Final Project….US History (SLAVES RESISTANCE)
Introduction
This assignment is your final project. The purpose is to allow you to creatively explore a theme relevant to this class.
This assignment is the culmination of all of the course’s objectives:
1. Explain the significance of specific people, places, and events pertaining to American History to the Civil War Era.
2. Identify key figures, concepts, and time periods in American History to the Civil War Era.
3. Analyze historical documents from prehistory to the Civil War to create a narrative of the past.
4. Evaluate the impact of historical time periods in American History to the Civil War era.
5. Construct an argumentative work based upon historical source material.
The Assignment
I encourage creativity with how you choose to approach this assignment. But, there is a basic template that you should keep in mind based on the objectives listed above.
Objective 2 says identify key figures, concepts, and time periods in AH1. You should have some sort of central theme, person, era, etc. that is somehow related to this course (pre-European contact in the Americas through the start of the American Civil War – we will not fully cover the Civil War until after this project’s due date). **BUT** this should NOT be a summary of something covered in class. Instead, you have the freedom to explore a topic of your choice. It can be something mentioned in class that we didn’t cover in depth due to time restraints or something skipped completely (an important person for example). Once you narrow in on a topic –
Objective 1 states that students should explain the significance of specific people, places, and events pertaining to American History… This is your next step. You need to do some research and (OBJECTIVE 5) – construct an argumentative work based upon historical source material. Objective 3 also fits in this step – as it pertains to analyzing historical documents to create a narrative of the past. Your research should include historical documents. And once your research is done, you will show (objective 4) the impact of this theme, era, person, etc.
***I want you to be creative and have fun with this project!!*** This is your opportunity to explore something that piqued your interest in class!!! Make it your own!!
There will be a presentation aspect to this assignment, and it also encourages creativity. You should combine a personal interest with the historical theme you pick. A personal interest may include your future career path, a hobby, an interest like programming, gaming, etc. Project submissions have run the gamut of possible presentations. I’ve had students construct structures; write lesson plans; write, record, and perform original songs on a plethora of topics; write original historical fiction or plays; record interviews and oral histories (specifically one example was – a ‘red table’-esque’ interview between a student and her grandmother who lived through the Civil Rights Era in Mississippi for a modern US course). I’ve had students propose a make-up tutorial to coincide with a discussion on 18th century medicine, sci-fi stories about contingency factors with atomic weapons, a mapped compilation of where some of the enslaved narratives assigned in class were written, etc. There is literally no limit to what you can do. So, I jokingly say in class that with this project, “you can do anything you want as long as it relates to class,” but that’s pretty much truth. For the presentation, you can record yourself going through a PowerPoint (I use vimeo for the lecture videos but there are other free platforms), or if you create an original art piece or structure, record yourself explaining your process and the thoughts behind it. Your goal should not be to entertain me, but yes, your information should be engaging and something that would be appropriate to be shared with an audience.
Hopefully this gives you some insight to the project without inhibiting your creativity. The challenge of this project is identifying your theme. It does need to be relatable to class, but I do NOT want a summary of something we covered. So if for early US you pick the Enlightenment Era, Slavery, the Columbian Exchange, Thomas Jefferson, etc. – what are you adding to the conversation that was not covered in class? (or for AH2 – the Jim Crow South, industrialism, FDR, one of the world wars, etc.) I do not want a rehash of course material, nor do I want basic information that pops up in the first line of a google search. One way to do this is pick a part that we briefly mentioned, and do some research on your own. For example, Enlightenment ideals were not accepted by all, who opposed them and why? (Please do not use this topic!! Think of your own!!) I envision this project taking you 4-6 hours. It is worth 20% of your overall grade. There is an expectation for it be creative, relevant, well-researched, and on a college level – meaning a basic report on a famous person where you discuss his or her birthdates, place of birth, and general accomplishments that pop up instantly on a google serach is not going to get you an A on this project. For a college level project, you don’t just research, you research for a purpose to create an argument or illuminate a lesser covered theme, event, or ideology.
Due dates:
You will have a discussion board where you will propose a topic and how you will present it. Please respond to classmates! This can be a great way to find inspiration! The discussion board will be due by the end of week 13 (4/14).
The project is due at the end of week 14 (4/21) but I will accept it up through 5/5 with penalties of 5 points per day.
Rubric
