Dr. Johanna E. Rubba
English Department (Linguistics)
California Polytechnic State
University, San Luis Obispo, California
Last updated 2/29/12
Instructions for Progress Reports
I LIKE TO HELP! Click
here for my current office hour schedule.
Progress
Report #1
- Due Weds., 2/14/12
- Include:
- All projects:
- A bibliography containing minimum three sources. One may be a source
that provided you with, say, an image that you are reproducing. If
you are using images in, say, a poster session, you should list
your sources (if it is an image you retrieved online, give at
least the full URL; include more information if it is available),
but these do not count towards the three. At least two of your sources
must be scholarly sources that have provided you with subtantial
information about your project, such as books, longer journal articles,
etc. Not allowable are documents provided on a website by professors
at other universities for their classes, or copies of slide presentations
other professors use in their classes. These are not peer-reviewed
and may not be accurate. The bibliography must be presented IN STANDARD
MLA OR APA FORMAT. Web sources should have a URL that I can use to
access the material directly. If you do not use a standard format,
you will lose 1 point of the Progress Report score (which is 5).
- Below each bibliography entry, skip one line and write a very brief
(2-4 sentences) summary of what the source has provided.
- Description of your display plans. The description should not be
sketchy at this point. If you are performing or doing something that
will not require a display, inform me of how you will dress, and
include any details that will help me visualize your project. Performers
should dress formally. A period costume is always great, and Costume
Capers has a terrific assortment, but this is not required if it
is a strain on your budget.
Attractive displays make the Faire look like an event rather than
a class. At minimum, a cover for the table (projects will rest on
trestle tables) makes a huge difference. Second-hand stores often
have very nice tablecloths or other spreads (bedsheets are not recommended)
for next to no money, sometimes new in their packaging. If you have
no use for them after the Faire, you can donate them back! You can
also check upholsterers for samples of discontinued fabric -- sometimes
the pieces are quite large, and there are very elegant patterns and
colors. And, of course, they're cheap.
Very important: if you are displaying something two-dimensional,
such as a manuscript page, a painting, or the like, do NOT lay it
flat on the tabletop. In such a position, it is barely noticeable
and visitors have to lean over to view it. Michael's, Beverly's,
Staples, and Office Max have various kinds and sizes of stands, some
quite decorative. Accompanying text should also not lay flat.
- Artifact projects (manuscripts, jewelry, etc.):
- A photo of the current state of your project. If you have not started
making it yet, but have images of models you are referring to, include
copies of those (please shrink them to fit on standard 8.5x11 paper)
If you are able, make the copies color copies. Describe any materials
you have procured. Describe also what measures you have taken to
equip yourself with the skills to do the project, e.g., calligraphy
practice, lessons at the Craft Center, etc.
If you are composing a text in an earlier (or future) version of English,
include what you have so far (which should be at least a Modern English
version) along with any bits you have translated already. Apprise me
of your study of the approriate syntax and vocabulary of your era,
referring to bibliography items and any professors you have consulted.
Same goes for any information you have pursued regarding the common
themes and literary styles of the period.
If your artifact is done, do not submit it. Submit a photograph, preferably
printed on standard 8.5x11 paper (the photo does not have to fill the
entire page).
- Performance projects:
- Describe the timing, seqence, and likely duration of your performance.
Describe what you will wear. As for the artifact projects, describe
any training or rehearsal you've been doing, along with anyone you've
consulted.
- You must have some kind of textual information with your performance.
I recommend a handout, double-sided if necessary, with information
about your topic: period; how it fit into the cultural context of
the time, a translation; if necessary. The handout should be neat,
and it would be nice if it were graphically decorated in some way.
Include in your report a sort of template version of your handout,
showing your current design ideas for any graphics, along with indicators
of what text will be there (bullet points or boxes with titles, for
example).
- You and I will schedule a time during Week 8 for you to practice
the piece for me.
- If you are doing anything that involves the pronunciation of earlier
versions of English, you MUST see me immediately and two more times
before the Faire.
- Poster sessions:
- Provide an outline of your subject matter, in outline form. Put
in titles for the major sections of information. Include, in brief
outline items, any further information you have found (not more than
a line or two of text). Describe any images or artifacts that will
accompany your presentation. Include a sketch or graphic mockup of
your poster (reduced to 8.5x11, of course). This can just say what
will appear where; you do not have to include actual images or text.
If your presentation is on a computer, describe it to me and include
two copies of pages from the presentation, if you have begun creating
it. If it is a PowerPoint or similar slide presentation, and you have
begun creating it, print out what you have in slide sorter view (light
table in Keynote), with the slides large enough for me to read the
text (200% in PowerPoint; split over two pages if necessary).
- Length: I would expect about 3-5 pages, including images and
bibliography. The informational portion should be around 2 pages.
- Formatting:
- Type your report.
Give your identifying information at the top (left- or right-hand
corner), not on a separate page.
- Single-space your text.
- Only a Times-type font
is acceptable: Times, Times Roman, Times New Roman. Font size must
be 12-pt.
- Margins of 1" or
1.25".
- Edit for typos, punctuation, and academic English.
Progress
Report #2
- Due Monday, Mar. 5th at class time
- Include in your report:
- All projects:
- Resubmit your first Progress Report with this one.
- In general, fill in any gaps that I pointed out in the first report.
- Bibliography:
- You do not need a reference list at the Faire. If you have direct quotes on a poster board or handout, supply (in very small print) the author's name, title of the work, and date (no publisher, volume numbers, page numbers, etc. required). If you have images you obtained from a website, supply (again in very small print) the URL which supplied them.
- Reminder: Only one source (one bibliography entry) can be from a standard encyclopedia. Wikipedia cannot be used.
- IF you had more than three sources on your first Progress Report, and I was satisfied with all of them, you need not include a bibliography.
- IF you had at least three sources on your first Progress Report, and I approved all of them as scholarly sources, provide one more scholarly source.
- IF you had fewer than three satisfactory sources on the first Progress Report, you need to bring the bibliography up to four sources: one may be a non-scholarly source which supplied you with, say, a model you are basing your project on. The remaining three must be material that has been reviewed by other scholars in the same field. Most reliable here are materials you find through the library's online article databases, and books.
- Display:
- All but performance projects require an attractive display. Your display plans should be complete at this point. If you need attractive cloths for your table, I have a small number of them I can bring to the Faire. Describe your display plans in detail. If you want one of my cloths, e-mail me as soon as possible.
- Computers, etc.: If your project involves a laptop display or interactive laptop features, follow the instructions under Poster Sessions for the last Report. If there will be sound associated with the project, it's best to provide headphones rather than relying on computer speakers. There will be background music for the Faire, and people milling around, so there can't be too much sound "competition."
- Artifact projects:
- These should be virtually done, with only finishing touches remaining. Supply a clear photo of your artifact, as instructed for Progress Report #1. Supply the textual information that will accompany your piece. The text should be a final draft, but it doesn't have to look exactly like it will for your display. Describe any images or other items that will accompany it, and any interactive aspects of the project. If you didn't supply a diagram of any accompanying poster material last time, please do so this time.
- Performance projects:
- Fill in any gaps from the last report. I would like a sample of your performance, either recorded or live.
- Submit the finished form of the handout you'll supply for Faire visitors.
- Poster Sessions:
- Submit a final draft of all of the text that will be in your poster session. Submit it, not as continuous paragraphs, but in outline form (as you see on this page: bulleted or numbered lists with different levels). Paragraphs of text can be bulleted items (again, you can use this page as a model). Use a Times font in 12 pt.; your text does not have to look like it will on your poster. If there will be images or such like associated with a particular bit of text, describe it briefly in a bullet point under the same heading as the text.
- Work out the exact placement of your various elements on your poster board or whatever other medium you might be using. Provide a sketch similar to in the last Progress Report; but there shouldn't be a lot of empty space. Do some measuring and plan out the design.
- Describe anything that will accompany your poster – table cloth, decorative items, relevant artifacts, etc.
- Describe any interactive elements in relative detail; what will visitors to your display do?