Week 5: Final Project

     My final project is definitely going. So far, I have an idea and some notes as to what I am going to need to research to make it work, but not much else. My idea for a topic is how The Secret River expresses the relationship between colonialism and capitalism. I think that there is a lot to explore there- particularly how the two reinforce and feed off of each other. Beyond just the novel, I think some real life examples could be Hawaii (which I did my first research project on, not coincidentally), Africa in general during the industrial revolution, and Native Americans (Tommy Orange might have something to say about this one). 

    My biggest question is which platform I am going to use. NeatLine is a solid option, especially since I know it better this time around after using it so much last quarter. The other main option I am considering is the timeline service (I don't recall the name right now) that the Grenville research team used for their project. Since I am certain that my group will end up using that service, too, I will probably be able to learn it better and see if it''s worth using for my final project after my research team begins that project. 

    I think this project will be much easier. Partially because I know what to expect in terms of workload, and I am starting earlier. Also, I know how to use NeatLine and how to do research more efficiently, which will make this project much easier. 

Comments

  1. Audrey SchroederFebruary 10, 2023 at 10:38 AM

    Hi Jalen! Props to you for starting early - I need to do a better job of this. I, too, am considering Neatline for my project. I'm not the most tech-savvy, so using a platform I feel (mostly) comfortable with is definitely appealing. I look forward to seeing your final product and wish you luck along the way!

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  2. CassiFebruary 10, 2023 at 10:39 AM

    Hi Jalen! I'm so glad to hear that you have made some progress on your final project. Sounds like there is a lot of stuff to work with there, and I am excited to see how you connect some of those examples you gave to your Grenville's novel. The name of the program we used was StoryMap JS by the way! I would definitely recommend, and I think it or Neatline would both be great choices for the platform. I am also trying to figure out how I want to display my research, I think seeing a bit more from Colin and looking back at all the DH tools we have bene introduced to will be helpful. Nice work!

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  3. Monique Cov.February 10, 2023 at 11:33 AM

    Hey Jalen, those are some great starting points for your final project. I am glad that you have already gotten started and have some strong points to explore. Considering that you might talk about different geographical places, neatline and storymap are great platforms to use. Now that we know just how long it and time consuming the research takes it is definitely a smart idea to get started on our final project now. Good luck and I can't wait to see how it all turns out!

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  4. Eloise DanielloFebruary 12, 2023 at 10:29 PM

    Hi Jalen! That's good that you've started your project already and have the right expectations going in that it most likely won't be that easy. I agree that this project already seems less daunting considering how it went last year. I think you should definitely look into StoryMap and try it out! I was in the Grenville group and thought it worked really well!

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  5. Griffin JonesFebruary 13, 2023 at 10:25 PM

    Good for you for starting early Jalen! I agree that Neatline seems like the easiest choice as we won't have to relearn a new program for expressing our research. The combination of a timeline, a map, and the ability to add text and images makes it a really good platform. I'm planning on doing my project on Equiano, so I think that it would be the perfect platform for me.

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  6. Paulos HabtewoldFebruary 21, 2023 at 10:41 PM

    Its great you started early Jalen, I can't really say the same... Off my initial thoughts though I also liked Neatline and StoryMaps, after using Story Maps during my project I can confidently say that it is a really helpful tool and I actually prefer it over Neatline. I like your idea of using real life historical examples of colonialism and capitalism outside of New South Wales in your project.

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