Class Project

Class Project

The purpose of this assignment is for you to gain experience working as a team on an historical research project. You will learn about finding and using primary and secondary sources to produce a coherent picture of the history and myth associated with the defeat of Jesse James in Northfield, Minnesota.

My role is to act as guide, mediator, and resource. I will help you determine what tasks need to be undertaken and to allocate responsibility for getting them done. I will also help you stay abreast of deadlines and allot some time in class for project-related discussion. However, the ultimate responsibility for the success of this project rests with you both as individuals and as a group. I encourage you to make use of the course email list (history-133@stolaf.edu) to coordinate activities. I am also on the list, and may offer suggestions or comments if they seem warranted.

Important Dates:

NOTE: It is important to realize that although these dates seem far in the future, you cannot wait until the last moment to begin work on the project.
Part of the purpose of the project is to give you a sense of the work and timing involved in a research project; we will need the intervening weeks to pull things together successfully.

14 NOVEMBER: Draft Version Due.

We will be spending time in class today and Friday to figure out what needs revision to make the project polished and professional. This will also enable us to have the major work done and the revisions completed before Thanksgiving break. (The completed project is due after break.) Note that the draft should be as complete as possible to prevent having to do major work at the last minute.
26 NOVEMBER: Completed Draft Due.

The Essentials:

Everyone Must Participate:
The grade for this project will be shared by the class as a whole, so everyone must participate. Working in teams on smaller parts of the overall project is recommended; it’s nice to have colleagues to work with and help with potential problems. It’s also helpful if you’re not quite sure what you have to offer in the way of specific skills or experience, especially if you work with someone with more experience. In any case, enthusiasm and willingness to participate are invaluable.
The Project Must Address the Following:
History: The project must incorporate a history of the events, people and places involved in the bank raid and defeat in Northfield. In other words, you need to include a basic account of what happened and when.
Myth: The project must examine the stories people have told themselves about this historical event, and assess how and why these stories have changed (or not) over time. In other words, how do people make sense of what happened? What are their thoughts about and reactions to the event? How do they feel about what happened? How do they express these thoughts, reactions and attitudes? Did people at different times tell different stories?

Historiography: What stories have historians told about the events? How have these stories changed over time, and why? Basically, this means looking at the different secondary sources about the event and figuring out what "spin" each historian put on the facts. (This is somewhat similar to the "myth" section -- because historians are, after all, professional story-tellers. It is different, however, in that historians must begin with the known facts; they cannot invent things or intentionally distort data in order to make their point.)

There Must Be a Point:
The class as a group needs to decide what your contribution is -- in other words, you need to come up with a reason for looking at this topic, in this way. This will be the central organizing idea for the project as a whole. Note that it may take a few weeks before the point becomes clear and fully developed, but you should try to have at least a general sense of your purpose and aims.
The Form Is Open (Within Reason):
Your goal is to convey your message and your information about the myth, history and historiography relative to your topic in a coherent way. How you choose to do this is up to you. Keep in mind that everyone needs to participate in some way; some options may be more logistically challenging than others.
Some possibilities: a ‘zine that looks at various aspects of events; a documentary video; a web page that looks at the history of events and Northfielders' reactions; a musical about the history and myth; a group paper with supporting images and maps…

You are welcome to incorporate information gained while doing other assignments for this class, if appropriate. (The secondary and primary source analyses have a pretty clear relevance, for example.) However, it should be clear that even if the basic information is the same, the purpose and intentions are different. (In other words, you can’t submit the same work twice.)

I am happy to offer additional suggestions and advice, if you wish.

Practical Considerations:

First, your work should be neat, organized and thoughtful. Make this something everyone can be proud of!

Second, finished work will be assessed foremost on its effectiveness and thoughtfulness rather than the effort required to complete it. I encourage people to try out new things, but keep the success of the project overall in mind. Note that the more complicated the project and the more technology involved, the longer it will take (see point three, below).

Third, keep the limits of technology in mind. If you plan to include materials that require sophisticated equipment to render them intelligible, check first to ensure that they are compatible with my equipment. Similarly, expect printers to break, computers to crash, and discs to land in mud puddles, and take the necessary steps to prevent disaster. If you are dealing with unfamiliar technology, expect to take at least three times as much time as you think you will need.

Fourth, the size and complexity of this project makes it likely that you will at times disagree. I recommend that any problems or concerns be mentioned as soon as they arise, and that they be addressed with an attitude of respect and willingness to compromise. I am happy to step in to mediate if asked, but part of the point of this project is for you to learn how to work together as a team.

Fifth, I encourage you to make use of the course email list to coordinate your activities and responsibilities and to assist each other in your respective tasks. The address is history-133@stolaf.edu I recommend that you include H133 in your subject header so people know what the email is about.

If you have any questions or specific concerns, please talk with me about them as soon as they arise. In any case, I’m happy to talk with you about your ideas and your work -- no problems required!