Final Project

Final Project: Course Packet

In your final project of the semester you will choose any topic that interests you (ex. fashion, impeachment, birth control, U.S. holidays, Chinese-American immigration, etc.), research its history in the United States over the 1900s and/or 2000s, and then create a “course packet” of 8-10 historical sources related to that topic. The goal of this project is to develop in-depth knowledge of a specific topic and then use that knowledge to curate a set of sources that present a coherent historical interpretation, narrative, or story. Think of yourself as a professor making a course packet for students to read who are unfamiliar with this topic, or a museum curator building an exhibition. You will also write a 1,000-1,2000 word essay that: a) provides any necessary background information about your topic, b) presents your interpretation, and c) contextualizes your topic within larger themes of U.S. history. Finally, you will include a bibliography of secondary sources (academic articles, books, etc.) that you consulted while researching your topic.

The best projects will:

  • Use a variety of engaging sources (visual, written, etc.)
  • Be deeply researched (ie. more than a few Google searches and Wikipedia articles)
  • Offer a clear, compelling, and coherent historical interpretation, narrative, or story in both the introduction and the historical sources
  • Demonstrate creativity in the choice of topic, sources and/or interpretation

Submit a single Word document formatted as YourLastName_FinalProject.docx (ie. Blevins_FinalProject.docx) to the following Dropbox folder. Your document should include the following elements:

  • Student Name and Title of Course Packet
  • Introductory Essay (1,000-1,200 words)
  • Bibliography of Secondary Sources
  • 8-10 historical sources
  • Each source should include identifying information for the source (ex. author, title, date created, etc.) and 2-3 sentence explanations of each source. If possible, try to find an image of the source or related to the source (ex. movie poster, newspaper headline, photograph, etc.) and insert it into the document.

Due on Wednesday, 4/15 by 11:59PM

Other Information

Developing Your Topic

I have made a guide to help you develop and refine your topic.

Sources

You will need to research your project by finding both primary and secondary sources. See here for primary vs. secondary sources). To research your topic online and find secondary sources, I suggest starting with some of the following:

The Northeastern Library has a nice subject guide for locating primary sources related to U.S. History. Go through the following and some of the other options in the menu dropdown under US History: