Assignment Purposes:
To come to understand how a particular person's experiences can illuminate our understanding of the period and circumstances in which he/she lived.
To learn to do research of the sort professional historians do; locating, examining, and using appropriate source materials, and presenting one's findings to readers.
The finished project should be 5 to 6 pages in length consisting of 2 parts of approximately equal length.
Assignment:
Biographical Sketch: a) A factual account of the person's life, emphasizing aspects that are of historical significance.
b) Provide evidence and explanation of the person's historical contribution(s) and significance. Evidence must be documented with references and citations to sources.
How and why is this person considered to be important?
What does her or his life tell us about the times in which he/she lived; about important social, scientific, cultural, economic, or political developments; about the United States at the time?
Annotated Bibliography: You are to create a list of reliable and relevant sources that illuminate your person's life and contributions. This list should include the sources that you used for this project as well as others that you can identify that may be available at the Bird Library and those that are unavailable.
To get started with your research - you will find the following helpful:
"Research Starting Points" - easy to use great place to start!!
Also check out: Reference Services/Research Assistance
To search for books related to your person, begin with the SUMMIT Local Catalog
This is the electronic catalog for the Syracuse University Library.
Other library holdings (what books and resources a library has) plus articles from magazines, journals and newspapers can be found at the
Databases Main Menu - some of the indexes that you might find useful for this project are listed on your project outline.
Be sure to explore the reference materials available at Bird and also in your High School library.
The Internet is a valid place to look for information just be sure to check the integrity of the source!!!!
Links to search engines listed in your project are available on this blog.
Help is available from Bird Library's Reference Desk and the Library's History Specialist, Mark Weimer: mfweimer@syr.edu
