By Maiya Tomlin
If you are a dedicated reader of the OnLion, you may have wondered why we have not written an article about the illustrious, definitive junior-year experience: the American Studies Research Paper. But fear not, we were not going to let this year’s paper get away, no strings attached.
Instead of discussing the topic proposal, outline, first draft, and even the final draft, it is imperative to report on the cherry on top. Immediately after students submit their final draft, they are introduced to the Alternate Assessment.
Alongside my teachers, Mrs. Gray and Dr. Ezell, each American Studies pairing had a similar approach.
The Alternate Assessment, originally called the “iMovie project” until about 2023, is a chance for students to take creative liberties in capturing the spirit of their research paper, whether it’s a poster, college, or video essay, or even something else (approved by Mrs. Gray and Dr. Ezell, of course).
We were given a very broad, deliberately up-to-interpretation rubric, but there were still some requirements. We must include our thesis statement, the strongest evidence, and the writing process.
I spoke with Dr. Ezell and Mrs. Gray to ask why they decided to remove the project’s restraints. “There are some projects that fit that video essay format really well,” Dr. Ezell told me. He used Palmer Elsas as an example, who filmed a documentary of himself and his writing process. “So it still works really well, but we just felt like it kind of artificially constrained the project,” he said.
They both agree that broadening the iMovie project was an excellent decision. Mrs. Gray told me that the most notable benefit is “student engagement and more student enthusiasm, which produces better results for the kids.”
Dr. Ezell added, “I think that it is also a chance for students for whom writing is not their preferred or even best form of expression to nonetheless express what they found in their research paper.” He continued, “Just because you’re a good thinker or very creative doesn’t mean that you enjoy writing necessarily. That’s just one way of getting your thoughts out.”
He explained that the approach students choose for their paper is the one that best captures and aligns with their voice. For example, Eliza Pieschel wrote her research paper about The New Yorker, so naturally, she made her own copy of The New Yorker for her project.
Grace Schmidt took a somewhat similar approach. “My paper was on how three separate magazines, Vogue, Saturday Evening Post, and Life Works, showed different topics of the Return of Soldiers from World War II,” she explained. “So I did a magazine, and I called it Recovery, and I basically wrote about what I talked about in each of the magazines,” she said. “So I made it on Canva, and then I had Canva send it to me. It’s so pretty.” I can vouch for that. The magazine was light blue with a cute, editorial design on the front.
Finally, I asked the two teachers what they would choose if they were to do the project. I could tell Dr. Ezell had pondered this question when he immediately answered, “I really like Noir movies, like the gangster movies from the 40s and 50s. And I had the thought of like shooting a Noir Montage,” he explained. “Noir, one of the things that it’s famous for is voiceover… the protagonists tend to be very laconic. So it would suit really well to like do an investigation around campus shot in black and white with like a gruff voiceover and fake cigarettes,” he finished before clarifying, “because obviously on a smoke-free campus, you can’t have that.”
Then we looked at Mrs. Gray. “Alexander Hamilton, I assume,” Dr. Ezell asked. If you have ever seen Mrs. Gray on a NUD day, she is most likely wearing her “This girl loves Hamilton” T-shirt, which, as a huge Hamilton fan, I complimented the first time I saw it. Mrs. Gray nodded and said, “The play took it all away from me. Lin-Manuel [Miranda] stole my thunder.”
And I bet you are dying to know what my project was! My research paper examined how New Orleans, Louisiana, embodied the classic concept of the American “melting pot,” as shown through the films The Princess and the Frog, Down by Law, and A Streetcar Named Desire. So, I made a poster board, advertising the classic American melting pot. It was even listed for $17.18! New Orleans was founded in 1718, duh.
