The final project for this class is your UnEssay—in whatever format you feel is the best method to tell the story from the sources you found in your I-Search paper.
So what do you have to do?
The answer to this question is…whatever you want! You aren’t limited to writing a paper, but, if you love writing and want to tell the story in a long-form essay (think of something that would appear in the New Yorker or the Atlantic) that is fine. If you are more comfortable putting together a visual presentation, you could consider creating a video or a website. The possibilities are open, but you’ll find some ideas below.
What does a successful UnEssay look like?
Tells a story: There should be a coherent and clear narrative to follow, in whatever format you decide to use.
Uses the sources: You should engage with all of the sources you uncovered in your I-Search process to tell this story.
Highlights the voices of your historical subjects: Incorporate quotes from primary sources. Make sure we understand the perspectives of the historical subjects you researched.
Represents you: This final version should also represent you in some way. You get to choose the format—it is up to you how to tell the story. I’m leaving the format up to you because I really want the project to be interesting and fun for you to complete. I don’t really like reading 50 versions of the same paper—I want to hear how you interpret your sources, how you craft a narrative, which elements of the story you consider to be most important.
