Office: Psych 106 - ericmar@att.net
10/30/00
Important! Instructions for Community Group Field Project –
Panel Presentation & Research Paper:

No class on Wed Nov. 8.

JOURNALS – I will consider your Field Project Proposal [due 11/10] as your 4th journal.  After reviewing your 11/10 proposals I will return them to you after class and allow some of you to revise and turn them in on 11/13.
Journal #5 is a report/reflection on a community event that you have attended during the semester.  Due Friday Dec. 1.  Minimum 500 words. The event you write about also cannot be the same subject matter as your field project assignment.

1. FIELD PROJECT PROPOSALS:  On 11/10 you all should have turned in your proposals for your Field Work with an Asian Pacific Islander community organization or campaign.  Examples of organizations to work with were discussed in class on 10/21 and a list of organizations was made available to students at that time.   Email or call me if you are still having questions about this.

2. PANEL GROUPS:  In class on 11/13 - you will be placed into groups of 5-7 based on your project subject matter.   For example, students who have chosen health related organizations to work on will be grouped together; folks that are working with Asian American womens groups might also be grouped with folks working with domestic violence groups, etc.

3. PREP TIME IN CLASS:  You will have substantial time in class during a number of our class sessions between 11/13-12/4) to meet with your groups but I also suggest that each group try to get together outside of class as well to prepare their panels.  I suggest that in your first meeting on 11/13 each group choose a facilitator to make sure everyone participates as equally as possible in the group.  You might want to exchange phone numbers and email addresses to better communicate with one another as well.  Remember, the best panel presentations are those where people work in an organized manner as a team and draw from their creativity to make it interactive and educational for all of us.

4. PANEL PRESENTATIONS [in class during the weeks of 12/4 and 12/11]:

a. Each group must choose a broad common theme based on all of the various field work experiences brought by the members of the group.  A suggestion about process for decision-making in your groups: if all members of the group cannot come to consensus, then try to call for a vote where the majority's decision will carry.  Do your best to get everyone's input before making decisions.

b. Basic instructions:  prepare a panel discussion for the rest of the class that analyzes the broad theme that you have chosen.  Main focus - how community groups try to advocate for, serve, and/or organize the Asian and Pacific Islander communities.  Try to include how race, class and gender all affect the community in relation to your broad theme.  Try to pay attention to organizing strategies - ethnic specific vs. pan-ethnic or even across race, class and gender lines].  Lastly, present your group's suggestions for how Asian American community groups and others could better address the short term and root causes (look to history) of the issue, improve conditions, and perhaps "empower" the community.  Be constructively critical!

c. TIPS:  Do your best to plan for an educational and interactive type of presentation rather than a simple "lecture" format.  It would make it more meaningful and fun for the rest of the class.  I encourage groups to use video, audio and/or other visual materials to enhance your presentations.  Lastly, try to be "constructively critical."  Be sensitive to the extremely complex nature of the issues we will be dealing with.  Try to analyze them in a systematic manner.  Keep questioning yourselves and the conclusions we come up with in class.  It's all a process with no "right" or "wrong" answers.

d. Presentation time = # persons in group times 5 min. per person maximum.  So, a group of 6 people would have to prepare a 30 minute presentation.  Please budget into your presentations enough time for questions/answers and dialogue with the rest of the class.  I suggest at least 5 minutes of time for questions and answers, etc. for each panel.

5. Field Project Paper Requirements:

You should have completed 5-10 hours of volunteer work with the organization [this must be done at the group’s office or at an event coordinated by the group you have chosen].  You cannot satisfy this requirement by searching the internet or library research.  You have to get into the community to satisfy this requirement.  I won’t be checking or verifying that folks have done this, but it is pretty apparent in the papers and panel presentations when students have not satisfied this requirement.
Unlike your panels which are a group project, your field project papers must be written individually. Papers are due in class on 12/4 and must be typed, double spaced and at least 1500 words (about 6 pages).  Do your best to cite your sources where possible and to include a short bibliography at the end of your papers.

Instructions: use the 4 part framework discussed in class to assess the work of the organization you have chosen.

Your paper should include the following:

•  a short description of the organization, including a little on its history;
•  discussion on the ‘identity’ of the organization;
•  discussion on its ‘agenda’;
•  discussion on its ‘analysis’ [this is a crucial part of your paper];
•  discussion of the types of ‘strategies’ the group uses to meet its goals and objectives;
•  some brief  reflections on your field project experience; and
•  short bibliography [list of sources used for the research].

7. Take home finals:  In class on Friday 12/15 I will hand out your take home finals.  They will be due in my office by Friday 12/22 at 5pm.

Again, I suggest you email or phone me if you have any questions or if I can be of any help in these projects.  Good luck!