Twine Project

Proposal Deadline: Friday, October 22nd by 11:59 pm
Percentage: 5% (required)

Meetings with Me: Week 11

Peer Review (#1) Friday, November 12th (Twine Game and Essay Outline)

Peer Review (#2) Friday, November 19th (Twine Game and Essay Draft)

Final Twine Game and Essay Deadline: Monday, November 22nd by 11:59 pm
Percentage: Game = 20% and Essay = 15%

General Overview

First of all, Twine is kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure story. It’s an interactive, non-linear hypertext storytelling medium. We’ll be learning how to use Twine and how to customize it using some basic HTML and CSS (and maybe even some JavaScript!).

This semester we’ve been learning all about the history of Christopher Newport University since it is the 60th anniversary of the university. For this assignment, you’ll create a Twine game about a social issue (current or historical–after all, history informs the present) related to CNU or to college students more broadly, but you can be creative about how you tell the story.

You’ll write a project proposal with a list of possible sources before you get too deep into the Twine game so I can make sure you’re headed in the right direction and to guarantee your game is grounded in research. You’ll also write a short essay that discusses the choices you made in your Twine game and how it relates back to the research you completed.

Some topic ideas (but this list certainly isn’t exhaustive!):

first-generation college students
minority students at a primarily white institution
(dis)ability and education
mental health and college
COVID-19 and the “college experience”
college in the age of “fake news”
a day in the life of a CNU student
working a job (or more than one!) while being in college
community engagement and service at CNU

I should note that sometimes it’s easiest to work with a topic that you have personal experience with. That said, I do expect you to do academic research that backs up the choices your player is given in the game itself, so please don’t choose a topic if you are unwilling to have your beliefs questioned. I also want everyone to be respectful and kind to their classmaes, so be aware of the language and framing you use when addressing controversial topics.

Assignment Breakdown

- Proposal - Friday, October 22nd by 11:59 pm

Your proposal should be 300 words and explain both your topic and its social relevance to either the CNU community or college students more broadly.

You should also include at least five (5) possible sources you might use to research your topic. This can be a combination of popular articles (but make sure they are from reliable sources!) and academic sources. Please find at least two (2) peer-reviewed articles about your topic (I suggest using the library or Google Scholar). Here are some great tutorials about using the CNU library.

Tip: The more recent your sources were published, the better!

The suggested bibliography should be formatted according to MLA guidelines. This means it should be double-spaced, alphabatized by the last name of the authors, and formatted with a hanging indent.

I will not accept the other portions of this assignment until your proposal has been approved.

- Final Twine Game and Research Paper Deadline - Monday, November 22nd at 11:59 pm

Your playable Twine game should have the following:

At least fifteen player interactions (remember, you may need more!)
At least three possible outcomes
Some (basic) CSS and HTML

In addition to your Twine game, you must write a 900-1250 word research essay. This essay will tie your research back to the choices you made in creating your Twine game, so you should be citing at least five sources in your paper (note that these sources may end up being different than the five sources you suggested in your proposal depending on how you game develops, my feedback on your proposal, and your meeting with me).

Late Work

I will be subtracting 5 points for every day your assignment is late unless you’ve been been given an extension.

Evaluation Criteria

- Twine Game

A playable game (meaning everything works as it should) that follows guidelines (fifteen player interactions, three outcomes, CSS and HTML)
Relates to approved proposal – so, it’s on topic
Utilizes proper mechanics; style, sentence structure, and spelling promote coherence, clarity, and credibility

- Research Essay

Uses adequate textual evidence (direct quotations, summaries, and paraphrased passages) from both the research and the twine game to support any claims
Thinks critically about the twine game and research instead of simply stating feelings or facts
Organizes ideas
Utilizes proper mechanics; style, sentence structure, and spelling promote coherence, clarity, and credibility
Cites appropriately

I owe credit to S. Einstein and M. Vetter for their Twine Assignment.

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