The major requirement of this class is the completion of a research project. This project will be conducted by small groups working in collaboration. The objective is to provide students with several opportunities. First, to closely and carefully examine a topic of interest to the members of the group; two, to understand and appreciate that the river and its natural and human dimensions can only be studied in a holistic, integrated fashion; and three, to allow students to communicate their findings to others in the class and to people interested in the Mississippi River. Part of the research project requirement is to present the findings of the research group to the class in a public forum on the last day of class. To attain the goal of sharing our results with the broadest possible audience, we will place all of the projects on the world wide web as part of a shared class web page.
Group Selection: Each student will be assigned to a research group in the beginning of the semester based on shared interests. Each student should review the list of topics provided below and select three subjects that are appealing. The three subjects should ranked by interest (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and should be sent to the instructor by Thursday, Sept. 6. We will then attempt to match each student to a group; we cannot, of course, guarantee that everyone will be assigned to a group or topic of their choice. We will, however, make every effort to allow students to pursue subjects of interest. If you have interests that do not appear on the list provided below then you should let us know as soon as possible and we will see if there is sufficient interest among the class to form a group around that topic.
Responsibilities: Each group will be collectively responsible for producing a final product that is suitable for putting on the web. Each student as a member of a group is also responsible for making an oral presentation of her/his work on either Nov. 29 or Dec. 4 (presentation times will be determined by random lottery). Oral presentations must be made by every member of the group and may be on areas of the student's specific responsibility or may cover some aspect of the group topic as a whole. The group oral presentation should strive to use a variety of graphics (previous classes have used poster-boards, web pages, slides, hand-outs, skits, and even cooked food) to summarize the group project, its data, and conclusions. In order to insure that the projects are completed in a timely fashion each group must meet a series of deadlines during the semester. These tasks are relatively easy and must be completed by the assigned deadline.
Failure to complete tasks will result in the loss of a half a letter grade from the final project evaluation for each missed deadline. This grade reduction will apply to every member of the group.
Sept. 6: Select research topics.
Sept. 20: Preliminary research project summary and bibliography due. Each group must turn in a one to three paragraph written summary or outline of the research project. Each group must compile a preliminary bibliography. This bibliography should include books, journal/magazine articles, and relevant web sites. Indicate which group member is responsible for identifying each reference.
Oct. 9: Research Project status report. Each group must present a brief written summation of the research to date. This should include revised bibliography, as well as specific research questions, breakdown of research responsibilities, and assessment of problems and prospects identified. Class time during the lab will be used to discuss status reports with each group.
Dec. 4: Final draft of the research project will be posted to the web. The specific mechanics have not been worked out, but we will let you know where these pages will be posted and we will arrange for links to be created to the master (class) web page.
Evaluation: Each group will be evaluated in two ways. First, the instructors will review the written research report. This review will focus on content, presentation, and capacity to link specific topics to the broader theme of the Mississippi River as an environmental, historical, and cultural force. Second, we will evaluate each student and each group based on their oral presentations. Each student in the group must discuss some part of the group's research during the oral presentation. Evaluation will include assessment of content, presentation (quality, coherence), and ability to complete presentation in allotted time.
Topics: Topics for Research Projects will be selected by the members of each group with the advice and CONSENT of the instructors. We encourage students to be imaginative and innovative. Below we provide an incomplete list of possible topical themes. Specific projects can be drawn from within (or between) these themes. Do not feel constrained by the list. Feel free to propose topics not listed below. Each group should consider selecting a very specific research focus. Broad themes are useful to conceptualize a problem, but they are too diffuse to use for a Research Project.
Archaeology
Agriculture and its impact on the river/culture/economy (historical or contemporary)
Race and culture along the river
Landscape evolution
Geology and the shaping of the river
Modern human history on the river
River engineering
River commerce
Industrialization and the Mississippi
Land loss and subsidence in the Delta
Water quality/pollution
Fisheries biology
Biology and Impact of Introduced Species
Wildlife preservation along the river
The musical heritage of the river
Architecture on the River
The river in art & iconography
The river in American literature
New Orleans: the inevitable city (geography, economics, history)
The Mississippi River in American politics or political history
Economic development along the river
The river and the Gulf of Mexico
The Mississippi River in the American imagination
Flood control
River navigation
Tributaries to the Mississippi
Climate and environment along the river
Floods and their effect
The themes listed above are examples of some possible areas that could be further investigated as a source for a research project. Do not hesitate to go beyond the boundaries of the themes listed here. Please be sure to clear any topic with the instructors.
Each theme listed above has some connection with one (usually many more) other themes. One of our class goals will be to link these themes together on the web so that students and "readers" of our web page can see explicit links among and between various themes, concepts, ideas, and facts.