Homework: History Project
Attend (either in-person or virtually) a museum, a special event, or cultural center and participate in history. Because of the requirements associated with "social distancing" during the Corona Virus pandemic, students may complete their history project via an online tour. When selecting a museum, remember that the homework asks students to reference the textbook and relate what the museum presents with the course material. Choose appropriate tours according to the course content. Get approval from your instructor if you do not choose a venue/tour listed below. Enjoy your tour!
Once you have completed the tour, write a 4 to 5 pages paper addressing the following:
1) In your own words, explain the event or place and provide a brief history of the event or institution including its mission statement or purpose. Also, provide the location and include a description of the place where the event occurred or where the institution is situated. [No more than a paragraph is needed]
2) Why did you choose this particular project/place/event? ["It was required" is NOT an acceptable answer. Again, no more than a paragraph is needed.]
3) How is the history (information relevant to the course) presented? Describe the participants or explain how the information is presented to the audience. What are some of best aspects of this presentation? What are some of your criticisms? Include in your analysis whether this is a permanent or temporary exhibit - meaning is this exhibit ALWAYS available/permanently in the museum's collection OR is it a temporary or travelling exhibit on loan from another institution?
4) Include at least one image from the tour that illustrates what you viewed and explain how it was presented.
5) Who organized the event or who curated the exhibit? If the specific persons are not listed/available, what organizations or groups are credited? How might this impact how the history is presented? Consider the issue of bias.
6) What did the event/exhibition(s) mean to you - namely what have you learned that is relevant to the study of history? [No more than a paragraph is needed]
7) How does your textbook present information regarding this historical topic? Provide specific page numbers from the text to illustrate your argument. Your textbook does NOT specifically mention any museum. You need to connect what you see at the museum with the materials in the textbook. For example, if you attend a museum that features train cars, you could reference text material about the expansion of the railroad out West.
Some places/events to consider include:
1) March Field Air Museum (Riverside) - marchfield.org (Links to an external site.) (visit-in-person is an option)
2) Riverside National Cemetery or Evergreen Cemetery, Riverside (visit in-person)
3) The Broad Museum - thebroad.org (Links to an external site.)
4) Japanese American National Museum (LA) - https://www.janm.org/ (Links to an external site.)
5) LA County Museum of Art (LACMA) - https://www.lacma.org/ (Links to an external site.)
6) California African American Museum (LA).
7) National Museum of the American Indian.
8) Petersen Automotive Museum (LA).
9) Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA - LA).
10) Autry National Center (LA).
11) CA Citrus State Historic Park (Riverside).
12) La Plaza de Cultura y Artes.
13) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.
14) Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia.
15) National Park Service - The park service has partnered with Google to follow a handful of park rangers through some parks. Choose one to tour and include some history of the National Parks Service in your paper.
Be sure that the facility or event you are visiting is relevant to our course materials! Check the institution's website or call the facility if you are unsure.
Essay Guidelines
1) The essay should be four to five-typed, double-spaced pages with one-inch margins all around.
2) The type font size should not be unusually large. Times New Roman 12-point is a good typical font size to use.
3) Your essay should concentrate on analyzing the museum/event and the way the history is presented to the viewer. Your presentation of facts is important, but papers are also evaluated on your use of interpretation, analysis, and drawing conclusions. This is not a research paper. (Note that a book's title is italicized).
4) Keep your paragraphs reasonable in length; not one-sentence paragraphs nor one page ones. Each should have a minimum of three to five sentences.
5) Do not use contractions in formal papers; for example, "won't," "isn't," "didn't." You should spell out both words. Also, avoid using abbreviations.
6) Check and recheck your spelling and grammar before submitting your paper. Read it aloud to yourself and have someone else proofread it if possible.
7) Direct quotations in your paper must always have quotation marks and must be credited with the proper citation. A quotation should not stand alone. Introduce each quote indicating where you derived the quotation. For example: Kipling wrote, "Fill full the mouth of famine, and bid the sickness cease." However, do not overuse quotations. Remember that this is your paper; Kipling already wrote his.
Format your homework according to the following formatting requirements:
(1) The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
(2) The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
(3) Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.