History of Science OnlineCourse Info: HSCI 3013 - section 995 - Fall 2008 |
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Weekly Web Project assignment
| # | Due Date | Pts | Activity | Time |
| 6 | Monday 11:59 p.m. |
10 | Web
Project this is a semester-long project where, little-by-little and step-by-step each week, you build your own website on an aspect of the history of science of special interest to you |
90 min
- 2 hours |
Completion of a web project is necessary for a passing grade in the course.
Why am I doing a Web Project? The Web Project is a semester-long project where you will make your own creative contribution to the history of science! In the regular weekly assignments we only skim the surface as we journey rapidly through the history of science; with the web project, in contrast, you can pause and go into greater detail on some aspect of the history of science that you want to learn more about.
Most 3000 level courses in the history of science require a semester research paper. However, this online course is different. Rather than writing a dull, analytical research paper that only your instructor will read, this assignment gives you a chance to create a significant project on a topic of your choice that is meaningful to you and that will be read by your fellow students and others on the world wide web.
At the beginning, it might help to think about your web project as an exhibit in a museum. You will create one exhibit, and each of your classmates will create other exhibits. All the web projects produced this semester will comprise a virtual Museum of the History of Science. This Museum will be accessible to anyone from anywhere, instead of constructed in brick and mortar. So with that in mind, think about this: What topic or area in the history of science do you want to make sure is included in our History of Science Museum? This web project will be your opportunity to do something creative to show others how interesting your favorite topic can be!
When is the Web Project due each week? Unlike a semester research paper that you wait to write until the night before it's due at the end of the semester, you will create your Web Project step by step throughout the semester. You will complete one assignment for the Web Project every week, due by 11:59 p.m. every Monday (see Weekly Assignments and time management tips).
How is the Web Project assignment graded each week? Unlike most of the other assignments in this class, you will have to wait -- usually for several days -- until you find out the points awarded for your Web Project assignment. The Web Project constitutes 17% of your grade each week (10 out of 60 points each week). See Web Project Points.
I don't know anything about building web pages! How will I figure out how to do this? Don't worry if you have no previous experience writing a web page; you will build your Web Project step by step. Each week in the Internet assignments you will learn and practice a basic skill, and before you know it, you'll be creating web pages! For more information on how you will create your web project (using free software), see the Internet assignments and Technical Notes pages.
How can I choose a topic for my Web Project? Just to give you a few ideas, your Web Project might consider any of the following themes or disciplines in relation to the history of science:
The
History of Science and ... |
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... choose any Theme! |
...
choose any Discipline! |
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If none of these themes catch your eye, you are welcome to come up with some other idea. There are many connections you can make to the history of science. Be creative!
During the first weeks of class you will brainstorm, research, and select your theme. For example, you will explore primary sources available on the Internet; find reliable secondary sources using online databases, brainstorm different possible topics that interest you; choose a topic and write a draft of an introduction; brainstorm possible writing styles; and revise your introduction.
Your work will proceed gradually and incrementally, and you won't have to do it all at once, like a semester paper written in its entirety over Thanksgiving vacation!
How will I research my Web Project? You will draw upon a variety of primary sources, all of the course readings, student essays, and discussion board interaction, as well as other reliable printed and Internet sources. I will provide research tips and guidelines for finding reliable secondary sources.
Can I use the original rare books and images from the History of Science Collections of the University of Oklahoma? Yes! As you're considering the topic for your Web Project, keep in mind that to obtain images for your web project, you can arrange with me to photograph pages from the original rare books in the History of Science Collections. And you can actually handle the original printed editions of these books, too. Moreover, we already have thousands of images online taken from our rare books in the history of science. See Finding Images.
What writing styles can I use in my Web Project? You are not limited to an academic, analytical writing style! Make the project as engaging for your fellow classmates as you can. The style or literary genre of your pages may be as varied as in the case of Interpretation essays. See Writing Styles.
Do
spelling and grammar count as part of the Web Project grade? Yes; you
will need to carefully spellcheck
and proofread your
Web Project assignments! See Writing
Tips and Guidelines.
How many pages will my Web Project include? Your
Web Project will consist of a total of five web pages: Three pages
devoted to three different Episodes (see below),
plus an overall Introduction and an overall Conclusion.
What are Episodes, and how do they fit into the Web Project? Think of your web project as consisting of "small pieces loosely joined" (a famous description of the Internet), rather than an epic narrative that only a ponderous academic could write at the end of a long career. The three most important "small pieces" of your web project will be three web pages called "episodes." Each Episode is a web page devoted to some entity that exemplifies your theme or topic in the history of science. The entity may be an event / person / primary source / institution / idea / movement / tradition / school or group / etc. You do not need to select the same entity for each Episode (that would often be impossible), but the Episodes do need to be related in such a way that each one illustrates or helps to develop the overall thrust of your Web Project. Example: Someone creating a Web Project on "scientific institutions" might create different Episode web pages for Plato's Academy, the Library of Alexandria, an Islamic madrasa, a Medieval university, a Renaissance court, or an early modern scientific society. Or someone creating a Web Project on the history of astronomy might create different episodes on three interesting books (primary sources) in the history of astronomy, or the treatment of a single constellation in three different celestial atlases or star catalogs; etc.
How
should I get started thinking about my episodes? I strongly recommend
that you select three different primary sources (original works) that interest
you, and use one of them as the basis for each of your three episodes. Think of your web project as a room in an online museum that will contain three exhibits, one exhibit for each original book.
What must each Episode web page include?
There are three chief requirements:
For additional specific requirements,
refer to this more detailed
explanation.
Must my Episodes deal with different periods?
Or can all of my Episodes focus on, for example, ancient Greek science? Your
web project will have three episodes. No two Episodes may concentrate on
the same period. The three different Episodes of your Web Project should
consider your chosen theme or discipline in a variety of settings through time.
The semester course is divided roughly evenly between ancient science,
medieval (including Islamic) science, and early modern
science (see Periods
and Dates, and the semester
schedule). In other words, of the three Episodes, one will pertain to ancient
science, one to medieval and one to early modern. Example: For the
case of scientific institutions noted above, one could not select the Temple
of Esagila in Babylon, Plato's Academy, and the Library of Alexandria, because
all of these pertain to a single period, science in antiquity. Ask me if you
are in doubt about possible Episodes on the borderline between periods.
Can I
include an Episode outside the periods covered by this course?
This is a course in the History of Science to Newton; Episodes must come
from the ancient, medieval/Islamic and early modern periods; and not more recent
than the early modern period (Periods
and Dates). All episodes must occur before the death of Newton in 1727.
If you want to do additional Episodes on persons or events after the periods
covered by this course, by all means do so for your own enjoyment (perhaps after
the semester is over), but any Episode occurring after 1727 will not count toward
the requirements of your Web Project. Think of your Web Project this semester
as just the beginning of your interest in the history of science; the first
steps in a larger project of your own design!
May I create a Web Project on the same topic as
another student? Yes, but no two students' Web Projects should
treat the same Episode in the same way. It is the responsibility of the
students who are working on similar themes or disciplines to coordinate their
Web Projects in such a way as to ensure vital differences in approach and in
the Episodes that are discussed. However, this stipulation does not rule out
meaningful voluntary collaborations between students whose common interests
motivate them to undertake carefully planned Web Projects in a coordinated manner.
For example, two students working on scientific institutions could split up
the ancient institutions noted above, and link to each other's Episode pages.
A group of students could produce interlinked Web Projects on the history of
medicine, the history of women in science, or the history of astronomy, etc.
What you do is up to you!
Will other students in this class read my Web Project?
YES! When you are publishing your Episodes, you will be getting feedback
nearly every week from other students in the class about each Episode
of your Web Project, and you will have opportunity to make revisions accordingly
before your episodes are graded by the instructor.
What is the semester schedule of assignments for the Web Project?
Week |
Web Project assignment |
1 |
Introduction |
2 |
Explore primary sources, both printed and online |
3 |
Explore secondary sources; brainstorm four different topics |
4 |
Choose a topic and write a draft of introduction |
5 |
Brainstorm writing styles |
6 |
Revise Introduction |
7 |
Episode Week 1 |
8 |
Episode Week 2 |
9 |
Episode Week 3 |
10 |
Episode Week 4 |
11 |
Episode Week 5 |
| 12 |
Episode Week 6 |
| 13 |
Episode Week 7 |
| I will assign research and publishing grades for each episode near the end of the semester, at the conclusion of Week 13, after you have had a chance to revise your episodes based on the feedback you receive from fellow students. | |
14 |
Complete your Web Project |
| 15 |
General clean-up |
How do I take a pass on the weekly Web Project?
Beginning in Week 7, you will have 7 weeks to research and publish the Episodes of your Web Project, one after another, as described on the semester schedule above. But this schedule allows 7 weeks to complete 3 episodes at 2 weeks per episode; thus, there is one extra week. This means that you can take a "pass" on your weekly Web Project for one of the 8 weeks, beginning with Week 7, up through Week 13. Think of your pass week as an opportunity to work ahead and take more time with your hardest episode.
Each week over a 7-week period, you have three choices:
The later in the semester you take your pass, the better: The sooner you publish, the more feedback you will receive from your classmates, and the more feedback you receive, the better your grade is likely to be!
You may take your pass whenever you like during this 7-week period. For example, you could take a pass before one of your three research draft weeks (spending a total of 3 weeks on that episode, instead of the usual 2 weeks per episode).
Warning to perfectionists: You can always revise your episodes after they are published, before they are graded (after Week 13), so to benefit from your classmates' feedback, don't wait to publish them until they are polished!
During the week that you take a pass, you do not need to let me know that you are taking a pass.
Here is how the grading is handled for these episode assignments: Weekly web project grades are not included with the week category in the gradebook as during other weeks. Rather, there is a separate category in the D2L gradebook entitled "Episodes." This category contains 2 columns for each of the 3 episodes, one for researching it and one for publishing it. Then there is one additional column worth 10 points for the pass. Everyone will find 10 points already automatically entered in the pass column.
The instructor will assign research and publishing grades for each episode near the end of the semester, at the conclusion of Week 13, after you have had a chance to revise your episodes based on the feedback you receive from fellow students.When I take a pass on the weekly Web Project assignment, must I still do the Internet assignment?
Yes. You still need to do the Internet assignment every week, even when you are taking a pass on the Web Project assignment.
Where can I find the Web Projects of other students? As projects are published, links will be compiled to access students' Web Projects here. Go to this page anytime by clicking the "Projects" link on the far right in the top title area of any page on this course website.
"To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme. No great and enduring volume can ever be written on the flea, though many there be who have tried it." Herman Melville, Moby Dick CIV.
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HSCI 3013. History
of Science to 17th century
Many thanks to Mythology
and Folklore and other online courses developed by Laura Gibbs.
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