Worth 25% of final grade
Your final project assignment is to create a mini-exhibit about your treaty: a collection
of primary and secondary sources that will contextualize and enrich our
understanding of the treaty itself. Your project will include a curatorial statement that
describes how and why you’ve chosen this collection of sources, and four short
statements about the four primary sources you are working with (including your
treaty). Draw on at least three secondary sources to write the full text of your exhibit.
A) 3 Primary Sources (other than your treaty). Primary sources are items created
during the time period the treaty was made (ie, the 1700s or 1800s). They could be
photographs, maps, letters, government reports, newspaper articles, census records,
or contemporary photographs of historic objects.
B) 3 Secondary Sources to contextualize your treaty and other primary sources.
Secondary sources include scholarly books and articles published by University
Presses or in peer-reviewed journals. Wikipedia, encyclopedias, and random internet
pages do not count as secondary sources. You may use the official websites of
present-day Native nations as secondary sources (and potential resources for
primary sources). You may use both primary and secondary sources from the
syllabus as sources.
C) A Curatorial Statement: 500-1000 words. Introduce readers to your treaty and the
exhibit that you’ve created about it. What is the story, perspective, theme, or focus
that you are trying to illustrate in your exhibit? What are the research questions you
started with and how is your exhibit answering them? Your statement should include
at least three secondary sources. Quote from and rely on these sources to shape
your exhibit narrative.
D) Short Description of Each Primary Source (including your treaty): 250-500 words
each, 4 total statements. Introduce and describe each primary source. When, where,
and by whom was it made? Who was it made for? Why did you choose it for your
exhibit?
How does it answer your research questions? Bring in and quote secondary sources
here as relevant to contextualizing each source.
E) A Bibliography that lists all of your sources on one page (please include links)
FORMAT:
Times New Roman, 12 pt font
Total word count: 1500-2500 words
You may choose to write your exhibit text as one flowing paper. Or, you can break
it up
into sections. Either way is fine, and it’s up to you!
Include a bibliography
Within your text, cite your sources using Chicago Style citations.1
PLACES TO LOOK FOR PRIMARY SOURCES
Searchable archive of historic newspapers: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
Searchable historic photograph database: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/
American State Papers, Indian Affairs (letters, treaties, reports)
https://heinonline.org/HOL/Index?index=congrec/amstpap&collection=congrec
U.S Serial Set (records of Congress)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwss.html
National Archives General Catalog: https://www.archives.gov/research/catalog
Digital Public Library of America: https://dp.la/
Searchable database of treaties (yes, you can use other treaties to contextualize
your
treaty) https://dc.library.okstate.edu/digital/collection/kapplers/id/29743/
PLACES TO LOOK FOR SECONDARY SOURCES
UCSD Library Catalog: https://library.ucsd.edu/
The Journal of American History https://www.jstor.org/journal/jamericanhistory
Journal of Ethnohistory https://www.jstor.org/journal/ethnohistory
Journal of the Early Republic https://www.jstor.org/journal/jearlyrepublic
Western Historical Quarterly https://www.jstor.org/journal/westhistquar
Native American and Indigenous Studies Journal
https://www.jstor.org/journal/natiindistudj
1 Lewandoski, “Final Project Prompt,” History 108A Course Website, Winter 2024,
https://canvas.ucsd.edu/courses/52050
FINAL PROJECT GRADING RUBRIC
An “A” Range Paper:
Includes 3 other primary sources
Includes, references, and quotes 3 secondary sources
Includes a bibliography
Cites sources in Chicago Style
Is almost completely free of spelling and grammatical errors
Uses sources to thoughtfully explore and answer one or more research questions
A “B” Range Paper:
Includes 3 other primary sources
Includes, references, and quotes 3 secondary sources
Includes a bibliography
Cites sources in Chicago Style
Is mostly free of spelling and grammatical errors
Uses sources to engage with one or more research questions
A “C” Range Paper:
Includes 1-2 other primary sources
Includes 1-2 secondary sources
May not cite sources in Chicago Style
Is partially free of spelling and grammatical errors
Discusses the treaty, but does not explore specific research questions
A “D” Range Paper:
Lacks engagement with more than one primary or secondary sources
Does not include direct quotations
Lacks citations
Has very many spelling and grammatical errors
An “F” Paper
Is so significantly incomplete as to not warrant thoughtful grading
Please reach out to me if you’re contemplating turning in a paper in the D or F range.
You can
use a 48-hour extension or ask for more support beforehand!