Web assignments

November 2003



ASSIGNMENT 1

Organising a youth activity

Group work
40 minutes



In this assignment, you will -in a small group- organise a (virtual) youth event. You will take a look at different kinds of projects, think of a project you'd like to start yourself and learn how to organise a project. When searching for information, you'd best use Google as a search engine.

A. Examples of youth projects
In 'A stitch of time', you've read about several youth projects; both small and big ones. The music workshop, which is basically meant as an after-school activity, the Internet bus project organised by Karrot and the Kitch fashion show. Now it's time to take a look at some other projects. Try to think of useful keywords you can use when you want to find other youth projects. If you want to search for specialised projects, for instance projects concerning theatre, skateboarding or arts, or projects involving certain groups of people (refugees, disabled people, minorities), you should include that in your search as well. Note down what search words you used and what projects the search engine came up with.

Select two projects that you consider interesting. Remember that this should be a group decision and take into account that it have to be youth projects; they may be organised by adults, but should be aimed at young people. Also, there should be enough information available on the project, not just one or two lines.

Write down the web address of the projects you choose and summarise the contents. Also, write down why you chose these projects.

B. Comparing the projects
Compare the two projects you have found. Try to find out who are involved, whether it has been organised by one organisation or group of people, or if it's a cooperation between several organisation, maybe even international, how many young people participated, what the aims and the reasons for the project were, where the project took place, and whether this location was in the neighbourhood the young people came from or not, what the theme of the project was etcetera.

List at least 10 points of comparison that give the reader information about the project. Organise the information by using a Venn-diagram or a matrix.

C. Design your own project
Think of a project you could set up as a group. What would you like to do, why would you do it, how old should the participants be, who can join, how long will the project take, what kind of project will it be (a summer camp, an after-school activity, an internet project, a sports event, …), would you like to cooperate with other groups or not, etcetera. Make a description of your project in 50-100 words.

D. Organising the project
Now that you have thought of a project, what do you have to do? Take a look at the list you made in exercise G of 'a stitch in time' and search the Internet for websites with tips or advice for organising a youth event. The question of how to find money will be dealt with in more detail later. Try to answer the following questions for sure:
- How are you going to find participants for your project?
- How will you involve people in your project?
- Do you need permits for your project?
- How will you guarantee the safety of your project?
- How will you get publicity for your project?
Search the Internet for advice on organising youth projects and note down at least two web addresses where you can find information or that provide you with e-mail addresses of places where you can find help.

E. How to fund your project
The crucial question when organising a project is often, where do we get the money? What ways of funding your project can you think of? List at least three.

One of the members of your group has heard of a programme that funds youth initiatives. He remembers it's called Youth Initiatives, Action 3 of the EU, but doesn't know where to find extra information about it, let alone the application forms with which you can apply for funding. Search the Internet to find the forms and download them.

Suppose the EU funding isn't approved, what other places can you think of to apply for a grant?

F. Filling in the form - part one
Take a look at part V of the form. This is the crucial part of the grant application. You have probably already thought of the majority of these points, however, now it's time to write down your ideas orderly, to convince the people in Brussels that your project deserves a grant.

Answer the questions clearly and show that you are enthusiastic about the project.

G. Filling in the form - part two
Now you've had the hard part, it's time to fill in the rest of the form. Don't bother with the budget, unless you'd like to combine it with an economics assignment.







ASSIGNMENT 2

Indian Weddings

Individual / group work
40 minutes



Go to www.matrimonialsindia.com

Part A

a. Scanning:
Take a look at the homepage and answer the following questions:
- What is the purpose of the homepage?
- Who is the homepage for?
- Why do you think it has been created?
- Name five different uses for the homepage

b. Click on 'Search Photo Gallery' (on the left side of the page).
- What can you conclude from the 'search options'?

Click on 'view all prospective brides with photos'. Read the profiles of five of them.
- Do you think these women wrote their own profile or that it was written for them?
- What do these women have in common?

c. Take a look at the 'success story' and 'more success stories' (centre of page).
What's the impression you get from the success stories?

d. Scroll to the bottom of the page. There, you'll find a link to tips for a happy married life. Read the tips and answer the following questions:
  1. Give the meaning of the following words in the text:
    - captivating
    - purveyed
    - novices
    - obnoxious
    - dispositions
    - obsolete
    - brawl
    - cognizant
    - jolts
    - pester
  2. What does the writer compare marriage with in the first paragraph?
  3. What is meant by 'a one-way ticket to the moon'?
  4. What other words for 'partner' can you find?

Part B: Research

  1. Form groups of three to six persons. Scroll to the bottom of the page. Click on the link to 'Wedding Rituals'. In the introduction, the writer mentions that though the various wedding rituals are different, there are also many similarities. In this assignment, you'll compare Muslim, Hindu and Sikh wedding rituals. Split up in three groups of 1 or 2 persons, depending on your group size. Decide which group will look at which religion.

    Read the information on the wedding rituals of the religion you're supposed to take a closer look at. Search the Internet for additional information, or if you prefer to study the wedding rituals of an Indian group that isn't mentioned here. In order to make a good comparison, answer the following questions:
    • Summarise each of the rituals in your own words.
    • What is the role of the bride?
    • What is the role of the groom?
    • What is the role of the family of the bride?
    • What is the role of the family of the groom?
    • What is the actual wedding ceremony like?
    • What is said about the food?
    • How long does the ceremony last?
  2. Compare the answers about the wedding rituals of the religion you've chosen with those of your group members. What do Muslim, Hindu and Sikh weddings have in common? What's different? Is the meaning of the rituals and the order in which they take place the same for each religion?
  3. Organise the information you've found on wedding rituals. You can do this by writing an essay, making a table or using any other organiser that makes it clear for someone who hasn't visited the homepage, what the main differences and similarities are between the three religions' wedding rituals.

Part C: Talking Point

  1. Go to the homepage and scroll to the bottom. Under the heading 'vital information', the first two entries are 'your zodiac info' and 'your birth date and you'. Take a look about what's said about your birth date, both your star sign and the day you were born. Do you think the information fits? Which parts seem to be right, and which do not?
  2. Team up with 3 or 4 others. Discuss your findings in a. Do the characteristics fit all of you? Do any of you have the same star sign or birth date?
  3. Now, discuss astrology in general. Do you ever read horoscopes? Do you believe in them? What kind of horoscopes do you know? Do you believe that stars can have an influence on your life? Would you stop dating someone when an astrological compatibility analysis showed that you don't fit? Why, or why not? Why do you think so many people believe in horoscopes? Do you think you can predict the future by looking at the stars? Do you think your character has been influenced by the position of the stars at the moment you were born? Discuss these questions in your group and briefly summarise what you and your group members think of the different aspects of astrology and why you think so.




ASSIGNMENT 3

Revolution

Individual work
40 minutes

 The text 'daughters of the revolution' speaks of the desire for a revolution. In this assignment, we will take a closer look at revolutions by using the Internet.

Part A

  1. Go to www.wikipedia.org/wiki/revolution.
    Here, you'll find a description of the term 'revolution'.
    • What are the characteristics of a revolution?
    • The Spanish Civil War is sometimes also referred to as the Spanish Revolution. Nevertheless, what would you say is the difference between a war and a revolution?
    • How would you describe the anarchist and communist view on revolutions?
    • What is an 'institutionalised revolution'?
  2. When you scroll to the bottom, you'll find links to several political, cultural and technical revolutions. Either individually or in pairs, select two revolutions. Search the Internet for additional information on the revolutions you've selected. Write down which websites you've used and why you have chosen to use those. Read the information about the revolutions you have selected, both from the encyclopedia and from the websites you found and answer the following questions for each revolution:
    • What kind of revolution is it (cultural, political, economical, social, technical) and why?
    • When did it take place?
    • Where did it take place?
    • Why did it take place?
    • Who started it?
    • Do you think it was successful? Why, or why not?
    • What, in your opinion, were good events in, or results of the revolution? Which ones were bad? Explain your answer.
  3. Organise the information you've gathered about the revolutions. You probably won't be able to present all the information you've found, but focus on what you consider most important. Choose at least two of the following organisers to arrange and categorise your information. Preferably, choose one organiser of both categories: Individual organisers (for presentation of information of one subject)
    • Ranking; for instance for ranking the events that lead to the revolution in order of importance.
    • Timeline; can be used for organising the events that lead to or shaped the revolution in chronological order
    • spiderweb; can be used for organising reasons, related topics or consequences for a revolution
    • relations diagram; can be used for organising cause and effect of the revolution
    • lotus flower diagram; a tool that can be used for organising subtopics for writing about (one topic of) the revolution
    • for/against diagram; for organising arguments for and against a statement concerning the revolution.
    • any other individual organiser you are familiar with (you can find some examples of organisers at: http://homepage.risd41.org/koalatykid/stories/storyReader$5)
    Comparitive organisers:
    • Matrix: for comparison of two revolutions by answering the same questions for the two revolutions
    • Venn-diagram: can be used for visualising similarities and differences between two revolutions
    • two in a row: can be used for visualising similarities and differences between two revolutions
      • especially when the differences can't be explained or summarised in a few words.
    • any other comparitive organiser you are familiar with.
    4. (See below for examples)
  4. 4. Using the organisers you've made, write a short essay on (one of) the revolutions you've studied. You can either compare the two revolutions, or write about one of them. Use about 200 words.
    You may also be asked to hold a five-minute presentation in class. In this case, use your organisers you've made as guidelines for your speech; don't read out from paper what you've got to say.











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