Ethnic Studies 111 - EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS IN AMERICA, 1776 TO PRESENT - Kronbeck

Beth Kronbeck | Summer 2019 | Ethnic Studies 111

  

Assignment:  MY AMERICAN LIFE SCRAPBOOK - Grade Goal A

 This assignment is designed for you to place yourself in the life of an Irish immigrant coming to America, and then to create a life story of that immigrant by creating a scrapbook.  This is a fictional account; it should be based on the shared learned experiences of the Irish people NOT on any single individual’s life. This is also a creative, imagination exercise; therefore, all of the small, intimate details of your scrapbook are up to you. You must, however, base your account on historical accuracy. For example, if you plan to write about an immigrant arriving to the U.S. in the 1840s, the reason for coming to the United States might be due to the Potato Blight, not because a factory took your job . Likewise, if you are arriving to this country prior to 1892, you did not arrive through Ellis Island, as it wasn’t functioning as an immigration port yet.

 

You will work to create ONE life story that begins in the home country and concludes at least five years after living here in the United States. You are required to find at least five primary sources for this assignment, as well as two secondary sources.  All sources must be authoritative (check the source’s author and publisher to make sure they are credible) and properly cited (note, Wikipedia and Google Images are NOT valid sources for this assignment).  Also note, you will be in IRELAND - Primary sources are all around you, not to mention we have two visits to museums that are full of primary sources.

 

Assignment #1:  You must answer the following questions

Due:  07/01/19

• What is your immigrant’s name?
• Is your immigrant male or female?
• What is your immigrant’s age?
• Why did your immigrant leave his/her home country?

• Did your immigrant travel alone, or with family and/or friends?

 

Assignment #2:  You must answer the following questions:

Due: 07/08/17

• What year did your immigrant arrive?

• What port did he/she come through?

• Where does your immigrant live?

• What was his/her first job?

• Who has your immigrant met so far?

• What is happening with others in his/her life (boy/girlfriends, husbands/wives, children)?

• Did your immigrant get another job?

• Did your immigrant stay in the city where he/she arrived, or travel somewhere else?

 

As you think about these questions, reflect on the type of sources you‘ll need to fill in the gaps in your immigrant’s story. Your secondary sources will help you fill in the details of your immigrant’s experience and give you an idea of the types of primary sources you may use. Your primary sources should be presented as visual aids that add meaning and substance to your story.

 

Constructing your Scrapbook:

Once you have completed the assignments above, it is time to construct your immigrant’s story.  You must begin the story in his/her home country and finish the story after your immigrant has lived in the country for at least five years.

 

Your scrapbook must contain:

Written Content – This may be in the form of either “letters” written home, “letters” written to your immigrant, or diary/journal pages. The writings must be student generated content, not actual letters. You should have at least four pages (double spaced) of combined written content.  All written material must be submitted to Canvas, as well as presented as content in your scrapbook.

 

Primary Sources – Primary sources should have a label describing the source.  A variety of primary sources are acceptable and expected. Such sources include, but are not limited to, newspaper articles and clippings, classified ads, photographs, postcards, steamer ship tickets, pamphlets, maps, money, etc.  Minimum primary sources:  5

 

Works Cited Page – The final page of your scrapbook will be a works cited page that reflects where your group located your primary sources and which secondary sources you used. You will be required to use The Chicago Manual of Style citation format - for more information and examples of citations, go to the Chicago Style Citation page of the course

CampusGuide at: https://campusguides.glendale.edu/eths111ekronbec

Due Date/Class Presentations:    7/15/19

 

Final project will be graded:

Written Component                                  25%

Historical Accuracy                                   25%

Creative and Correct Use of Sources       25%

Works Cited Page                                     25%

 90% required for a "Complete" on Presentation