Create a Discussion Instructions
The purpose of the Create a Discussion (CAD) assignment is to collaborate with fellow classmates to select and interpret primary sources, to contextualize them with secondary sources, to write a historical narrative, and to initiate and sustain a thoughtful discussion with fellow classmates and the professor.
Each Discussion Must Include:
- At least 1 primary source
- At least 2 authoritative secondary sources
- Historical narrative and historical context
- A question set comprised of at least 1 open-ended question that ties directly to the featured primary source document/s.
- Note: the number of questions posed depends on the complexity and depth of the questions. For some discussions, 2 hearty questions will suffice, while others may require 3 to 4 questions. What matters most is that you pose thoughtful, open-ended questions. Think in terms of “how” and “why or why not.”
- List all primary and secondary sources in a bibliography in the MLA Citation Style, 8th ed. For help, go to Modules>Research, Writing, & Citation Help
Subject & Content:
- Select any historical event or idea that played a role in shaping U.S. History from European Conquest (the 15th century) to the Civil War and Reconstruction (the late 19th century).
- Suggested CAD Topics
Primary vs. Secondary Sources:
- In the field of history, a primary source is a document, AKA an artifact, which was created at the time of the event you are examining. Examples of primary sources include personal correspondence (letters), reports, diaries, photographs, documentary films, oral histories, speeches, maps, broadsides, and postcards.
- For help go to Modules>Research, Writing, & Citation Help
- A secondary source is a published work created after an event took place. The author of a secondary source interprets the event based on primary source evidence as well as the published works, i.e., secondary sources, of scholars. Examples of secondary sources include monographs (scholarly books), peer reviewed journal articles, scholarly dictionaries, and scholarly encyclopedias.
Historical Narrative:
Writing a historical narrative differs from writing a regular narrative in that you are writing about a past event, and should 1) select and address an event that happened in the past, and 2) write in past tense. Your goal should be to craft an engaging, dynamic narrative that will capture your readers' attention. While writing your historical narrative, ask yourself the following questions about the historical phenomenon/issue under study: What event are you investigating? What caused the event in question? Who were the key players? Who was affected, why, and how? Where did the event take place, and when? What were the short-term and long-term effects of said event?
Historical Context:
Providing context is simply giving your readers the basic who, what, where, when, and a little bit of why and how information about the historical topic under investigation.
Creating the Wrap Up:
To create an effective Wrap Up for your CAD, do the following:
- Provide answers to the questions you posed in your discussion/CAD.
- Excerpt any particularly thoughtful responses posted by your peers.
- Share relevant webpages, websites, images, and/or videos.
- Connect your historical topic to current events as well as pop culture.
- Address the big picture questions of history: How and why is the subject of your CAD historically relevant? How does the subject of your CAD create a window through which to view the big picture of history? Why should we care about the historical issue you addressed, and the historical questions your raised? In history, certain facts and events are indisputable; however, the way an event unfolded, and even some events themselves, are disputable.
- ting, and intellectual continuity, and to ensure compliance with assignment instructions/rubric..
- To embed an image into a Discussion: Click in the Reply box>Click the “Embed Image” icon>Enter a URL for the image
- To embed a video or webpage into a Discussion: Click in the Reply box>Click the “Link to URL” icon>Enter the URL for the webpage or video
- The professor will grade the assignment based on the following criteria:
- Primary & Secondary Sources: Did your group select and incorporate primary and scholarly secondary sources into the narrative using reliable search methods and tools? Is your information credible and authoritative?
- Writing Style, Organization, Grammar, & Syntax: Is your group’s discussion clearly written? Is the information well organized? Is your group’s writing free from spelling, grammatical, and syntactical errors?
- Historical Narrative, Context, & Wrap Up: Did your group identify a historical topic, provide relevant context, and create an engaging and meaningful historical narrative? Did the group post a thoughtful Wrap Up?
- Bibliography & Citations: Did your group correctly cite sources and format discussion posts using the MLA Citation Style, 8th edition?
- Historical Questions: Did your group pose thought-provoking, open-ended questions that will elicit critical thinking? Is at least one of your questions tied to at least one selected primary source? Did your group evaluate the historical impact of the historical topic, and draw meaningful conclusions about the discussion your group generated?
What you have to accomplish
INSTRUCTIONS
Format
Technical Instructions:
Grading/ Rubric