Assignments

My Hometown Newspaper Due June 22 20 points

Scan through at least 4 issues of your character's hometown newspaper for January 1942. Write up a concise account (no more than 2 pages) answering the following questions: What kinds of information did you discover about your character's hometown in 1942? Provide some examples. What sort of war coverage was included in the paper? What did you find most surprising in the newspaper? Assess the value of newspapers for historical research. In other words, what type of information are newspapers good for, when would you go to a newspaper rather than some other sort of evidence, what are the weaknesses of a newspaper as a historical evidence, etc. Copy and attach one item from the newspaper that you found interesting. What interested/intrigued you about this, i.e., why did you choose this over other items?

Advertisement Analysis Due June 27 20 points

Browse through one 1942 issue of your assigned magazine and find and copy an advertisement that appeals to your alter ego. Write up a concise account (no more than 2 pages) answering the following questions (taken from Making Sense of Advertisements): What is ad trying to do? Who is the intended audience? What strategies are used to sell the product? What does the ad reveal or conceal about the era? Are there any patriotic elements/themes to the ad? Assess the value of advertisements for historical research. In other words, what type of information are ads good for, when would you go to ads rather than some other sort of evidence, what are the weaknesses of an ad as historical evidence, etc. Attach the ad that you found interesting. What interested/intrigued you about this, i.e., why did you choose this ad over others?

Movie Analysis Due July 2 20 points

Watch your assigned movie. The movies are available on 24 reserve at the Media Center in Odegaard Undergraduate Library. Find and copy two reviews of the movie written in 1942 or 1943, one from a newspaper and the other from a magazine (use a digitized newspaper or the The New York times film reviews, 1913-1968 [Suzzallo Reference PN1995 .N48 ] for the former and Reader's Guide Retrospective for the review in a magazine). Write up a concise account (no more than 2 pages) answering the following questions: Briefly, what is the movie about? What is the central message(s) of the film? How does the film depict women? minorities? soldiers? family? [Address whatever elements are relevant to your film.] Are there any patriotic elements/themes to the movie? How was the film received in 1942/43? [Use the reviews to determine this.] What most surprised you about the film? Assess the value of popular films for historical research. In other words, what type of information are films good for, when would you go to films rather than some other sort of evidence, what are the weaknesses of a film as historical evidence, etc.

Mini Portfolio Due July 2 30 points

The portfolio is a collection of research sources, both secondary and primary, on your character's life experience plus a brief narrative of your character's scenario. These are all presented in a binder/scrapbook. The mini portfolio should include: Bibliography A bibliography with a minimum of 5 relevant items related to your scenario cited using the Chicago Style format. 1 encyclopedia entry (not wikipedia or spartacus, see list of possible encyclopedias to use) 1 academic journal article 1 newspaper article published during between 1940-1945 1 magazine article published during 1940-1945 1 photograph - something that will help us to visualize your scenario Annotations Annotations of your best 2 items: 1 academic journal article and 1 newspaper or magazine article from the 1940s. [The annotation should be 2-3 sentences. Sentence 1 describes the content of the item. Sentences 2-3 should address why this item is relevant to your topic and why you choose this one over other sources on your topic.] Brief Narrative Speaking as your character, write a 1-2 page letter (to your mother, sweetheart, friend) or diary entry describing your experience. Be sure to cite evidence (again using the Chicago Style format) for your factual statements and direct quotations. Photocopies Include photocopies of your best photograph, newspaper article and magazine article.

Final Portfolio Due July 18 70 points

The Final Portfolio contains the same sections (though with some different required elements) as the mini-portfolio plus a presentation. Bibliography A bibliography with a minimum of 8 relevant items related to your scenario cited using the Chicago Style format. 1 academic journal article 1 newspaper article published during between 1940-1945 1 magazine article published during 1940-1945 1 published (in print form) personal narrative such as correspondence, diary, memoir or interview 1 government document (American or British as appropriate) 1 photograph - something that will help us to visualize your scenario 2 relevant primary sources of your own choosing Annotations Annotations of your best 3 primary sources. Brief Narrative Speaking as your character, write a 1-2 page letter (to your mother, sweetheart, friend) or diary entry describing your experience. Be sure to cite evidence (again using the Chicago Style format) for your factual statements and direct quotations. Photocopies Include photocopies of your 3 best primary sources and a photograph. In Class Presentation The class presentation should be approximately 7-10 minutes long, presented using powerpoint or a webpage, and include: Your alter ego's experiences Examples of interesting sources you found and used Description of your research process -- the types of sources you used, the databases and strategies used to find the sources, etc.