Beachcomber Project

Beachcomber Project

Group Communication (Spch 2)
Daniel S. Fox, Ph.D.
Monterey Peninsula College

Task

1.  Select a beach from the Monterey Bay and peninsula: each group will choose, on a first-come, first-served basis (there are several, from Santa Cruz down to Pt. Lobos; it may be more feasible to limit the selection to something from Moss Landing down to Carmel).
2.  Research the history of that beach:  go back as far as possible; get digital photographs or digital scans, if possible.
3.  Research its threats and current condition: threats may be ecological, legal, or social; conferring with local authorities about these threats is expected.
4.  Visit, explore, photograph and interview:  (a) the group should visit the beach, providing a photographic journal of the experience, including a map and directions; (b) while there, group members should get to know one another, being prepared to share (in the group presentation) three interesting, not generally known things about each person in the group; (c) the group should also provide detailed descriptions of interviews they conduct with at least four different people (questions should focus on what they like about the beach, how often they come, are they visiting or do they live locally, what they would do to improve that beach).
5.  Share the above information with the class in an oral presentation lasting around 20-30 minutes, using MS Power Point.
6.  Provide the professor with a copy of the MSPP presentation on a CD (or copy to the desktop).

Structure for the Presentation

1.  Introduction of your group members: short bios on each person, including the three interesting, not generally known things about them.
2.  Selected beach: overview.
3.  History of the beach.
4.  Threats and current condition.
5.  Photographic exploration of the beach (including the interview information).