Nobel Laureate Semester-Long Project Overview

 

This semester, you will be proposing a musical artist of whom you think is deserving of the Nobel Prize, just like Bob Dylan (who is the only musical artist to be given the award). This project has many parts, and some of those parts have varying due dates. Below is a breakdown of each assignment and their due dates.

Choose a Musical Artist and Two Songs Due 1/27

On the class Blogger Site or in the Major Assignments Module, find your name on the Artist, Song, and Lyrics list. In your row, include the name of the artist you choose, the name of each song, and a link to each song's lyrics.

Choose a Response Blog Due Date

Each week, some of you will create a response blog investigating the songs you chose and the information you have learned through your research thus far. On the Blogger or the Major Assignments Module, find your class and type your name next to the date in which you will be responsible for your blog post. When it is your week, your blog post is due on Tuesday by 11:59 PM. When it is not your week, you will reply to one of your classmates following the assignment by 11:59 PM on Wednesday.

Audience: Your peers

Annotated Bibliography Due 2/17

To make a solid argument, we need to do some research. You will conduct research and create an evaluative annotated bibliography that includes the following types of sources (though a more complete explanation will be on the assignment in the Major Assignments Module). There will be a total of 10 sources for this assignment. 

• Both songs: This will include a summary of themes and devices you see in each song written formally.
• Biographical sources: This will include 3 sources, including at least one interview with the artist (video or print) and at least two articles from credible sources about the artist.
• Historical Background: This will include at least 3 sources, including at least two academic peer-reviewed articles about the time period and at least one documentary
• Critical Review: This will include at least 2 reviews of the artist's album(s) and/or song(s) written by a reputable music critic or fellow musician. Consider the following sources: Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Spin, The Needle Drop, Stereogum, PopMatters, AllMusic, and Loudwire. You can also find articles written by music critics in Academic Search Complete. 

Audience: Me

Historical Background Essay Due 3/10

Based on your research, you will provide a report about the historical events that you believe may have influenced the artist, inspiring their music and lyrics. For some artists, this may be the immediate time in which they are writing. For others, they may be connecting an historical event to their current time. You will find more specifics for this assignment in the Major Assignments Module.

Audience: Academics

Biography Blog Due 3/31 and Replies Due 4/2

In this assignment you will begin synthesizing your research by writing a blog post for an audience of your peers. You will create your own Blogger and include the important biographical information about your artist of choice that you believe will be necessary for your audience to understand their importance. Include historical information, as well as quotes from interviews and critics. You will demonstrate the connectivity with song lyrics from each song that show how each of these pieces fit together. You will also want to think about your audience and how they view your blog. What can you do visually to grab their attention and hold it? Cite all borrowed information using MLA formatting guidelines, including a Works Cited at the bottom of your blog. 

Then, reply to two classmates’ blogs. Write at least 8 sentences responding to the following questions: What held your attention? What was the most interesting piece of information you learned about their artist? What could they consider including about the artist or the time period in their final proposal?

Audience: Your Peers

Nomination Proposal Due 4/27

The course culminates in you writing your own analysis. You will create an official proposal synthesizing all your work up to this point. Your audience is the Nobel Prize Nominating Committee. Your proposal will include an introduction to the artist, your final analysis of the two songs and why they “benefit humankind in an ideal direction” through a connection to the biographical and historical contexts. You will also include the critical commentary to show how others view the artists’ contribution. This will be a formal proposal written utilizing MLA citation and formatting guidelines, including in-text and Works Cited citations. You may use anything you have written in former assignments in this essay.

Audience: The Nobel Prize Nominating Committee

Nomination Proposal Blog Due 5/4 and Replies Due 5/6

Now it’s time to make your case to the general public about your artist’s worthiness of the Nobel Prize. Create a Blog post, including all the information in your formal proposal, but this time, revise it for a general internet audience. Your goal is to drum up some support for your artist's nomination. You will need to consider the diction as well as the visuals and videos. Your title will also need to be something that draws in your audience. For this assignment, you do not need to cite with MLA, as you have already done so with the formal nomination proposal. You are just taking the same information and reworking it for a new audience. 

You will then reply to your group members in Canvas by answering the following questions: What held your attention? What was the most interesting piece of information you learned about their artist? Did they persuade you that their artist should be considered for the prize and their contributions "benefit humankind in an ideal direction?" Why or why not?

Audience: General Internet Audience