University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma

A Burning Idea–Project Contract

11 March 2019

 

SECTION I: MISSION STATEMENT

 

The goal of this site is to build an informative and comprehensive account of the censorship dispute between young adult fiction author Ellen Hopkins and Whittier Middle School in Norman, Oklahoma is 2009. We intend to showcase the importance of the case to the state of literary censorship in Oklahoma and locate its place in the larger framework of historical and cultural movements related to censorship.

 

Our intended audience is anyone interested in issues of censorship, particularly in Oklahoma. The site will be most helpful for students, as it will provide a more detailed account of the case than we have been able to find anywhere in our primary searches. We plan to make the website easily searchable and navigable; this might involve using multiple ways of organizing materials to make them as accessible as possible.

 

Our site will have (at least) the following sections:

  • The case (its story, background, and results);
  • Historical and cultural context (including the history of young adult fiction censorship);
  • About Ellen Hopkins (her work, literary reputation, and her responses to the case);
  • About Glass and Crank;
  • About Norman Public Schools and Whittier Middle School;
  • A section listing the key players in the censorship dispute;
  • A section for our primary research documents and links to further research;
  • A discussion of the case’s significance and our interpretation of its meaning and impact.

 

SECTION II: TOOLS

 

Our website will be built using WordPress. We will use the theme Parabola, but incorporate a color scheme and visual look that will be cohesive and appropriate to our subject. We will use colors that echo the original cover artwork of Glass (purples, greys), but that still provide an uncluttered, professional appearance.

For our website, we plan on using several different outside tools, including:

  • TimelineJS–for a timeline illustrating the events of the case;
  • Coggle–to continue planning the structure of our site;
  • Newspapers.com–for finding and clipping selections of articles pertaining to our case;
  • Audacity–for editing the audio clips of our interviews;
  • SoundCloud–for hosting and embedding interview audio.

 

The embedded timeline in the site will be useful for properly showing all of the different events in the order they occurred. We want all of the tools we use to help the audience get a better understanding of the case, so we may add more tools as we work on the site.

 

SECTION III: DIVISION OF LABOR AND STRUCTURE

 

Of the 8 major sections within our website (including the home page), we will each be responsible for the content of 4 of them. However, the final version of each page will be reviewed by both of us to ensure agreement and maintain similar styles of writing and design. The division of these sites is as follows:

 

Baylee:

  • Website sections:
    • About the Case
    • About NPS/Whittier Middle School
    • About Glass and Crank
    • Key Players
  • [All communication with Karin Perry]

Genevieve:

  • Website sections:
    • Home Page
    • Historical/Cultural Context
    • About Ellen Hopkins
    • Primary Sources and Further Research
  • [All communication with Norman Public Schools]

Both:

  • Website sections:
    • Significance of the Case
    • About Us/About COPLAC
  • TimelineJS project
  • Construction of visual themes/design
  • Writing interview questions

 

Because of her connections and previous networking with Norman Public School District librarians and teachers, Baylee will focus on contacting potential interviewees and organizing meeting times. In the meantime, Genevieve will focus on building a robust body of historical context research to incorporate into the site. We will both work together to develop questions and procedures for the interview(s) and draft the visual look of the site. Once these cooperative tasks are complete, individual work can begin on our designated sections of the site.

 

SECTION IV: MILESTONES

 

The tentative due dates for the various tasks and sections are as follows:

 

  • March 1:
    • Draft the website’s color scheme and visual theme
    • Decide on interviewee(s) and begin to schedule meeting times
  • March 8:
    • Content of “About Ellen Hopkins” (Genevieve) and “About Glass and Crank” (Baylee) drafted
  • March 15:
    • Content of “Historical Context” (Genevieve) and “About NPS/Whittier” (Baylee) drafted
    • Send out the interview questions and attached consent form to Karin Perry (Baylee)
  • March 18:
    • TimelineJS timeline completed (Baylee and Genevieve)
  • March 23:
    • Interview completed and transcribed (Baylee and Genevieve)
  • March 30:
    • Content of “Home Page” (Genevieve) and “About the Case” (Baylee) drafted
    • Obtain permission to use all desired images and documents (Baylee and Genevieve)
  • April 6:
    • Content of “Key Players” (Baylee) and “Primary Sources” (Genevieve) drafted
    • “Significance” drafted (Baylee and Genevieve)
    • Finalization, tidying, and final details
  • April 8:
    • Website draft due
  • April 26:
    • Final revised website due