Final Portfolio Project: World 1 Online

Introduction

Produce a project that is the equivalent of 500 words (2 pages, double spaced) that demonstrates:

  1. Your understanding of how freshwater was accessed, used, or made meaning with in the period 500 BCE to 1400 CE.
  2. Your ability to use a one of the digital humanities tool we’ve learned this semester (distant reading, numerical data literacy, GIS, art/object analysis, podcasting, or metadata).
  3. Your ability to find and draw evidenced-based conclusions from quality historical sources.
  4. Engages a 2024 audience on why your item is worth considering and how it relates to modern life.

Purpose: You are creating this project to show a future employer that you can research and present history in an effective way.

Audience: The director of marketing at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Parts

  1. Prewriting (Appetizer)
  2. Peer review of two other students Appetizers. (1st Plate)
  3. Final project (2nd Plate)
  4. Reflection (Dessert) on your semester’s learning.

    Appetizer (pre-writing or planning

NOTE: I am eliminating one subject, Roman aqueducts, from your possible topics. Why? I’m so tired of reading projects on them, and it is not fair to students if a faculty does not want to read about your topic. NO ROMAN AQUEDUCTS!

Options

Form

Your final product addresses a fresh water person, place, idea, object or idea in the period 500 BCE to 1400 CE. It can take any of the following forms:

  1. A two page analysis.
  2. A less than three-minute podcast
  3. A less than three-minute video
  4. A slide deck (power point)
  5. A story map.

If you wish to use another communication form, please check with me.

Individual or group (3 or fewer students)

Students may work on their own or in groups of up to three. Groups will produce work that is the aggregate of the requirements of individuals. For example, a group of three writing a paper will need to write 1500 words, or six pages equivalent of work.

Groups need to create a shared Assignment file with track changes Office or Google . You will use this shared space for your work, but you will post your final work to your individual Assignment files.

All group members are expected to share in the work equally even if they chose to do different types of work.

Appetizer Instructions

  • Submit your topic, one primary source and two secondary sources (you need five sources for the final project, but only three to start), and what you think the historical significance of your fresh water person, place, idea, object or idea in the period 500 BCE -1400 CE to the class D2L discussion board. Your format should look like this:

Source 1 (primary): Full citation
Source 2 (secondary): Full citation
Source 3 (secondary): Full citation

Summary of analysis: In two to three sentences, explain how your topic helps us understand how freshwater was accessed, used, or made meaning with in the period 500 BCE to 1400 CE.

1st plate: peer review

Your 1st plate is to peer review two other students’ Appetizers, responding to their D2L discussion post. Your peer review should follow answer these questions:

  1. Do you find all sources quality historically sources? If not, which ones are not quality?
  2. Do you find the topic to be small enough to analyze a topic covered with only five sources? If you find the topic too large, what smaller part of the topic would you suggest the student consider?
  3. What two questions do you have about the student’s topic?
  4. Looking at all our sources for the whole semester, what one source would you recommend the student consult for their assignment?

2nd Plate: Final Project

Checklist of Requirements and Grading Criteria

[ ] Project contains 5 quality sources with at least one primary source in your bibliography.
[ ] All sources pass a SIFT evaluation and included a named expert, and credible citations
[ ] Final project engages a 2024 audience on why your item is worth considering and how it relates to modern life.
[ ] Project moves beyond summary of facts to draw evidenced-based conclusions from quality historical sources for the importance of your object (historically or to contemporary discussions of water)
[ ] Is written with standard professional English (no errors in spelling, capitalization, or punctuation).
[ ] Explicitly uses a digital humanities tool learned this semester.

Suggested workflow and notes on GenAi

  • After reviewing your peer reviews, write a complete draft of your project. If you are doing a video or podcast, write the script for your production.

  • Edit your draft to improve its focus, brevity, and sources.

  • Finalize your final project in your Assignment file by Tuesday of Finals Week, May 7th. Be sure you’ve a complete bibliography of all sources. Double check to be sure all words are you own, unless properly cited and quoted.

  • There is not sufficient time to address using words that are not your own in final projects. So, please not that using GenAi or copying words or ideas from other sources without proper citation and quotation will result in failing the class. This final project is to demonstrate your learning for the semester, which is why the consequence is so significant.

A note on submission dates

Appetizer- In D2L discussion board: Monday, April 29 at 10 pm

1st Plate: peer review in D2L discussion board: Wednesday, May 1 at 10 pm

2nd Plate: Final Project in Assignment file: Tuesday, May 7th at 10 pm.

Dessert: Final Reflection on the entire class in Assignment file: Tuesday, May 7th at 10 pm.

Questions?

I strongly encourage use of the questions discussion board on D2L and reviewing the discussion boards for the appetizers, which contain many sources. While your projects will be unique to you, the challenges you face and overcome will be useful to all to observe. As usual, I’ll answer all inquiries in whatever form they come (email, phone, DM, general chat, carrier pigeon, SMS, etc.)