Brian Patrick ELAN 7408 Dr. Smagorinsky September 22, 2008 Alternate Narratives: The Revision of Cultural Representation in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart "The last four or five hundred years of European contact with Africa produced a body of literature that presented Africa in a very bad light and Africans in very lurid terms. … This continued until the Africans themselves, in the middle of the twentieth century, took into their own hands the telling of their story." (Chinua Achebe, "An African Voice") Goals Goal 1: Research Project One of the main goals of this unit is to familiarize students with the history and culture of the Igbo people, Nigeria, and Africa, fully recognizing that the continent of Africa is a diverse, geographical space with numerous ethnic groups, cultures, and traditions. I feel that if students are able to research and explain the culture, traditions, and history behind Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness they will be prepared for many of the challenges in these texts. This research and presentation project will be somewhat informal in nature; I’m not looking for a well-polished, collegiate research paper. I want students to explore and investigate the background and history of these texts on their own rather than passively taking notes from a teacher-led lecture. ___________________ To help you prepare for the novels Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart, both of which represent the culture and people of Nigeria and the land surrounding the Congo River in vastly different ways, you will conduct small research projects on important historical and cultural topics. In addition, an understanding of European colonization of Africa in the late 19th2 century is crucial to an adequate understanding of Achebe’s cultural response in Things Fall Apart. You will work in groups of 3-4 (groups will be of your own choosing) and will research a group-selected topic from the following: European Imperialism in Africa Congo River British Colonization of Nigeria Nigerian Independence Ethnic Groups of Nigeria Religion in Nigeria Gender Roles in Nigeria Art and Literature of Nigeria Your group will then assemble a report and present your findings to the class. You will have two days to conduct your research in the media center. You will then have one day in class and one day in the computer lab to assemble presentation. Your research presentation must meet the following requirements: • You will each submit a proposal on your first day in the media center, outlining the jobs and duties that you will be responsible for in your group • Your presentation must include at least one visual (power point slides, timeline, map, diagram, poster, etc.) that helps your audience understand your topic • Your presentation must exhibit a clear organizational pattern that logically covers your topic • The information you provide must come from a minimum of two sources: one printed source and one online source • Sources must be accurately documented in a MLA style Works Cited page, which must be turned in at the time of your presentation Students will be graded based on the following rubric: 4 3 2 1 Proposal of Duties and Responsibilities Student clearly explains what information he or she is responsible for locating, when the information is needed, and fully participates in the group’s presentation. Student clearly explains what information he or she is responsible for locating, but may not fully contribute to the group’s research or presentation. Student can somewhat explain what information he or she is responsible for locating, but does not contribute to the group’s research or presentation. Student cannot explain what information he or she is responsible for locating and does not participate in the group’s presentation. Quality of Research Presented information is relevant, interesting, and Presented information is interesting but brief and is presented in a Presented information is vague or confusing and is presented in a Presented information is not clear or is incomplete. The3 presented in a clear, logical manner that demonstrates a clear understanding of the topic. manner that demonstrates some understanding of the topic. way that demonstrates little understanding of the topic. group does appear to have researched the topic. Quality and Quantity of Sources Researchers locate at least 2 reliable and factual sources. One is a printed source and one is an online source. Researchers locate at least 2 reliable and factual sources. Researchers locate 1 reliable and factual source. Researchers do not locate any sources, or their sources appear to be inappropriate for the topic. Quality of Visual Visual is neat, organized, and aids the audience in the understanding the topic. Visual is neat and organized, but does not offer any new assistance in understanding the topic. Visual is sloppily created and does not offer any assistance in understanding the topic. Group does not create an acceptable visual. Works Cited and Format Group accurately creates an MLA style Works Cited page for their research Group creates an MLA style Works Cited page, but failed to accurately cite all of their sources. Group lists their sources, but it is not in the style of a MLA Works Cited page. Group does not cite their sources *Rubric was taken from White: Journeys of Grief: the Quest of War, Inward and Out. Goal 2: Multi-genre Writing Project The culminating project for this unit will be a multi-genre project that has students piece together several pieces of writing—narrative, haiku, song, couplets, or signs to just name a few—into a collective whole that makes a reflective statement or argument about what they have learned. This project combines both analytical and creative skills to help students construct a uniquely personal text about their transactions with the readings. ___________________ You have read several complex texts that discuss how culture may be represented in literature. To show what you have learned from your transactions with these texts, I’m asking you to create a multi-genre writing project. A multi-genre project is just what the term suggests: it is a non-traditional paper using many different genres. I have chosen this type of project over a traditional analytical paper because multi-genre papers allow for student4 creativity; this is your chance to think outside the box, experiment with types of