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Course Assignments

Annotated References

Students are expected to turn in 4 (four) annotated references (works cited) that will be used as research for their final project.

  • Each annotated reference must be from a credible source; scholarly/peer reviewed materials are preferred.
  • You should use libraries, museums, other educational institutions, academic journals, or primary sources as references.
  • Some magazines and newspapers may be considered, local reporting is preferred.
  • Each annotated reference should be different and include a 1-2 page annotation, double spaced, 12pt font.
  • Students may be asked to present their work throughout the semester.

Your annotation should have the following:

  • Brief (one or two paragraphs) summary of the reference- what are the major/key points that stand out to you.
  • A short critique/analysis of the reference- be critical, challenge, question, resist, agree (one to two paragraphs).
  • A statement about how and why this reference supports your final project (one to two paragraphs).
  • Please see the course schedule for due dates, they vary.

Midterm Project

The midterm project will include archival research. We will develop this project further during the first few weeks of the semester by doing our own archival searches during course sessions. Course-session Activity Presentations will be included as part of your midterm project grade. The purpose of the midterm project is to reveal new information relating to our course through archival materials. Each student will be responsible for creating a brief written component and a short presentation.

Reflection-Reaction Paper

This paper is designed to be a reaction to one (or more) of the readings/materials from the semester. It is expected to be 2-3pages (double spaced, 12pt font). You may choose any of the readings/materials listed in the course description.

The purpose of this assignment is for you to discuss how you have critically assessed the readings, and/or content in relation to your experiences. These are NOT summaries of the readings/content, that’s what lecture discussions are for. I am interested in learning how you interacted, interpreted and/or related (or not) to the material(s) and content. You should include reference to an excerpt from the readings that directly relates to your reaction/reflection for full credit.

Final: Digital Research Project

We will build on this project further during the course. Please refer to the second bullet in the “Course Goals and Learning Outcomes” section above for the framework of this project. Since this is a writing intensive course, the midterm project will have a written component and a digital item to be presented during our course-sessions towards the end of the semester. Please note this project will also involve an ethnographic component in a community of your choice, which will be discussed further during our course-sessions.

Students may choose to write a research paper instead of the above research project and will also be responsible for a presentation towards the end of the semester. If you prefer this option, reach out to me to discuss your research topic.

The annotated assignment should support the research for our course final; either the digital research project or research paper.