Instructions:

Prepare a profile of a person or an organization from the African-Canadian community, past or present. Identify your profile subject for the professor's approval at least two weeks prior to the deadline.

The individual or organization could represent any one of our many social or professional categories such as urban or agrarian workers, social activists, homemakers, clergy, artists, authors, musicians, athletes, educators, students, politicians, lawyers, and soldiers, to name a few.

The content of the profile will be determined by the subject you have selected and the focus you choose for your profile. For instance, you may wish to give a general overview of an individual's entire life. Or you may wish to summarize briefly the overall details of the individual's background and life and then focus on the time or activity that you find most interesting, meaningful, or relevant in that person's life. You could consider the roots, challenges, values, aspirations, and accomplishments of your subject. Does this person or organization teach us something about the life of Blacks in Canada? Do your subject teach us something about what values are important in life? Has your subject been an agent of positive change? In other words, why is this person or organization significant to you (and, by extension, to all Canadians)?

In preparing your profile, be sure to provide introductory and concluding remarks, and logically organized content. In addition to providing factual details, you will enhance your profile by expressing your opinion about the significance of your subject for Canadians or for you personally. For advice on organizing your profile, you might like to check out my web page Guidelines for Persuasive Essay Writing or the Thompson/Gale web page "How to Write a Term Paper".  Whatever format you choose, your profile presentation should flow logically and smoothly.

What constitutes an "African-Canadian"? This is not a legal term. There is no official, universally acknowledged or accepted term to name people who have been labelled variously, "Black", "Afro-Canadian", or "African-Canadian."  For the purposes of this course, let's assume that "African-Canadians" are past or present residents (temporary or permanent) of Canada who have a direct or indirect ethnic, cultural, or ancestral link to Africa.

The individual need not be a "famous" or "accomplished" person. Indeed, the stories of so-called "ordinary" people tell us a lot about our society. Likewise, the organization need not be famous or national in scope. For instance, you might interview a fellow student, an uncle, or a grandmother, to learn of their experiences and perceptions as African Canadians. Or, you might choose to profile a famous personality such as the jazz pianist Oscar Peterson. The person can be living or dead. You might prepare a profile of one of Toronto's many Afrocentric service agencies such as the Jamaican Canadian Association. For some suggestions, see the list of individuals and organizations in Possible Topics for African-Canadian Profiles.

You can collect your data from recorded sources such as books, magazines, journals, or films. You may NOT rely entirely on websites for your information. A substantial amount of your information must come from another/other source(s). (Note that much valuable material is available via the Seneca Library internet site in journals and newspapers that are available via the internet. These sources of information constitute acceptable 'non-website' sources.) You can also conduct personal interviews with the person profiled or with people who know/knew your subject. Always note the exact details concerning your sources at the time you record the information, since you will later have to list these details when you compile the bibliography that you will attach to your assignment. Be sure to consult an MLA guide, such as the "Seneca College Library MLA Style Guide" , my MLA guidelines for citing sources or Diana Hacker's excellent site "Humanities: Documenting Sources".

If you are personally conducting an interview, use this format in your Works Cited list:

Bailey, Cameron. Personal interview. 11 February, 2012
or
Cooper, Afua. Telephone interview. 30 January, 2012.

You should consult Seneca's "Guide to Integrating Quotations (MLA Style)"  and my guidelines for integrating quotations in your profile.

If you are conducting interviews, you should first read up on your subject, if possible, and definitely prepare a series of questions. Once the interview is underway, however, you may permit yourself to deviate from your planned route of questioning if your conversation takes you in an unexpected or more interesting direction. Be a good listener: give your interviewee a real opportunity to respond. You may wish to conclude the interview by asking if there are any particular comments the person wishes to add to your conversation.

If you wish to make a video or audio tape of the interview, be sure to ask for the interviewee's permission. If your report is written, you can review your tape recording to accurately transcribe quotations or to paraphrase. Appropriate photos and/or brochures are a welcome addition to any profile.

Cameras, video cameras and audio cassette recorders are available for loan, free of charge, at the Audio-Visual Centre in the Learning Commons at Newnham Campus. You may also book a private room in the A/V Centre for conducting and recording interviews. See the Audio-Visual Services web page for full details on booking equipment, etc.

If you choose to write your profile, you will submit the profile typed on paper. However, you may also use another format such as a series of web pages or a PowerPoint slide show to present your profile. As well, if you wish to present your project on a videotape or audio-cassette, you may do so. When recording, be sure to reduce or eliminate any surrounding noise so that your interview will be clear.If you do not have the resources to edit your videotape, you will need to plan your taping very carefully in advance. If you make an audio-tape, you will probably need to do some editing. In either case, you will need to attach a short written introduction and conclusion if these are not included in the recording.

Here are a few websites with advice on conducting interviews: Oral testimony and community history: a guide:(http://www.ourroots.ca/toc.aspx?id=9213&qryID=612dfb0d-03ff-4ec9-b3bd-e0a49aa86460#); "How to Conduct an Oral History Interview":http://www.ehow.com/how_2050935_conduct-oral-history-interview.html; "General Guidelines for Conducting Interviews": http://www.managementhelp.org/evaluatn/intrview.htm and "Oral History Interview Guide": http://www.hsp.org/files/oralhistoryguide.pdf .

Cheating and Plagiarism:

Cheating and plagiarism constitute prohibited behaviour and will be penalized in accordance with college policy:

9.3 Penalties
The penalty for a first offence of cheating or plagiarism is a grade of "0" on the work in which the offence occurred, and will result in a comment being placed on the transcript by the Academic Honesty Committee. The penalty for the second offence of cheating or plagiarism is an "F" in the course where the offence occurred, a second comment on the transcript and suspension from the College for a time period determined by the Academic Honesty Committee, normally for a minimum of three (3) semesters. When a student returns to the College, he/she will be placed on Academic Honesty Probation. Any further violation of the Academic Honesty policy will result in College initiated mandatory withdrawal for academic purposes.

The student has the right to appeal the decision of the Academic Honesty Committee, consistent with Academic Policy. Evidence will be kept on file. The procedure for dealing with both Cheating and Plagiarism is found in Appendix E.

It is every student’s responsibility to familiarize him/herself with the proper procedure for avoiding cheating and plagiarism through the various resources beyond the Academic Policy such as the Student Handbook, and the Learning Commons website at http://library.senecacollege.ca/Academic_Honesty/index.html.

Students may seek assistance from Student Services in understanding the policy and procedures for Academic Honesty.