Sample assignment · Formal, analytical writing · An alternative final project

In classroom use, this is typically a graded assignment serving as a final project. Weighting, scheduling, and grading treatment are at the adopting instructor's discretion.

About This Open Educational Resource

This assignment was the final project for an earlier iteration of SOC 250: Racial and Ethnic Communities in the United States at Lehman College, CUNY, and was later succeeded by the Documentary Analysis Worksheet. It is preserved here as an alternative final project — suited to courses that emphasize policy application, want creative-format options, or prefer a more open-ended culminating prompt.

Adoption notes for instructors:

• The open-ended prompt works well for semester-length courses and for students comfortable with independent essay writing. The Documentary Analysis Worksheet, available in this collection, offers a more scaffolded alternative for first- and second-year students.
• Creative formats (a one-page flyer, a three-minute video, a three-minute podcast clip) are expected to be equivalent to the essay in thought and substance. Invite students to propose other storytelling formats as well.
• The guiding principles below are holistic. The original version used a twenty-point rubric across the same criteria; point bands can be reattached if your context requires numeric scoring.
• The length targets (500 words, or roughly three minutes of media) are adjustable.

For self-directed learners: this works as a capstone synthesis. Choose a historical insight from any module you have completed and draft the proposal — the exercise of moving from historical analysis to policy design is the point, whether or not anyone grades it.

Course Context

This final project builds on discussions across the full course, inviting students to go beyond analyzing the roots of inequality by proposing actionable solutions. In the original course it served as the culminating project of a fifteen-week semester; within The Making of Race, it draws on historical insights from any of the modules.

Purpose

By connecting lessons from the past to potential policies, students engage in critical thinking that links understanding with strategy — exploring how history can guide effective change today. This is an opportunity not only to deepen understanding but also to demonstrate the strength of informed, proactive responses to social challenges.

Instructions

Choose one of the following formats for your response.

1. Short Essay. Write a 500-word essay (about two pages, double-spaced) that addresses the question:

How can we use or highlight historical insights to create policies that address current disparities and dismantle systems that perpetuate racial inequality?

2. Creative Project. Create a visual or audio project that addresses the same question. Your project should be equivalent to the short essay in thought and substance. Possible formats include:

• A one-page flyer
• A three-minute video
• A three-minute podcast clip

You are welcome to use other creative storytelling methods as well; discuss additional options with your instructor.

Each format should:

• Explain a specific historical insight related to racial inequality.
• Describe a proposed policy inspired by that historical insight.
• Detail how this policy could address existing disparities or dismantle systems of racial inequality today.

Guiding Principles for Evaluation

To receive a satisfactory grade, consider these principles as you develop your project. Rather than scoring each criterion separately, your instructor considers the work as a whole — essays on the first four principles, creative projects on all five. If anything is unclear, reach out to your instructor before the deadline.