Instructions:
This assignment combines your personal impressions during a particular time period in your life vis-à-vis broader historical events. For the most complete understanding of any historical period you need data, including quantitative sources of information. History and historiography require studying many sources of data.
As the Association of American Colleges and Universities points out studentsshould have the ability to make judgments and draw appropriate conclusions based on the quantitative analysis of data. Students should also have the ability to make and evaluate important assumptions in data analysis, and they should be able to express quantitative evidence in support of their arguments.
In this case, you will enhance your historical awareness of a short period of time by availing yourself of readily available quantitative data to form a more detailed and possibly nuanced picture of a specific time period that is also personally important to you.
There are 4 steps to completing this assignment, noted below. The first three steps are crucial for preparation, and the fourth step details the reflection you will submit.
Step 1: Keeping your readings and video clips in mind, create a timeline that includes four situations, related to jobs, your profession, education, or any other important events in your life that you are comfortable sharing with your reader.
List each situation or event and roughly note the year or range, such as 2006 to 2009. Then match your personal history with important historical events occurring during that same time period. Identify whether or not there is a relationship between the historical events and your personal situations and/or life events.
Your timeline is necessary for this assignment, and you will submit it along with your reflection. Below Step 3, you will see an example for setting up your timeline.
My timeline is
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Joined the U.S. Navy in 1996 just out of high school wanted something different
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Retirement from the U.S. Navy in 2012 having to find a new career path since retirement
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Starting and finishing Olympic College in 2014 -2017 earring my Associate degree in Accounting Tech
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Started Brandman university 2017- present working on my bachelor's degree in Business Administration with the emphasis on Accounting
Step 2:After creating the personal timeline, list and describe some of the corresponding historical events that occurred during the same time period. In other words, research the time period that coincides with each of the four personal events, and mention some of the important historical occurrences, in particular those you had not considered, were not aware of, or had simply forgotten. Your list will help you prepare to write your reflection.
Step 3:Go to a research website such as PewResearchCenter website or a research site of your choosingto seek quantitative data that tracks how people rated three key indicators, for example, Personal Finances, Economic Conditions, or even Social Networking Use and track the data that corresponds with your timeline. Once you have completed Steps 1-3, you will be able to complete the timeline. Please use a table such as the one below.
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Personal/Historical Timeline2006 to 2009 Personal Situations/Events (Job Promotion, Marriage, Birth of a Child, Winning the Lotto, any important or life-changing event)
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2006 to 2009 Important Historical Events (Elections, War, Coronations, Assassinations, Domestic Terrorism, Political Upheavals, etc.)
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2006 to 2009 Key Indicators* (e.g. Personal Finances, Economic Conditions in your town, and/or the use of social networks)
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Your dates will differ according the events in your life.
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For this assignment, a key indicator is defined as specific information that points to, measures or otherwise provides a summary overview of specific financial, economic, social and/or political conditions. For example, an increase in home buying is used as an indication of growing economic strength and confidence; a decrease in voter turnout is used as an indication of political dissatisfaction.
My timeline is
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Joined the U.S. Navy in 1996 just out of high school wanted something different
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Retirement from the U.S. Navy in 2012 having to find a new career path since retirement
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Starting and finishing Olympic College in 2014 -2017 earring my Associate degree in Accounting Tech
Started Brandman university 2017- present working on my bachelor's degree in Business Administration with the emphasis on Accounting
Step 4 (Reflection based on timeline information):In a minimum of 750 words, write an essay that reflects on
Whether the broad historical information you researched changes your perspective on some of the personal situations/events in your life, and, if so, how?
How the quantitative data you found, as far as you understand and interpret the data, offers evidence to support or differ with your personal recollections, assumptions, impressions, and personal situation for the time period you selected in the timeline. Are the key indicators you selected very different today from the time period you researched? How so?
In your opinion, briefly reflect on the relationship between personal recollection, history, and quantitative data? Are personal recollections, history, and quantitative data the same thing and are they the same thing as facts? Are there limits to what the data captures?