ISP 101 – The Black Sox Scandal in History and Myth
Grossman
Assignment for Essay II
For this essay you will explore the course topic by designing a means of educating the public about this topic.
Imagine that the Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame in Cooperstown has agreed to present an exhibit on the 1919 Black Sox, and that you have been chosen as the designer, or curator, of this exhibit. You essay will be a description of what the visitors to this museum exhibit will experience from the moment they step into the exhibit until the moment they leave.
Take you readers on a tour of your museum exhibit, showing them exactly what they will learn about the 1919 Black Sox, and how they will learn it. Think about how you will organize and display your information and what your visitors will experience at your exhibit. Consider how you want your visitors to feel about this event and its participants, and what you can do as curator to bring about the type of emotional response that you want from you audience.
Consider the following aspects of museum exhibits as you plan your own:
- Entrance – How will you engage your audience in the topic? How does their exploration begin?
- Layout – How will the museum exhibit be organized and arranged?
- Information – What is the information you will convey and how will you convey it? What type of means will you use to educate your audience? Where does the story begin? How will you address issues of background information? Where does the story end? What do you think your audience needs to know about this topic?
- Narrative – What will you visitors read or listen to?
- Sensory Displays – What will your visitors see, hear, touch?
- Other – Is there a cafeteria? What will be served? Is there a gift shop? What will be featured? Will there be hands-on activities for patrons? What will they consist of? Will there be special events? Describe them.
- Exit – How will the exhibit end? What will be your patrons’ last experience in the museum?
Your museum design should be a vivid, engaging piece of writing that reveals your careful research, and the depth and originality of thought with which you have explored your topic. Consult at least three outside sources (not including class materials) to thoroughly educate yourself about the topic, and cite these sources according to MLA format. Use parenthetical citations when appropriate according to MLA guidelines.
The final draft should be at least six typed pages and will account for 20% of your final course grade.