Students will work in groups of two on a project aimed at addressing a global issue or challenge through the lens of culture. At various points, students will be assessed on their work, creative skills, project relevance, and research skills. This is the first phase of the project and entails the submission of a Project Proposal (10% of the course grade).
In your groups you will submit a proposal that clearly outlines the following:
1. The global issue (250 words) 15 points
What is the global issue that your group is working on? Why is it a social, global issue that requires looking into, and requires an innovative solution? Who is this issue affecting and how? How is this issue embedded in culture?
2. The rationale for the project (300-400 words) 20 points
What research has been previously done on this issue that makes it a logical, reasonable issue to work on? What does this previous research say about already existing solutions? In this section you will set up the evidence for your creative, innovative solution.
3. Tentative innovative solution(s) and project format (200-250 words) 10 points
What tentative innovative solution(s) are you proposing for the above stated issue? How are you incorporating design thinking and/or the concept of frugal innovation to come up with these solutions? How do you envision that your solution will be implemented, and where—in which society(ies)? What is the proposed end result of implementing this innovation? For example, you can talk about what existing resources you are going to use to solve the scarcity of other(s). Think about how this solution is embedded in culture. This section can change during the final two phases as your research and project becomes more sophisticated.
4. Bibliography 5 points
List at least five references you will be using in this project, formatted to Chicago style. These references should be from legitimate sources, such as peer reviewed journals and established research websites. Any Wikipedia articles or similar references will be receiving negative points. News articles from unverified websites will be considered unsuitable as well.
