Assignments

Participation (10 points): This portion of your grade will be based on attendance, class participation, and contributions to the semester-long project you will be developing. Attendance is expected as much as possible; please email if you need to miss class due to situations involving COVID-19. I will evaluate your class participation according to the follow criteria: attendance, participation in class discussions, useful contributions to the digital/spatial exercises, and the clear expression of ideas and arguments.

Exhibit Labels(10 points; 5 Labels at 2 points each) For weeks 1-5, you will be expected to write “exhibit labels” that synthesize and describe one of three themes: the weekly readings on Native American history; the spatial history tools we discuss and use; or, the spatial history projects we explore during our work sessions. Each contribution must be a minimum and maximum of 50 words. You may be thinking that’s not very many words. You’re right! With only 50 words, you’ll have to get to the point quickly. Use every word carefully to make them all count. In our final exhibit project, listed below, you will be expected to write 50-word exhibit labels. This assignment will help you in practicing the constraints almost expected in public history exhibit spaces.

Exhibit Labels due on Sunday night at 11:59 PM

Due on these dates: 

Jan. 31, Feb. 7, Feb. 14, Feb. 21, Feb. 28, all at 11:59PM

Final Project Proposal (20 points) A few weeks into the semester, we will start talking about our final project. This will be a semester-long project that allows you to find Native American space and place in their own lives. You will be expected to find a place close to home, or wherever you may want to travel, and explore how that site, place, name, image relates to spatial history. More of the assignment will be described below, however this assignment asks students to propose a location that they’d like to visit, take photographs, and use in their final project.  The proposal should be no more than 250 words. Please address the location, its importance to Native American and Spatial History, and the timeline when you intend to visit.

Project Proposal due Sunday, March 21, 2021, at 11:59PM

Research and Argument of Exhibit (20 points): Once your proposal is approved by the instructor, you will be expected to visit the location and capture four different types of photographs of your location (you may use a cell phone or disposable cameras if you do not have access to digital cameras. I also have extra cameras if you need to borrow one). You will exhibit four different photos. One must include a wide shot showing your place in the broader environment, but the three others can detail photos of your own choosing. After the visit, you will do some brief historical research into the location to collect background information on that space/place for the final exhibit. For this assignment, submit a bibliography with at least three primary and three secondary sources, as well as the four photographs you captured. Also include a statement of your argument (try to be around 50 words) that states the importance and its connection to Native American and Spatial History.

Here’s an example of such argument that follows the style and length I’m looking for:   

In Cleveland, Jacob’s Field was more than a professional sports arena. It served as a place of Native American protest against racist mascots between 1985-2000. Native American activists and their allies gathered during baseball games to protest and pass out pamphlets acknowledging the importance of that place.

Research Annotations and Argument due Sunday, March 28, 2021, at 11:59 PM

Exhibit Project (30 points): For your final exhibit project, you will take your four images, analyze their importance, and write 50-word exhibit labels for each photo. Once completed, you will take your materials and add to your Omeka exhibit (we will go over this during class on March 18). The goal is to create one exhibit with four different pages; each page will represent one of your photos with your exhibit labels. On the introductory panel of your exhibit, you will be required to add depth and meaning your site, why you decided on that location, and how it represents Native American and spatial history in unique ways. This is where you will include the research you completed and any other additional sources you think will help contextualize your project. The introduction should state your argument and allow your audience to walk through your exhibit knowing the major points and themes associated to your curated photo exhibit. By the end of the class, I will take all of our exhibits and map them on a Neatline map to show the size, scale, and importance to Native American spaces and places.

Final Exhibit Draft Project due April 18, 2021 at 11:59PM

Final Exhibit Project due May 2, 2021 at 11:59PM

To make this a collaborative team project, I will take all of our places and map them on one general map, creating a broader exhibit of our Spatial History classwork for us to visualize the importance of Native American space and place in today’s world.

Lighting Round Talks (10 points) Students will give a short 5-minute pitch at a launch party hosted on Thursday, May 6, 2021 during class time at the University Library. Those from the Department of History and Art History will be invited to listen to your work. All will be able to enjoy an end of the semester pizza party after presentations. 

Extra Credit Opportunity (3 points) This is the only opportunity for you to receive extra points this semester. You can complete an additional assignment that will count for 3 points added to your final grade. Watch one of the movies listed below and respond to the prompt in no more than 200 words: In answering both parts, what’s the most important theme of Native American history addressed by this movie? How does the movie contribute to your greater understanding of spatial history?

Extra Credit submission due May 9, 2021 at 11:59PM

Smoke Signals (1998)

Wind River (2017)

Songs My Brother Taught Me (2015)

The Revenant (2015)