U.S. HISTORY II (PREFER EXPERIENCED HISTORY EXPERTS)

PLEASE READ HIGHLIGHTED PART!!!!!!!

****AFTER COMPLETING PART I, THEN YOU WILL DO PART II BELOW.

TRY USING THE SAME SOURCES FROM PART I SO THEY WILL ALL CONNECT IN SOME WAY**

REMEMBER THE TOPIC I CHOSE IS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE INSTRUCTIONS AS WELL BELOW.

Instructions: “Part II”

Purpose:  Choose one of the larger themes below and develop a creative project or work around it, using what you have learned this semester.  Narrow one of these themes into a more specific thesis, question, or contestable claim. Use one of the following mediums to explore your topic:

· Researched essay of 1000+ words (or at least 4 full pages in 12 pt. font) exploring the topic pulling from primary sources of all/any types.  See  Starting Your History Essay  for reference. 

· Regardless of your project medium or modality, remember to check the links below for minimum requirements, as well as the examples and helpful links provided afterward.  Don't forget to cite all of your sources (including images).  Check  How to Cite Sources in Chicago Style  for help with this, and ask your instructor if you have questions!

. Starting Your History Essay

. Starting Your Presentation

. Starting Your Podcast and/or Oral History Interview(s)

Task:

Choose one of the following overarching themes:

· Democracy and diversity: How democratic is our democracy?  

· Identity: What does it mean to be an American?

· Culture: How has culture unified or divided Americans?

· Politics and Citizenship: What does it mean to be an American citizen? What is the role of the government?

Choose a medium and narrow your topic.  One may be somewhat determined by the other - if you know what you want your specific topic to be, that may inform which medium you choose, or vice versa. 

You may want to focus on the evolving timeline of a certain topic (see the  Timeline Activity in Unit 2  to refresh your memory on this) or you may choose to narrow your topic by limiting it to a certain time period - here are some suggestions:

· 1865-1890

· 1890-1920

· 1920-1945

· 1945-1968

· 1968-present

Think about the the claim or argument you want to make or the question you want to answer, and how best you can present your research to achieve that goal.  Make that question or argument clear in the title of your project, and remember that you will need to provide analysis for your sources, and not merely summarize facts or events. 

You'll have some help developing your ideas through the  Final Project Brainstorm Discussion , and your instructor will "sign off" on your final chosen topic and modality via the  Final Project: Topic, Working Thesis, and Format  check-in assignment. 

Then, prepare your interview questions and/or collect your sources, documentation, quotes, photos, songs, etc., citing them appropriately in your bibliography or Works Cited slide (you'll work on annotating two of your sources for your  Final Project Part I: Topic, Working Thesis, and Format , but for your final turn-in your bibliography doesn't need to be annotated.)

.  For each entry, briefly summarize the source, note its credibility or bias, and state how you plan to use it in your project.  This will help you shape the project as you collect evidence.  Refer back to the pages on working with sources and the questions in the assessments throughout the course to help you frame the project.

Finally, after you've completed your project, write a 1 page (2-3 paragraph) reflection on how this process went for you - what came easy, what was frustrating, how you feel about your results. This will likely be a project that will push you out of your comfort zone, precisely because you have so much freedom. 

· Did this freedom feel liberating, or was it overwhelming?

· What did you learn about your topic?

· What did you learn about yourself and your process? What questions did you want to explore but didn’t? 

· How do you feel it represents your learning in the course overall?

File submissions:  Please submit your file as a DOC.X or PDF file if an essay or presentation, an MP4 file if a video, and interviews/podcasts in MP3 format.   Contact your instructor beforehand if you're unsure or have questions.

Criteria on which you will be graded:

· Clarity/logic of your argument/claim or question

· How well your project supports that argument/claim or answers that question through analysis of your sources

· Medium fulfills the above time/page requirements

· Primary sources are used and correctly cited in  Chicago Style - this document will show you how.

· Your correctly formatted bibliography summarizes, evaluates and communicates how each of your sources will be used - you'll work on annotating this for your  Final Project Part I: Topic, Working Thesis, and Format , but for Part II it doesn't need to be annotated.

· Originality and creativity of your work (don’t go find someone else’s photo essay and copy it - create your own!)

· Inclusion of a written reflection on your work