspective in my head. I shouldn’t let society break me down. I can still follow the norms and have the same values without being the same as everyone else. It made me realize that being different is better, because it shows that this ongoing cycle of socialization can’t reach that certain individual. Most importantly, the one thing I will always remember from this project is that society has socialized every individual to be who they are, yet if we stop following these stereotypes we would all be become the individuals we secretly want to be.
Habit of Heart and Mind: Which habit of heart and mind do you need to work on in your next project to get better at Project Based Learning? Why do you need to improve and how that Habit of Heart and Mind will help you?
The one habit of heart and mind I need to work on for my next project is evidence. I say this because I didn’t do a lot of extra research besides inside of class and what I already knew. I could have made my evidence a lot stronger if I would have taken more time to look up the topics I chose to write about. I feel as if my evidence right now is strong, but there is always room for improvement. Having stronger evidence in project based learning will really help me backup my argument, along with helping me go more in depth by giving me another person’s perspective. Not only that, but having clear evidence will really help the audience understand the topics at hand. All parts of the habits of heart and mind are important when it comes to project based learning, however, I think that getting stronger, clearer, and finer evidence will really benefit me for the future.