This course is worth a total of 100 points divided into class participation, weekly blog posts, the “Four Views” digital project, and a final reflection essay. A description of each assignment type can be found below:
Class Participation: 15 points
To gain the most out of this course, you will need to demonstrate active engagement with the materials, discussions, and assignments. There are a variety of ways to be participate and stay engaged with the course: attend class and participate in our discussions, contribute to the class Google Doc of course notes (linked at top of schedule page), and reply to students’ blog posts throughout the semester for extra credit (see below).
Extra Credit: Make substantive comments on a maximum of three (3) of your fellow students’ blog posts throughout the semester. You will receive one point extra credit per comment. Reflect and think about their ideas, experiences using the tools, or other aspects of their blog posts in a few sentences.
Weekly Blog Posts: 45 points
Over the course of the term, there will be 9 total blogging activities (one per week, 5 points each). These assignments will correspond with each week’s topics, approaches, and in-class activities. Blogs are due by 11:59pm CT on Sunday of the week they are assigned and should be roughly 350-600 words. Since these posts are generally reflective, I expect thoughtful and intentional writing that draws upon that week’s sources, reading materials, and approaches we discuss. Please include at least one source from that week’s reading materials.
To create a blog post, sign in to the course website (linked on homepage), navigate to posts on the left column and select new post.
“Four Views” Digital Project: 20 points
See full project assignment description here
This project has been inspired by Crystal Migwans’ “Four Views” online exhibit curated through GRASAC (The Great Lakes Research Alliance), a digital repository for Great Lakes Indigenous cultural heritage items. In this exhibit, Migwans presents four physical (and interpretive) “views” of a single object with supportive context and analysis following each view. She also highlights how objects hold multiple meanings when we perform a “close reading” that is contextualized through material, political, economic, socio-cultural, and other sources.
Students will work individually to contribute to a class project on Indigenous cultural heritage from anytime pre-contact to 1871. Select one item that appears in an online collection (see the Digital Resources page of our class website for digital collections) and present four different views of that item. You may choose views like the entire object, the top/bottom, or special details. For each view, write at least a 100-word description and interpretation grounded in historical thinking and context. You may consult outside resources to help you in crafting your descriptions (look back to the reading and videos from April 29 for help on analyzing your item)
Please draft your four view descriptions (with images), a link to your item, and any metadata (information about your item) in a Word or Google document in preparation for adding them to the class website, which we will walk through together on Monday, May 13.
Archive visit: Monday, May 6
Draft of views (photos + descriptions) due: Monday, May 13
In-class Omeka project building day: Monday, May 13
Project Due: Friday, May 17 by 11:59pm CT
“Four Views” Final Reflection Blog Essay: 20 points
Based upon the “Four Views” Digital Project, please write an individual reflection essay as a final blog post totaling at least 1000 words. This reflection essay should not simply be a copy of your four views project, but a deeper reflection of the history and knowledge needed for completing this project. Please consult at least three scholarly sources (books, chapters, journal articles, digital scholarship, etc.) and cite them in the format of your choosing (MLA, Chicago, APA, etc.). To find scholarly sources, search the library’s catalog.
- Please include a link to your “Four Views” exhibit project at the top of your post
Your reflection blog essay may explore:
- More historical research about the item and its placement within Native American history.
- A reflection on the process of interacting with the digital item, learning about the item’s metadata information, and what this information did and did not include.
- A reflection on the placement of Native American objects and documents in non-Native owned/operated museums, archives, and libraries, as well as digital collections.
- A reflection on what we don’t know about this object and why such gaps within history are important. What did you find through additional research to fill this gap?
When searching for reliable sources, refer to this MLA checklist for source credibility
This final blog essay is due Sunday, June 2 by 11:59pm.