Ethics in Storytelling

Final Project Full Description
For your final product in this class, you will be finding a non-fiction story from the world and
writing a proposal in the mode of your choice (Journalism, Anthropology, Medical/ Science,
Sociology, Documentary).
The full final assignment has four parts:
25 points: submitting 3 story ideas: DUE: ___
75 points: submitting a full proposal of one idea DUE:___
100 points: peer review of another student’s proposal; identifying areas of ethical concern, and
submitting DUE: ___
100 points: submitting an extended, revised final proposal DUE: ___
PART 1: Three Preliminary stories
FMS 425: Ethics in Storytelling:
Final Project part 1: identifying stories
I’m very excited to have you begin your final projects this week; where we put into action many
of the ideas, elements and questions that have been raised in this course.
A few clarifying notes to begin:
You may choose a different story from the three stories you will propose for this assignment.
These are a jumping off point.
The goal is not to make work that is beyond ethical criticism. You have already realized, from
the readings, screenings and assignments, that ethical considerations are dynamic, everchanging, and worth discussing. The idea is to understand what possible ethical choices are
available to storytellers, and to be able to identify the consequences on the story and in the
larger world. of the choices you make. So please don’t try to “get it right” because there is no
single correct goal when it comes to ethical questions.
For the first part of your final project, you are going to identify 3 possible stories in the world that
you may choose to work with for your final project.
For the purposes of this class, you will not be working on autobiographical material, although it
is acceptable to work on stories that you or your family is directly connected to (ie, immigration
stories, local stories, stories about jobs, skills or interests you have. They can be personal, they
cannot be only personal: ie, no breakup stories).
Please do the following for each of the three stories.
1. Summarize the story—1 or 2 full paragraphs. When, what, who, why (if known). Describe how
you know the story; did you read it, do you know some of the stakeholders, is it already a film or
piece of journalism? You may include links or documents but these are not required.
2. What is your relationship to this story or idea? Why are you interested and what would you
have to say about this story?
3. Who are the stakeholders?
4. Who would be your imagined audience and why?
5. Consider what mode you would propose for this piece: journalism, sociology, film
(documentary or fiction). How would the mode affect the story? Select one element of the story
and describe how it would be different in two different modes (ie, film or journalism).
Due _________
Grading:
25 points: grading is as follows:
20-25 points: Questions are clearly and completely answered, with well chosen details and good
insight. Answers are thoughtful and engage with the questions raised in this course.
13-19 points: Questions are incomplete or unclear. There is insufficient detail or insight.
Answers only moderately engage with material from this course.
5-12 points: Up to two questions are unanswered. Answers lack detail or insight. Answers do not
engage with the materials presented in this class.
1-4 points: Three or more questions are unanswered. Answers are brief and lack detail or
insight.
PART 2: Full Proposal of your project
You have already identified 3 possible stories. The one you elect to work on does not
have to be form that trio, but you should give some thought to the questions in the first
part of the assignment: what is your connection to and understanding of the story? What
are your assumptions about the story?
For the second part of the final project, you will be submitting a full 2 page proposal to be peer
reviewed by your professor and a classmate for ethical issues and challenges.
Again, please remember that the idea is not to attempt a project that is without ethical
challenges: that is neither practical nor interesting. What is interesting is how we can encounter
a ethical choices at every level of storytelling, and how we can make decisions about how to
address them, what are ethical priorities, and what is worth ethical consideration.
Your proposal should contain the following, and should be formatted in the following way
Your proposal should be a minimum of two pages long, single or 1.5 space, 12 point font
Your name/ date
Title (use a working if not final title)
Mode (film, journalism, anthropology, sociology, medical/ science)
Synopsis: A brief paragraph summary of the story. This will likely be 2 paragraphs, but it should
be enough to tell us who, what, when, where and why (the why can be why we are interested, if
not why it happened).
Sources: Minimum of 2 sources, links or documents.
Your relationship to the story: how did you discover this story, what is your relationship to it,
what special insight or value do you add by being the storyteller of this story
How you will tell the story:
Go back to Janine Utell’s Story Parts and Purpose (Engagements with Narrative, Chapter 1),
review all the components of a story:
Plot, Character, Narrator and Narration, Mood and Voice, Time, Perspective and Focalization,
and address each one.
Describe how you will lay out the story: will it be chronological, or out of chronological order?
Will there be direct quotes or interviews with the stakeholders?
What will it look/ read like? What scenes from the world will you include and what will you leave
out?
This is a story that exists in the world and the question now is: How will you shape it? What is
the perspective you will give it?
Will you have a narrator? Will you change the facts? Will people be identifiable?
Audience:
Who is your audience? Give a demographic—age, income, race, gender, nationality, political
persuasion, professions, interests. You do not have to fill in all of these, but you need to know
some things about your audience. What do they believe about this subject? What are there
assumptions? What do they know?
Grading:
61-75 points: complete in all the areas, excellent detail, original choices in story parts, well
sourced and described, insight into storytelling options
46-60 points: satisfactory but brief answers to all the areas, very basic story sourcing, less
detail, some insight into storytelling options
31-45 points: incomplete in at least 2 areas, no sources, lacking in detail, 2 days beyond the
deadline
21-30 points: incomplete in at least 3 areas, no detail,
1-20 points: incomplete in all the requirements, more than 4 days beyond the deadline,
PART 3 Peer Review
FMS 425: Ethics in Storytelling
Final Project Part 3: Peer Review
100 points, Due_______
Approach the peer review for the final project as a place to synthesize and access all the ideas,
concepts, theorists and writers we have explored this semester, as well as a way of giving
active, useful peer feedback to your fellow classmate.
After closely reading your classmates full proposal, do the following:
Using concepts, readings, ideas and examples from this class, help your classmate
address the possible ethical questions and positions raised by their proposed project.
You must address the following: (nota bene: These cannot be yes or no answers. These are
short essays, conversations, ideas to help your fellow storytellers)
Story: Are there specific ethical concerns that this story raises? What are the stakes of getting
this story wrong? Does this story make its rhetorical position clear? What is the relationship
between the narrator (storyteller) and others or events?
Format: Are there specific ethical concerns for the proposed format? Cite the Code of Ethics or
from Standards if so. What are the areas of possible concern? What are possible ethical issues
to look out for and how might these issues be addressed?
Characters/ Individuals: Are there specific ethical concerns for the characters/ individuals? Is
anyone at risk of harm? Does the proposal accurately and completely identify the stakeholders?
If not, explain and expand. What are possible ethical issues to look out for and how might these
issues be addressed?
Representation: Are there ethical questions raised by the representations of individuals or
groups in this project? What are possible ethical issues to look out for and how might these
issues be addressed?
Accuracy: Is there accuracy in the telling of the story? What or who is embellished? What or
who is excluded? What are the consequences of inaccuracy? What are possible ethical issues
to look out for and how might these issues be addressed?
Informed Consent: Is this a project for which legal informed consent is required? What is the
best method for this project to obtain informed consent, and as proposed, who would consent
be required from?
Audience: Does this proposal accurately and usefully describe an audience, identifying their
assumptions and interests? Does this proposal accurately and usefully address the audiences
assumptions and interests and in so doing, does this project maintain an ethical relationship to
the representations and persons within the story? What are possible ethical issues to look out
for and how might these issues be addressed?
Requirements:
3 pages minimum, double spaced, 1” margins, 12 point font.
A note about honest feedback:
There are too few moments in a storytellers life of honest and thoughtful feedback. Honest and
thoughtful feedback is clear, detailed and unambiguous. It is better to say: It is not clear what
happens here in the story than: I do not understand what happens in the story. Because the
writers job is clarity in the text, not your understanding. Similarly, if a person has created a story
which rests on problematic assumptions about race, class or gender, helping them identify these
issues, within the confines of their story, is extremely helpful.
A note about your classmates proposal
The proposal you have been assigned may be thin or lacking in one or more areas of the
project. (IE: my audience is everybody). Please be aware that I will know this and that you and I
can communicate about this. Your job in this instance is to do the following: Write as a response
that you believe there is too little information in this section, but that if XXX than YYY. Meaning,
speculate on at least one possibility in that area. For instance, if your classmate wrote that their
audience is “Everyone” (which is impossible, as we all at least understand that children are
different from adults) You would suggest “With this project, if the audience were 18 year old
High School students, they could be reached by….their assumptions about this story would
be…”
A few notes about this assignment:
This is the single largest grade bearing assignment for this course, and it is therefore lengthy
and impactful. I have given you additional days to complete this assignment, and it is important
that you submit the materials by May 5th so that your classmate can utilize them in their final
draft.
Grading is as follows:
85-100: Has a clear understanding of the proposal, refers to it within the feedback. Consistently
gives excellent, detailed feedback using concepts, language and ideas from the course.
Correctly identifies the ethical questions involved. Offers reasoned and sound basis for their
interpretation, and offers alternatives, options and examples. Mechanics (spelling, grammar) are
clear
75-84: Has a reasonable understanding of the proposal. Gives good, detailed feedback using
concepts, language and ideas from the course. Often correctly identifies the ethical questions
involved. Offers a basis for their interpretation, and (at times) offers alternatives, options and
examples. Mechanics (spelling, grammar) are clear.
65-74: Has a minimal understanding of the proposal. Gives acceptable feedback using minimal
concepts, language and ideas from the course. Sometimes correctly identifies the ethical
questions involved. Offers a basis for their interpretation, but offers no alternatives, options and
examples. Mechanics (spelling, grammar) are decent.
55-64: Has no understanding of the proposal. Gives feedback without utilizing any course
material, concepts, examples. Completes all sections. Occasionally misidentifies the ethical
question, does not offer sound reasoning. Mechanics are moderate.
40-54: Has no understanding of the proposal. Gives feedback without utilizing any course
material, concepts, examples. Does not complete all sections. Consistently misidentifies the
ethical question, does not offer sound reasoning. Mechanics are moderate.
20-39: Late by 2-4 days, minimal understanding, no understanding of the proposal. Gives
feedback without utilizing any course material, concepts, examples. Does not complete all
sections. Consistently misidentifies the ethical question, does not offer sound reasoning.
Mechanics are poor.
1- 19: Late by more than 4 days, insufficient length, no understanding of the proposal. Gives
feedback without utilizing any course material, concepts, examples. Does not complete all
sections. Consistently misidentifies the ethical question, does not offer sound reasoning.
Mechanics are poor.
PART 4 Revise and resubmit
You have completed three of the four parts! Congratulations!
For the fourth and final part of the Final Project, you will be filling out your proposal and
incorporating the feedback from your peer and from your instructor.
A note about beginning:
I would recommend that you write out, without too much organizing, the thoughts that you have
had about your project since Part 2 was due. A number of you have contacted me to discuss
how you have continued to think about the story and the material, and what you might have
done differently in your proposal. Just write all of that out (do not submit this) and you will begin
to see patterns emerging. Let your process be organic to your thinking (some people find a lot of
value in dictation software or even voice to text memo apps for this) and then organize that into
the graded sections or areas.
A note about Peer Feedback: If some of the peer feedback you received does not make sense
to you, please reach out to me for assistance in addressing it in your Part 4. As many of you
have seen, I can be very responsive in assisting your understanding or in crafting a way to
respond. These negotiations about ethical understandings are certainly part of our work. Please
do not wait until Friday afternoon to do so, however. Please give me at least 12 hours to
respond.
The final, proposed project should be as follows:
1. minimum of 4 pages, single or 1.5 spaces, 12 point font, 1 inch margins (hint: standard
script or proposal guidelines)
2. re-submit your original Part 2 with revisions, strike-throughs or additions. All the
sections should be revised to reflect feedback and new ideas.
There should be a minimum of 50% difference—in additions, primarily—from the Part 2
submission.
3. Ethical issues section: This section is a new addition to the proposal. In this section,
respond to the ethical challenges raised by your classmate and professor.
4. Anticipated reception: This section is a new addition to the proposal. It consists of two
parts: Discover and describe the reception of 2 projects which are similar to the story you are
proposing. (meaning, how and by whom were these projects received?) and two: how and by
whom do you anticipate your project will be received? Who will read/ view it? How will it be
seen/ read/ shared? Give reasoning for your answer.
Grading: 100 points
91-100 points: Demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the feedback, cites sources from the
course, has original, imaginative revisions to each area, shows a grasp of ethical issues and
questions of social responsibility, utilizes excellent examples, incorporates feedback into each
section in an interesting, intelligent way. Able to synthesize and respond to ethical challenges in
original work. All sections are completed, work is in on time.
79-90 Demonstrates a clear understanding of the feedback, cites sources from the course, has
original revisions to each area, shows a grasp of ethical issues and questions of social
responsibility, utilizes good examples, incorporates feedback into most sections in an intelligent
way. Able to synthesize and respond to ethical challenges in original work. All sections are
completed, work is in on time.
67-78 Demonstrates an understanding of the feedback, cites some sources from the course,
has revisions to each area, shows a grasp of ethical issues and questions of social
responsibility, utilizes reasonable examples, incorporates feedback into most sections. Able to
synthesize and respond to ethical challenges in original work. All sections are completed, work
is in on time.
50-66 Demonstrates an understanding of the feedback, has revisions to each area, shows a
grasp of ethical issues and questions of social responsibility, utilizes examples, incorporates
feedback into most sections. Able to synthesize and respond to ethical challenges in original
work. Not all sections are completed, work is in on time.
35-49 Demonstrates an understanding of the feedback, has revisions to each area, does not
show a grasp of ethical issues and questions of social responsibility, does not incorporate
feedback into most sections. Able to synthesize and respond to ethical challenges in original
work. Not all sections are completed, work is in on time.
20-34 Demonstrates minimal understanding of the feedback, has revisions to each area, does
not show a grasp of ethical issues and questions of social responsibility, does not incorporate
feedback into most sections. Able to synthesize and respond to ethical challenges in original
work. Not all sections are completed, work is not in on time.
1-19 Demonstrates minimal understanding of the feedback, has revisions to each area, does
not show a grasp of ethical issues and questions of social responsibility, does not incorporate
feedback into most sections. Unable to synthesize and respond to ethical challenges in original
work. Not all sections are completed, work is not in on time.

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