Your final project will be completed in multiple phases, spread out over the course of weeks, as follows. For ALL elements, 50% will be deducted from that element if it is longer than prescribed.

You can complete this individually, or in a group with one other person. 

Two things to note for group work:

• If you work in a group, you will all receive the same grade, and will submit one submission per group for each of the assignments. The only difference between an individual and a group assignment is that you are allowed more words for certain portions of the assignment if you work in a group.
• If you work in a group, I will check in periodically to make sure that everyone is contributing sufficiently. If you do not contribute a fair share of the assignment, you may lose up to 10% of your Final Project grade. This will be done on a case-by-case basis.

Assignment 1: Initial proposal (5% of Final Project grade, 0.5% of final grade)

I'm sure you will have a number of interesting ideas for movies, but for the initial proposal, you must submit one idea. This is a relatively short assignment - the proposal is only a few paragraphs. This gives you the opportunity to begin solidifying general movie details and gives me the opportunity to provide you with feedback in a short period of time. This feedback will hopefully help you determine which of the idea you will use for your final project.

Each initial proposal must have the following elements for full credit. This must be a Microsoft Word document.

• Movie Title
• 1 paragraph (100 words or less) summary of the story. Include the word count.
• 1 paragraph (50 words or less) describe the sustainability theme and how you address/illustrate it in the movie. Include the word count.
• 1 paragraph (50 words or less) summary how/why this is appropriate for a general audience and justification for why audiences will want to see it. Include the word count.

See the rubric for grading, and the Course Calendar for due date.

Assignment 2: Full Rough draft (20% of Final Project grade, 2% of overall grade)

For your full rough draft, you will complete a full rough draft of the Final Project. You must have all the elements of the final project for full credit. See the Final Project Description for full details, and look at the rubric to see how this will be graded. If you are working in a group, submit a single document.

For full credit. You will submit a draft containing all of the elements of the Final Project in rough form.

This assignment is a single-spaced Microsoft Word Document.  Review the grading rubric and the Course Calendar for due date.

Assignment 3: Discussion Board - Peer Review of Movie Proposals

You will provide substantive feedback on as many aspects of one movie proposals as possible. This is to be constructive feedback, even if it focuses on aspects that did not resonate with you. Use the prompts provided to give constructive feedback.

Assignment 4: Final project final submission (75% of Final Project grade, 7.5% of overall grade)

For your final project, you will use the feedback provided to you on your rough draft and finalize your project. For full credit, you must have all of the elements of the final project, as listed in the Final Project Description.

You must submit a single-spaced Microsoft Word Document. See the rubric for grading and the Course Calendar for due date.

Throughout the semester, you have critically analyzed a number of artifacts. Now it is your turn to propose an original artifact, namely, a movie. You are a screenwriter and you are planning to propose an original movie to the studio head (me!). As budding sustainability experts well-versed in the art of rhetoric, you are perfectly suited to write a movie that appeals to a wide audience and has sustainability as a core theme. Fortunately for you, the studio head also understands sustainability and rhetoric, so can provide feedback on both counts! The movie can have any story, but must meet the following criteria:

• This must be intended for a general audience. It does not have to be a blockbuster but must not require specialized knowledge in order to be understood.
• It cannot be a documentary. 
• The ability (or inability) of the earth to sustainably support life must be a central theme. It does not have to be the only theme or even the main theme, but it must play a prominent role in the movie.
• It must be an original movie. It can be a sequel, but not one that has already been made.

You can complete this individually, or in a group. 

If you work in a group, you will all receive the same grade, and will submit one submission per group for each of the assignments. The only difference between an individual and a group assignment is that you are allowed more words for certain portions of the assignment if you work in a group.

If you work in a group, I will check in periodically to make sure that everyone is contributing sufficiently. If you do not contribute a fair share of the assignment, you may lose up to 10% of your Final Project grade. This will be done on a case-by-case basis.

Final Project Required Elements

The Final Project must have the following components for full credit. This must be single-spaced, 12 pt font, and submitted on a Word document. If your submission is longer than the prescribed length, that element's score will be reduced by 50%: You must perform your own word count and indicate the number of words in each section. Please number your proposal elements, following the system below (1-6).

1. Movie title: The quality of the title is not graded, as it is subjective (though I may comment on it). Your grade is based on whether you provide a title or not. Have some fun with this (if you want)!
2. One paragraph (no more than 150 words for an individual, 250 for a group) overview: This MUST be a single paragraph. It should summarize the movie plot and should be written in a way that “sells” the movie, both to the studio and to the general audience. Do NOT give away the ending of the movie. Give the audience just enough information to want to watch the whole movie. Think of this almost like a movie trailer.
3. No more than 1 (one) sentence each: Briefly describe each major character in the movie, e.g., important character traits and the role they play. Do not give away the plot yet.
   1. It can be fun to suggest actors/actresses for these roles! Feel free to do this, though it is not necessary. If you do, try to make it a diverse group.
4. A few paragraphs (no more than 400 words for an individual, 500 words for a group): Summarize the movie. Describe the plot.  
   • Include at least one instance of each rhetorical strategy (ethos, pathos, logos). You will describe them below, so don't point them out - just make sure they are in there!
   • Feel free to provide some dialogue, but you do not need to.
   • Like any good movie, make sure you tell a good story! For full credit, the movie should have a beginning, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. (It doesn't have to be perfect - I recognize that the word count is limiting. But all of the elements of a good movie should be present.)
5. One paragraph (no more than 75 words for an individual, 100 words for a group) Include an analysis of why a general audience would want to see the movie. Keep in mind that a strong sustainability theme is not enough to have a wide appeal. That will only appeal to a certain segment of the population. 
6. One paragraph (no more than 75 words for an individual, 100 words for a group) summary of the specific sustainability message of the movie. This must meet the following criteria for full credit:
   • It must address as a MAJOR theme the ability (or inability) of the planet to sustainably provide the resources necessary to support life on earth. The movie could be set in the future, present, and/or past. Describe exactly what message the movie will present in this regard.
   • Be specific!  E.g., do not just indicate that “it is about the negative effects of climate change.”  Be specific about the cause(s) and effect(s) of the sustainability issue, e.g., what social/political/economic situations lead to climate change not being addressed, and the specific impacts that will be portrayed, etc.
7. Two sentences each (6 sentences total): Indicate one example of each rhetorical strategy (ethos, pathos, logos) in the movie description.
   • Briefly describe why it qualifies as that strategy, making it clear that you understand what that strategy means.
   • Use bullet points for this! Each strategy is a bullet point. (E.g. first bullet could be "Pathos: It is pathos when XYZ character says "blah, blah, blah." It is pathos because it meant to elicit a feeling of sadness in the viewer.")
   • Important note: You must establish ethos with the audience. Since these are fictional movies, doing something like including a scientist in the movie will not accomplish this, because they know that the scientist is just someone playing a character. Using scientifically accurate (or seemingly accurate) language may accomplish this, though, as can a number of other things.
8. One paragraph (50 words or less) Describe the scientific basis for the sustainability theme.
   • Include one quality sources of information that you will use as reference material. Briefly summarize the content as it relates to your movie content.
   • Cite your source using APA format. For a primer on APA, see the Penn State APA Style Guide and/or the Purdue University Online Writing Laboratory APA Style Guide.
9. One paragraph (50 words or less) Evaluate the validity of each source you use.
   •  Explain why it is credible, using the framework you have used throughout the course (credentials, writing style, original source material, validity/bias of the site overall)

Note that you will also be graded on overall clarity and organization. The descriptions of each component must have a good flow and quality description. See rubrics for full grading description.

You must submit this via a Microsoft Word document.