Grades and Assignments

Point breakdown: A (90-100), B(80-89), C (70-79), D (60-69), F (0-59)

Undergraduate Section

Google Forms Check-ins..........10 points

Book Review............................20 points

Film Review.............................20 points

Unessay Final Project..............40 points

Reflective Artist Statement.....10 points

Total.........................................100 points

Extra Credit Opportunity..........10 points

Graduate Section

Google Forms Check-ins...........10 points

Book Review............................20 points

THOMAS Book Notes.................20 points

Newspaper Research Assignment...............................10 points

Final Historiographical Essay....40 points

Total.........................................100 points

Extra Credit Opportunity..........10 points

Undergraduate Assignments

Google Form Submissions: Each week, submit your Google Form response stating four things: what topics interested you most this week? What topics frustrated you the most this week? What’s something you cannot seem to stop thinking about? What questions do you have?

Book Review: You will write a 2 to 3 page book review of one of the three listed books in the reading section. This is not a book report, but a critical evaluation of the book. In your review, address the book’s topic and relatability to the general history of the Civil War (1 paragraph), what’s the author’s main argument (1-2 paragraphs), and how successful do you think the author was in making such claims in their book (1-2 paragraphs).

Film Review: I’d like to you watch one of the films listed below write a 1 to 2 page reflection that answers: How does this film showcase the realities of the Civil War era? Do you feel like viewers gain a sense of historical accuracy or inaccuracy in watching these films to learn about the past?

Content Warning: As movies attempting to recreate historical experiences, these films may depict scenes that include racism, discrimination, sexual, physical, and graphic violence including death and sexism, as well as profane language.

Film options: Gangs of New York (2002); Glory (1989); Cold Mountain (2003); Shenandoah (1965); Ride with the Devil (1999); Free State of Jones (2016); Harriet (2019); and Emancipation (2022). [this is pending until I learn what MNSU has available through Kanopy and their other streaming service]

Unessay Project: Respond to the prompt listed below in the most creative way you can imagine. You can create your own art work, you can make a video, you can write a song, sew a quilt, carve a piece of wood into something, perform a song, bake food from a Civil War recipe, write fiction or cartoons about a specific topic you found interesting, paint a landscape, photograph a battlefield or monument. Write an op-ed for your local newspaper. These are just some examples that come to mind, but be creative and think of something fun that engages with the prompt and class materials, but also interests you. You will be required to submit a proposal (see schedule) before moving forward with your chosen medium. You will also be asked to schedule a Zoom call (brief, only needs to be a few minutes) to talk through your creation to me. Or, you can produce a short video recording showing your creation and uploaded to D2L.

Prompt: Create something that engages with the meanings, realities, and experiences of those that lived during the Civil War era.

More information on Unessays: https://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/september-2023/the-unessay-a-creative-and-audience-focused-assignment

Reflective Artist Statement: After you’ve completed your Unessay project, write a 2-3 page reflective artist statement that explains why you chose your creation. What was your process in choosing your creation? What sort of research did you have to do to succeed in making the item? Overall, what were your thoughts on making an Unessay project and how did your project enhance your knowledge on the Civil War era?

Extra Credit Opportunity: Explore the Valley of the Shadow and write a 150-200 word reflection on your experience looking through the project. What features piqued your interest? What information had you scratching your head? Do you think digital projects can help teach the Civil War to college students in new ways? https://valley.newamericanhistory.org/

Graduate Assignments

Google Form Submissions: Each week, susbmit your Google Form response stating four things: what topics interested most this week? What topics frustrated you the most this week? What’s something you cannot seem to stop thinking about? What questions do you have? In the first week, I will ask you to introduce yourself, your research interests, and how you think this class could best serve your MA journey at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Book Review: You will write a 2–3-page book review of one of the six listed books in the reading section. This is not a book report, but a critical evaluation of the book. In your review, address the book’s topic and relatability to the general history of the Civil War (1 paragraph) what’s the main argument that the author’s trying to make (1-2 paragraphs), and how successful do you think the author was in making such claims in their book (1-2 paragraphs).

THOMAS Book Notes: As a graduate student, I found a useful note-taking strategy that helped me get through graduate seminars and comprehensive exams. I now use this same strategy when reviewing books or preparing historiography for my own research. Examine the THOMAS note-taking strategy, developed by Danna Agmon, and take notes on each book. Submit these on the date in which we read each book. I want these to be helpful for you as your advance in your graduate education. See THOMAS here: https://twitter.com/DannaAgmon/status/984087841813811200.

Final Historiographical Essay: Take the readings from this semester and put them into conversation in one historiographical essay (8-10 pages in length). Answer the prompt: How have historians addressed the experience of the Civil War in their scholarship? You can choose whatever theme most interests you. Ideas could examine gender, military action, violence, slavery, race, Indigenous experiences, politics, among many other ideas. You will be asked to submit a 150-word abstract earlier in the semester. In this abstract, describe how you plan to approach your comprehensive historiographical essay, what theme you plan to focus on, and a loose argument you plan to make in the essay.

Newspaper Research Assignment: Go to Chronicling America and find a newspaper article related to a Civil War era topic you find most interesting. Write a paragraph reflection about the source’s significance and how it relates to some theme seen in the class. Then in a second paragraph, describe how the process of using digitized newspapers could help your own research agenda as a MNSU graduate student. .https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/.