1 pages essay

The final project for this course is the creation of an “imaginary” autobiography based on the life of one of the following figures who lived during the modern period from 1500–present:

A Spanish conquistador in the Americas

A slave taken from Africa and forced to labor on an American plantation (male or female)

A Hindu living in the Mughal Empire (male or female)

An Chinese peasant in the final stages of the Qing Dynasty (1830s–1912) (male or female)

An Eastern European living in a Communist state during the Cold War (male or female)

The final project represents an authentic demonstration of competency because it requires the student to process information concerning the individual from many different sources including primary and secondary sources. That information is then combined to produce a work that explores the life of that person.

To successfully complete this project, the autobiography must include the following items:

An explanation of the character’s social and economic standing in his or her society and his or her approximate date of birth

The character’s view of recent events with an explanation of how these events are viewed from the vantage point of his or her background and of the physical location in which he or she lives

A broad analysis of the historical events of the age in which the character lives

Milestone One: Topic and Proposal

In task 2-4, you will submit the name of the figure you will become for your creation of the imaginary autobiography. Submit the name, date of birth, where your character lived, family names, and three sources to be used. This milestone is graded as pass/fail. This milestone is part of the overall process and designed to keep students focused on the final research project. Feedback will be provided by the instructor.