What are some methodological considerations that you must attend to in writing an oral history?

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Instructions

Follow these instructions to complete your essay:

  1. Choose an individual to collect an oral history of their experiences of one or more of the historical events listed below (remember, these can overlap depending on the time). This individual can be a family member, a friend, a community member, an educator or anyone else who lived through or has direct knowledge about this selected time and its legacies:
    1. Living under Jim Crow
    2. The Great Migration
    3. The Civil Rights Movement
  2. Follow these guidelines when collecting your oral history:
    1. Be clear in your own mind what you want to find out.
      • Only conduct your interview after you have completed the associated learning module so you know a little more about your subject of inquiry. Bring along or share other sources of information that you have, such as news clippings, photographs, or course readings. Also, ask your source to bring anything they can share with you, such as a scrapbook, a photo album, or other important media. These materials can help spark memories or deepen the conversation.
    2. Acquire Informed Consent.
      • Please make sure you explain to the interviewee prior to the conversation the purpose of the interview, what you hope to accomplish, and that you will only use what is spoken about for the oral history essay you have been assigned for class. Tell them why you selected them and what you hope to find out. Then explicitly as for their verbal permission or consent to undertake the interview. You are required to keep the conversation anonymous and not share any of the information to anyone other than your instructor via your essay. If you choose to use a tape recorder, you must ask for permission to record the conversation and once you have used the data obtained from the recording, you must destroy the content of the recording. Again, you are only allowed to use this information for the purposes of this class assignment.
    3. Create a list of questions to use as a guide.
      • Use open-ended questions rather than general questions that can only be answered by “yes” or “no”. For example, “What are some of the things that you can remember happening to you at school?” NOT “Do you remember what happened to you this school year?” These questions are meant to help prompt your source to begin discussing their experiences.
    4. You do not have to follow your list exactly.
      • Undertaking a semi-structured interview means that you only use your list of questions as a guide. Anticipate that the conversation will flow organically out of these questions, but may go in a different direction than you originally intended. It is important that you learn from the information being conveyed to you so some interesting items will emerge that you might not have thought to ask about. Of course, if the conversation gets seriously off topic, then you can bring it back using another question on your list.
    5. You do not have to write everything that is said.
      • It is important not to distract yourself with writing down every word that the interviewee says, but rather to take short notes to remind yourself about what was said after the interview is over. Sit down and write out what the person said as soon after the interview as possible. Remember to also right notes about your own impressions, feelings, and reflections about what was said. If you have access to a tape recorder you can use it during the interview and transcribe what was said later, again not necessarily transcribing each and every word that was said, but point to things that made an impression on you.
  3. Write an analytical essay about your oral history. Your essay must include all of the following components, in no particular order:
    1. In Module Two, Paul E. Lovejoy introduces us to the importance of methodology in the consideration of African American histories.
      1. You must provide the context for your interview by framing the historical period/moment in your own words, drawing from your knowledge gained in the course. Please cite all sources used.
      2. Position your oral history as a text that contributes to the production of knowledge within African American Studies. What do oral histories offer us as we attempt to redress the silence of African American experiences within the dominant canon of U.S. history? How can oral histories be viewed as a “revisionist” approach to the historical study of Jim Crow, the Great Migration, and/or the Civil Rights Movement?
      3. What are some methodological considerations that you must attend to in writing an oral history? Do you focus on demographic details in determining the why, when, and how of individual lives? Do you focus on geography and the spatial aspects of social relationships? To what extent might you weave into the story biographical accounts? A sociological analysis of the process by which individuals formed new communities and new identities? How might you “unpack” the use of categories and labels “in context”? How might you manage the problem of chronology and time? (Please review Lovejoy’s discussion and Chapter Two lecture presentation, as well as the WPA Slave Narratives readings).
    2. You must then share the selected parts of your oral history that stood out or made an impression on you. Tell us a bit about your interviewee and the experience s/he shared with you. What new information did you learn? How has your understanding of the topic deepened? Be specific.
      1. Use Chapter Three of CG Fleming’s Soon We Will Not Cry as a model for how to write from an oral history. You must analyze the information gained through applying concepts, ideas, and arguments encountered in the course.
      2. Reflect upon what you learned from undertaking an oral history? Why do you think oral histories are important to your understanding of the topic at hand? What did you learn that no academic reading could teach you?
    3. To what extent does your oral history help to correct the largely absent “herstory” of African American Studies? Beverly Guy-Sheftal urges “a new angle of vision” and “new questions” to be asked when taking a black feminist approach to African American Studies. What new questions might offset the dominant conceptual frameworks that have been shaped by a “hegemonic black nationalist discourse” that conceptualizes black liberation as heavily focused on “recuperating black manhood, constructing patriarchal families, and ending racism,” while at the same time silencing other intersecting forms of oppression (gender, class, sexuality)? Can you provide an analysis for how gender, race, and class intersect in the experience of your interviewee?
    4. Please attach a bibliography and your list of questions as an appendix to your final essay (Note: not included in the 7 page minimum).
  4. Format your essay according to these guidelines:
    • Length: 5-7 pages
    • Line spacing: double-spaced
    • Font: 12-point Times New Roman
    • Margins: 1-inch
    • Footer and/or header: include your name and page numbers
    • Bibliography: follow the APA Formatting and Style Guide; this is not included in the page minimum.
    • File format: .doc or .docx
    • File name: “yourname_essay2”

What role did the government play in defining, protecting, and/or limiting the liberty of American workers during the Gilded Age?

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For part 2 of the Unit 1 Exam, choose ONLY 1 essay question from the list below, which covers chapter 15 and part of chapter 16 in the textbook. Grades will be based on the content of the answer and must be more than 300 words in length. Direct quotes do not count toward the required word count.

Part 2 Essay Questions:

1 – What did freedom mean for the ex-slaves? Be sure to address economic opportunities, gender roles, religious independence, and family security.

2 – Reconstruction witnessed profound changes in the lives of southerners, black and white, rich and poor. Explain the various ways that the lives of these groups changed. Were the changes for the better or worse?

3 – Stating that he “lived among men, not among angels,” Thaddeus Stevens recognized that the Fourteenth Amendment was not perfect. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the Fourteenth Amendment. What liberties and freedoms did it extend in the nineteenth century—and to whom? How did it alter the relationship between the federal government and the states?

4 – Who were the Redeemers, what did they want, and what were their methods? How did the Redeemers feel that their freedom was being threatened by Radical Reconstruction? Conclude your essay with a comment on how you think the federal government should have responded to the Redeemers.

5 – Was Reconstruction a success or a failure? Or was it something in between? In your response, consider land policy, key legislation during Presidential and Radical Reconstruction, southern politics, racial and political violence, and northern “fatigue” with Reconstruction. Be sure to make clear what you mean by success and failure.

6 – The debate surrounding the creation and ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment divided one-time political allies over the matter of women’s suffrage. What were the arguments for and against including a woman’s right to vote in the Fifteenth Amendment? What did this debate say about the boundaries of freedom defined by Reconstruction?

7 – What role did the government play in defining, protecting, and/or limiting the liberty of American workers during the Gilded Age?

8 – Henry Demarest Lloyd wrote in Wealth against Commonwealth (1864), “Liberty and monopoly cannot live together.” Based on your knowledge of the Gilded Age and the industrial revolution, assess the validity of this statement.

9 – How did the labor movement launch a sustained assault on the understanding of freedom grounded in Social Darwinism and in the liberty of contract?

10 – Compare the motives and methods of the various social reformers active in the Gilded Age. How did the efforts of thinkers such as Henry George, Laurence Gronlund, and Edward Bellamy differ from those of the Protestant and Social Gospel reformers of the period? Were any of these approaches more successful than others? Why, or why not?

Why does Macedo claim that cosmopolitan distributive justice “makes no sense”? Do you agree or disagree with him on this question?

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In a paragraph (150 words minimum), please respond to the following questions:

· Of the seven moral theories discussed

· Virtue Ethics – Aristotle (teleological) – Maintain a virtuous disposition. …

· Natural Law – Aquinas (teleological) – Base judgements on reason and logic. …

· Categorical Imperative – Kant (deontological) …

· Utilitarianism – Mill (teleological) …

· Theory of Justice – Rawls (deontological) …

· Prima Facie Duties – Ross (deontological)

· , which one do you consider to be the mostcompelling, and why?

· Which of the seven moral theories do you consider to be the least compelling, and why?

D2

In a paragraph (150 words minimum), please respond to the following question:

· Explain John Stuart Mill’s theory of higher and lower pleasures: Are there any problems inherent in the theory?

· Overall, does Mill’s idea of higher and lower pleasures make sense to you? Why or why not?

D3

In a paragraph (150 words minimum), please respond to ONE of the following questions:

· After reading the Gill essay, Discuss the logical point made by some opponents of PAS that it is impossible to be better off dead than alive. Even if the logical argument were sound, are there other reasons to claim that suicide for a terminally ill patient is morally justified?

· What worries does Velleman raise about appeals to dignity and autonomy in arguments over euthanasia? Do you agree or disagree with him on this issue? Why or why not?

D4

In a paragraph (150 words minimum), please respond to the following questions:

· Leopold suggests that economics should not be our only concern when it comes to the use of land. To what extent should economic considerations play a part in our treatment of nature and the environment?

· Are there any situations in which economic concerns might trump environmental ones? If so, could you give an example?

D5

In a paragraph (150 words minimum), please respond to the following questions:

· Do you relate more to the abolitionist or the retentionist position?

· What do you see as the two strongest supporting arguments for your position, and why?

D6

In a paragraph (150 words minimum), please respond to the following questions:

· Prior to reading the text, how would you have defined terrorism?

· What is your understanding of terrorism now?

· How would you account for the huge amount of terrorism in the 20th and 21st centuries?

· What do you see as the ethically proper response to acts of terror?

D7

In a paragraph (150 words minimum), please respond to ONE of the following questions:

· What do people spend money on that they either don’t need or rarely use other than those things mentioned by Singer? What things might people be most easily convinced to do without, and why?

· Consider and discuss whether the Kantian argument for helping the vulnerable is more or less convincing than the traditional utilitarian arguments. What kinds of arguments would be the most likely to persuade people to help those in need?

· Does Peter Singer’s greatest moral evil rule require that persons act in heroic ways or go above and beyond the call of duty as Arthur suggests? Explain your answer.

D8

In a paragraph (150 words minimum), please respond to ONE of the following questions:

· Macedo distinguishes two possible ways, which he labels “humanitarian assistance” and “distributive justice,” of seeking to improve the condition of the poor. Explain these two approaches to assisting the poor. Do you agree or disagree with them? Why or why not?

· Why does Macedo claim that cosmopolitan distributive justice “makes no sense”? Do you agree or disagree with him on this question?

Write the name of the art work being discussed, the artist’s name, the date, time, name of museum, size, description of the piece or composition, and the location. In the description, create a visual image with words. 

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  • Don’t forget to find a favorite piece anywhere inside or outside of the museum.  Collect the information to complete the critical review later.
  • The purpose of this review is to critically interpret and evaluate a work of art. (ACGM guidelines, 2015).
  • Based on student attendance a museum exhibition in their community
  • A critical analysis with personal reflection that demonstrates comprehension of event.
  • The date, place and time of the event will be cited as a source material
  • A minimum of 300 words, typed double-paced 12 point font
  • Measured with objective standards of Creative Thinking VALUE rubric
  • This critical review should be a minimum of 300 words, typed double-spaced 12-point font.   The assignment will be submitted via eCampus as instructed.

1.  Description of art object (100 words) up to 30% of points earned for assignment

  • Write the name of the art work being discussed, the artist’s name, the date, time, name of museum, size, description of the piece or composition, and the location. In the description, create a visual image with words.

2.  Analysis of the art object (100 words) up to 40% of points earned for assignment.

  • Based on the description provided in the introduction, analyze the artist’s intent or message within the work of art.  Provide notated research (inquiry) to further interpret the background of the artist and the era in which it was created.   The innovation and expression of ideas of the artist should be better understood through this research.  Discuss the Visual Elements and Principles of Design.  Which Visual Elements and Principles of Design are present in this work of art and give examples. (The visual elements and principles of design are listed and defined at the bottom of the worksheet.)
  • 3.  Interpretation of the art object (100 words)  up to 30% of points earned for assignment ________
  • Discuss the content of the piece.  Why was it created? Does it have a narrative or discuss social issues?  What emotional feeling is present?  Summarize your reaction to this art object.

4.  PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF YOUR ATTENDANCE AT THIS MUSEUM.  ATTACH OF PHOTO OF YOURSELF IN FRONT OF THE WORK OF ART IN THE MUSEUM, OR IF THIS IS NOT ALLOWED, IN FRONT OF THE MUSEUM SIGN.

Part 2:  TOUR OF MUSEUM— MUSEUM WORKSHEET, 125 points

NEW ACGM guidelines 2015:

1. Select 3 works of art in this museum.  Identify and describe these works of art based on their chronology (the time period they were created) and style, using the Visual Elements and Principles of Design as standard categories and terminology.

2. At least one of the objects you choose should allow you to investigate major artistic developments and significant works of art from the prehistoric period to the 14th century.

3. At least one work should reflect an understanding of intercultural values and ideas expressed by the creative artists. Write a critical analysis with personal reflection that will demonstrate comprehension of this event and its impact on the community.

4. Analyze the relationship of art to history by placing works of art within cultural, historical, and chronological contexts by comparing one piece you have selected from a particular period to another piece you have selected from the 15th century to the present.

Here’s a space for your notes to complete your MUSEUM WORKSHEET 125 POINTS ASSIGNMENT:

  • 1. Select 3 works of art in this museum. Identify and describe these works of art based on their chronology (the time period they were created) and style, using the Visual Elements and Principles of Design as standard categories and terminology.
  • 2. At least one of the objects you choose should allow you to investigate major artistic developments and significant works of art from the prehistoric period to the 14th century.
  • 3. At least one work should reflect an understanding of intercultural values and ideas expressed by the creative artists. Write a critical analysis with personal reflection that will demonstrate comprehension of this event and its impact on the community. Consider if the impact might be social responsibility in regard to political, religious or community presented in the imagery.
  • 4. Analyze the relationship of art to history by placing works of art within cultural, historical, and chronological contexts by comparing one piece you have selected from a particular period to another piece you have selected from the 15th century to the present.

WHICH 3 PIECES FROM THE TOUR ARE YOU SELECTING?

1. NAME OF PIECE from Prehistoric to the 14th Century

    DESCRIPTION OF PIECE

    DATE OF PIECE  

MAJOR ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENTS

2. NAME OF PIECE that reflects intercultural values and ideas

    DESCRIPTION OF PIECE      

    DATE OF PIECE AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS WITH PERSONAL REFLECTION THAT DEMONSTRATES COMPREHENSION OF THIS EVENT AND ITS IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY.

3. NAME OF PIECE from the 15th century to the present

    DESCRIPTION OF PIECE

    DATE OF PIECE

     MAJOR ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENTS

 4. ANALYZE THE RELATIONSHIP OF ART TO HISTORY BY PLACING WORKS OF ART WITHIN CULTURAL, HISTORICAL, AND CHRONOLOGICAL CONTEXTS BY COMPARING ONE PIECE YOU HAVE SELECTED FROM A PARTICULAR PERIOD TO ANOTHER PIECE YOU HAVE SELECTED FROM THE 15TH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT.