United States History from 1865 to Present

Course Project Directions - Summary

Directions: Below is a summary of the assignments needed to complete the Course Project. Please be sure to check the assignment dropboxes contained in each Module before you submit the assignments.

Background: One way to learn history is to put yourself in another's shoes. In this course, you will develop a historical character and experience American history through the eyes and ears of this character. Your character can be any age, race, gender, or ethnicity you like. As we move through the course, you will write about his or her experiences in America and your final project will be based on this character so choose carefully!

Assignment 1: Historical Character Development (due in Module 1)

Directions: For this assignment, you will develop your historical character details. In addition to age, race, and gender, you may want to include other details about your character.

Below is my Historical Character:

Historical character project:

Module 1

Historical Character Robney Smith

Robney Smith a 37 year old Caucasian man currently serving in the Navy, is hoping of becoming a civilian police officer when he retires from the Navy this year. Robney (an only child) whose dream of becoming a police officer was geared by his father when he was about 6 years old. Robney and his father were very close and his father was also his hero. Robney's father who had worked for the F.B.I for a period of 20 years was killed in the line of duty when Robney was 16 years old. While Robney's father was apprehending a suspect he was shot twice and rushed to the hospital where he suffered a great amount of blood loss which contributed to his death. Robney was devastated with the news of losing his father and vowed to make his father proud by following in his footsteps. Robney's mother had also been a police officer for a period of 15 years before she was diagnosed with breast cancer which forced his mother to quit the force after having a double mastectomy and under going chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

During this time Robney was 18 years old and graduating high school. Robney worked in retail and cared for his mother while she was going through treatments. Unfortunately, Robney's mother passed away after a 2 year battle with breast cancer. After losing both parents Robney decided to go into the Navy as a MP and make a career out of it. Seeing the impact his parents careers had on the community inspired Robney to further pursue his career in law enforcement. It is also a way of remembering and honoring both his parents, and showing the good that his parents instilled in him. Robney is passionate about his career goals and his determination at making the community a better and safer place is his strength. Robney's weakness is that he has not allowed himself to get to close to anyone in fear of losing them, like he lost his parents. ?

Course Project Part A:

Directions: In this assignment you will detail how your historical character would have lived during the Reconstruction Era. How would the changes in the South have affected your character (or not)? Be creative, but keep the story based in facts. Use at least 1 scholarly source, i.e. textbook or journal article. Your detail should be approximately 300 words (1 page) in length.

Course Project Part B:

Directions: In this assignment you will detail how your historical character would have lived and worked during the late 1800's. Be creative, but keep the story based in facts

Use at least 1 scholarly source, i.e. textbook or journal article. Your detail should be approximately 300 words (1 page) in length.

Course Project Part C:

Directions: In this assignment you will detail how your historical character would have lived and worked during the Progressive Era. Which policies would have affected him or her most? Be creative, but keep the story based in facts. Use at least 1 scholarly source, i.e. textbook or journal article. Your detail should be approximately 300 words (1 page) in length.

Course Project Part D:

Directions: In this assignment you will detail how World War I would have influenced the life of your historical character. Compare and contrast his or her lifestyle before and during the war. Be creative, but keep the story based in facts. Use at least 1 scholarly source, i.e. textbook or journal article. Your detail should be approximately 300 words (1 page) in length and include at least one citation and one reference for your scholarly source.

Assignment 2: Course Project Milestone I

Directions: Compile Assignment 1 (Historical Character Development) AND Course Project Parts A through D to create a 4 -5 page paper of your character and his or her experiences so far. In addition, include the citations and a "References" page for your scholarly resources.

Course Project Part E:

Directions: In this assignment you will detail how The Depression would have affected your historical character. Be creative, but keep the story based in facts. Use at least 1 scholarly source, i.e. textbook or journal article. Your detail should be approximately 300 words (1 page) in length and include at least one citation and one reference for your scholarly source.

Course Project Part F:

Directions: In addition to the time periods that you've already covered in your project so far choose a time period or event that interests you. Include why your character would like to visit this time period or experience this event. Be creative, but keep the story based in facts. Use at least 1 scholarly source, i.e. textbook or journal article. Your detail should be approximately 300 words (1 page) in length.

Course Project Part G:

Directions: Prepare an annotated bibliography of at least 3 sources that you will be using for your course project. An annotated bibliography provides the citation, as well as a brief description of the source and its value.

Course Project Part H:

Directions: Prepare a 1-page summary of your project, and post it to the discussion board for your classmates to review. Include any last-minute problems that you might be having. Then, comment on the summary of at least one classmate. Provide constructive criticism or advice that can help your classmate as he or she finishes his or her paper.

Assignment 3:

Directions: Compile Course Project Parts E through H to create a 4-5 page paper of your character experiences in this course. Include a summary about the highlights of your learning in this course. In addition, include the citations and a "References" page for your scholarly resources.

Assignment 4:

Directions: Prepare a 5-10 slide presentation using software, such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Presentations, illustrating your characters' experiences covered in this course. All images must be accompanied by references