3-1 Discussion: Biographies, Autobiographies, and Memoirs (50 points)
Biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs—called “life writing”—tell the stories of people’s experiences of the past. An autobiography or memoir is written by the person who experienced the events, while a biography is written by someone else. Most autobiographies, memoirs, and biographies start out as books. Many have been made into movies and television series. Why do we want to read and watch these stories of other people’s lives? Do they help us learn history? For this discussion, you will choose a book, movie, or TV show about a historic figure. Then, you will address the discussion prompts.
Remember to remain thoughtful and respectful toward your peers and instructor in your initial and response discussion posts.
Create one initial post and respond to posts by at least two peers.
For your initial post, address the following:
- Identify a book, movie, or television show about a person (famous or not) involved in a historical event. Describe what is interesting about their story. What did you learn about the time and place in history?
- What is something that clarified your knowledge or raised questions about your knowledge about the event and/or person?
- How do you decide what to believe about the event and/or person?
