05 Jan Excellent transitions

Assignment 1

Oral Presentation Guidelines

Students will hold an oral presentation on the subject of culture, literature, art, philosophy, or technology and demonstrate how these ideas defined history during the time of this course.

Students will select a topic and post it to the Oral Presentation Discussion under Week 1 so we do not have repeat presentations.

Students can receive an extra 5 points if they post a working thesis in addition to the topic.

Power-point format, 12 to 15 slides.

As per the content of the topic your presentation should include:

images and/or quotes which will serve as primary and secondary sources

maps

short videos

timelines

factual information on the topic

Slides need to be available on a flash drive or sent to me via LEO email PRIOR to your class presentation.

Two directly quoted and primary source documents need to be highlighted in your presentation, with analysis!

Chicago Citation and your total sources listed at the end of your presentation (that slide in not included in the total number 😉

Print out a copy of your presentation and hand it to be BEFORE you begin your presentation.

Presentation Rubric (100 points)

Student successfully interpreted and integrated materials into the power point presentation, with source citations. 30 pts.

Student clearly defined the main point of the presentation and highlighted information relative to oral presentation topic. 30 pts

Student fully explored the topic and brought relative information to the class which was not already provided in the learning resources or class lectures. 20 pts.

Student demonstrated a level of confidence in their presentation and knowledge on the subject being presented. 5 pts.

If a student does not present in front of the class they automatically lose 10 points

Student successfully created a power point presentation that was informative, interesting and held the audiences attention. 10 pts.

Student come to class prepared to present and with a copy of the presentation. 5 pts.

* Extra points if the student engages the class in an open discussion on the topic where knowledge is exchanged and ideas are shared.

Assignment 2

Primary Source Analysis

Instructions

OK, so what is a primary source?

It can be defined as anything created by someone involved in an event, about the event. For example, it could be a diary or a picture. These are the raw bits of history and we use them to understand the people and events under study. Here are resources to help you prepare for this assignment:

What are primary and secondary source documents and why are they so important to use when analyzing events of the past?

Primary and secondary source documents give historians a “first hand” account of issues contemporary to the time and place history is being made. Think of it this: Anne Franks diaries are primary sources, a biography written about her is a secondary source and you can even go so far as to say that an encyclopedia entry about her is a tertiary source. All of these sources are valuable to the time and place she was alive and they are all valuable when reconstructing historical events. Ya see, knowing how to read, annotate, interpret, and analyze historical documents is key in understanding historical events and ALL of your discussions are based on source document readings so understanding what they are and how to use them accurately is a very important element to this course.

I have provided some informational links and a few optional exercises that will help to understand more about source documents and how to use them in your discussions.

Why Study History through primary Sources?

How to Annotate and Understand the MAIN Points of a Source Document

Library of Congress: Teaching with Primary Sources (video and transcript) – definition of primary and secondary sources and why use primary sources http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=6632

Library of Congress: Why Use Primary Sources http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/whyuse.html

Library of Congress: Citing Primary Sources – Chicago style http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/chicago.html

How do I find Primary/Secondary Sources?

Yale School of Law (Links to an external site.)

Fordham University (Links to an external site.)

Classics MIT Source Document Search (Links to an external site.)

BBC History (Links to an external site.)

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Links to an external site.)

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Links to an external site.) (note citation information)

Recommended Primary Sources on the Web (Links to an external site.)

Library of Congress: Finding Primary Sources http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/finding.html

National Archives: Finding Primary Sources http://www.archives.gov/education/research/primary-sources.html

How do I Analyze Primary Sources?

Library of Congress: Analyzing a Primary Source (video and transcript) http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=6633

National Archives: Primary Source Analysis Worksheets – You will need the worksheets to complete the Primary Source Analysis assignment.

If you are having trouble working with the formatted pdf, cut and past the information into a word doc and fill it out.

You will not find any cartoons, posters, movie or sound recordings in the ancient world!

Primary Source Analysis Instructions

Find two (2) primary sources and (2) secondary sources that relate to your Document Based Analysis (DBA) on your chosen topic. In addition to filling out the worksheet from the National Archives you will also need to write an annotation linking the source to your DBA topic and explain how you will use the document in your essay and why.

For each primary source you find, create a separate entry that includes all of the following information:

The type of primary source (e.g. written document, artifact, utility item and so on).

Complete the worksheet in detail.

Write a narrative analysis of the primary source, using the information you collected on the worksheet

Explain how the item pertains to your topic

Create a bibliographic entry (as you would include it in your bibliography) for the primary source – in Chicago Humanities style

Rubric:

Each source analysis is worth 20 points (providing it is relative to your DBA)

Proper format, citation, and followed directions is worth 20 points

Submit your work as an attachment(s) via the assignment folder in Week 5 (under Content) or under Assignments (on the NavBar).

Assignment 3

Document Based Analysis

Utilize primary and secondary sources of information to construct an image of a important figure who lived during the time period of this course.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Post your topic and working thesis to the discussion board by the end of Week Two. Worth 5 extra points if submitted on time.

Execution: What is a Document Based Analysis?

The purpose of writing a document-based analysis is for you to discover, interpret, analyze and utilize specific documents in order to address a specific topic. This type of writing parallels the writing in professional, scholarly history books: the writing is thesis-driven and evidence-based. It seeks to provide substantial evidence in support of a particular position that is established in the thesis. Keep in mind that your answer to the assignment’s question is your thesis. It usually appears in the first paragraph of the essay. Be sure to include all points that you will make in your paper in your first paragraph. A reader should be able to outline the rest of your paper just from the thesis.

The document-based analysis is like other academic writing in history in that it shows how the topic under discussion relates to the time period of your focus. You should, therefore, keep your focus on the documents’ historical context (rather than on contemporary issues) and seek to answer this question: Why did this topic matter to people at that time?

Your primary audience is your professor and perhaps your classmates. However, you should write with an academic audience in mind that is knowledgeable about history, but not necessarily a specialist in the documents you are analyzing.

A few more tips..

Evidence comes from the documents and should be used to support your argument. Analysis of how the documents support your argument is essential.

Explain the context of your evidence and avoid lengthy description or summary of documents. It is better to find a quote that illustrates the point that you want to make. Be sure to explain why or how the quote supports your argument.

Document Based Analysis is not opinion writing but a close examination of primary and secondary sources that provide supporting evidence and support the essay prompt as well as the thesis.

Writing Criteria:

Proper Chicago style format with full name, date, title and citations

4 to 6 pages but not to exceed 7 pages. 12 pt, normal margins, double spaced. The title and citation/bib page are not included in the page count;)

The use of at least 5 to 7 primary sources and secondary sources plus additional references. Usage of sources from each weeks discussion is strongly encouraged!

Evidence is used to support your analysis and link back to the thesis

DBA Rubric:

Content- 55 Points Possible:

Student clearly understood the assignment prompt. 2 pts.

Student utilized the assigned number of resources and included SOURCE DOCUMENTS from the discussions. 5 pts

Demonstrated a solid understanding of material through higher order thinking, research and class content. 20 pts.

Created a solid thesis, in bold, followed in a clear and easily identifiable process throughout paper! 10 pts.

Content is appropriately used to buttress every point with examples that support the thesis statement. 10 pts.

Correct integration of quoted, paraphrased, and statistical material into paragraphs with the proper Chicago Style in text citations, foot notes, and bibliography. 8 pts

Analysis and Logic- 35 Pints Possible:

Analysis is fresh and exciting, posing new ways to think of the material and novel connections are made to outside material. 2 pt.

All ideas in the paper flow logically; the main point are easily identifiable: from paragraph to paragraph. 10 pts.

Creates a succinct pattern of understanding that clearly links evidence in the paper back to the thesis statement! 18 pts.

Presents essay from a historical perspective and in a formal voice.5 pts.

Mechanics & Structure- 10 Points Possible:

Excellent transitions from point to point. 2 pts.

Paragraphs are structured correctly. 2 pts.

Good sentence structure, grammar, and diction, few punctuation and (minor) spelling errors. 2 pts.

Expanded vocabulary and avoids redundancy and repetition of ideas. 2 pts.

Followed citation format criteria completely. 2 pts.

Word to the Wise: wikipedia, blogs, and any website with pop up adds are usually not credible. Follow the CRAAP test when searching for credible sources: credibility, authority, currency, accuracy, purpose, and relevancy before citing the information in an essay.