Projects

Projects are welcome at any time.

Projects are not required for promotion to Journeyman. See the Promotion Guidelines.

A project consists of an amount of planning, research or creation, and presentation.

Not every project needs to be large. For instance, every time a teacher, be they Sr. Apprentice or Journeyman, gives a lesson -- that's a project. They had to do some planning -- what am I going to tell these students today? -- research, for the teacher must know before s/he can communicate to the students -- and presentation -- which is, of course, the lesson itself. An independent project of a similar scope done by a student and turned in to a journeman or master may count toward skill points with the same value as if a lesson had been attended.

As measured in terms that a college student should understand:

• a lesson project should have the same scope and effort as a one-page paper.
• a major apprentice project should have the same scope and effort as a two-page paper.
• a Journeyman Project, for promotion, should have the same scope as a five-page paper.

This doesn't mean that you need to turn in a paper. Rather, this is merely a comparison whereby you might have a better idea of the scope that a project ought to have.

The first stage in any project is that of planning. In general, an outline is required, especially for Journeyman Projects which must be approved by senior harpers before they are begun. The outline should include the aim of the project, the components, be they creation, assembly, performance, or something else, and the people who will be a part of the project or affected by it. In the case of a tinyplot, this list of people may be quite long. In all cases, you are encouraged to seek the permission of those who will take part in any project.

Once the outline has been completed and approved, if necessary, work on the project may begin. Because, realistically, most work is done on the project OOCly, you should include an IC period of time when you will RP working on the project - either appearing in the appropriate place for work over the course of several days, or practicing your instrument in public, or giving large speeches in the courtyard of the Hold. Your character should be learning as much or more from this project as you will, and besides, it's fun to have something to RP about.

When you feel that the project is ready, you should turn it in to your mentor. If you don't have a mentor, or can't get in touch with him or her, then you can approach any journeyman or master. Be prepared for criticism -- that's your mentor's job. In some cases, they may give you back a paper with more red on it than there is black and white, but be assured they're only trying to help... ;) On a minor project, your mentor and the senior harpers will be more lenient than on a major project or a Journeyman Project, so don't be surprised if your Journeyman Project is returned to you three or four times for revision.

When the project is accepted and approved, you will receive credit for it. In the case of a Journeyman Project, you will then schedule your examination. In the case of any other project, you may now start planning your next!

Harper Life and Craft Policy