The prompt

Over the course of the term, you will write a digital longform essay about a person,
place, or thing of your choosing (pending my approval).

Constraints:
The person, place, or thing that you write about should be curious, in the sense that we
defined that term in class: that is, it should be surprising, unexpected, or otherwise
puzzling, in a way that invites you to ponder its mysteries. If you feel like you already
know what you're going to say about it, then it isn't curious.

The goal of your writing isn't to prove a thesis about your chosen person, place, or
thing, but to explore the puzzle embodied by it such that your readers can appreciate
how and why that puzzle is meaningful.

What's does "longform" mean?

The simple, though not particularly helpful, answer is that "longform" means
somewhere between 3,750 and 5,000 words. You'll get a richer, more detailed sense
of what longform essays can be as we read examples together. But a good place to
start defining the term is by observing (1) that longform essays tend to be a variety
of creative nonfiction, i.e., true stories told using literary strategies; and (2) that
longform essays draw on history, philosophy, and other scholarly writing to
contextualize, interpret, amplify, and deepen the stories they tell.

What does "digital" mean in this context?

Again, the examples we read will clarify things. But, basically, it means that your
piece will incorporate not only words but some combination of other media: e.g.,
photographs, video, audio, drawings, charts, graphs, etc.

How will I compose the essay?

In stages:

• Stage 1: First you'll research and report on the person, place, or thing you've
elected to write about.
• Stage 2: Then you'll investigate and write about the relevant historical context.
• Stage 3: Then you'll consider your person, place, or thing from a broader
philosophical por theoretical erspective.
• Next, from the materials you've generated during the preceding three stages,
you'll weave together a draft of a complete and coherent essay, incorporating
other media in order to enrich the reading experience.
• That draft will serve as the basis of the presentation you'll give during week 10.
• Finally, you'll revise your complete draft to create your final one, which you'll
submit for a grade.

At each stage along the way you'll receive feedback from me and your classmates.

Tips
Assignments are due when they are due. Late drafts will not receive feedback from
me and will not receive credit for that day's homework.

You'll receive a provisional grade on each of the draft stages you complete before the
final draft. If you would like to try to raise that provisional grade,
then, within a week of receiving my feedback, revise the draft in light of my
comments and send me an email to tell me you've done so. Otherwise, the provisional
grade will serve as the final grade for that draft. (Emailing me is crucial: If you
don't let me know that you've posted a revision, then I can't read and re-grade it,
-- which means that the provisional grade stays.)