What is a Seminar? For the purposes of this class, a seminar is a formal, analytical discussion of primary sources from class readings; students typically write a couple of long paragraphs, answering questions chosen by the professor. It’s almost like a super-short paper or findings report, but you don’t have to worry about introductions, conclusions, and transitions: just clarity. Then, students respond more briefly to two of their classmates, and these responses ideally further the discussion of the topic.
Reading: DuBois and Dumenil, Through Women’s Eyes Fifth Edition, Chapter 1 Primary Sources, linked earlier in this module. (Go to the Modules page, scroll to M01 and find the entry for “M01: Seminar 1 Reading – Native Women”. If you ask me where to find the readings I will know you didn’t read the instructions).
Evidence: The images in the reading are of Native American women, all created by Europeans. From a careful reading of these images and the text that accompanies them, students begin to distinguish between likely and unlikely portrayals of Native Americans, describe and explain how Europeans viewed Native Americans, and piece together some idea of how Native Americans might actually have lived.
Methodology: Using visual sources properly involves a lot more than looking at them. Examine each of the images carefully. Consider: Who created this image? For what audience? What does the image show? What was the purpose of the image? What does it teach us about its creator?
Seminar Topic: Write a couple of long paragraphs answering the following questions, explaining how details in the images help answer the question. What criteria can students of history use to judge the accuracy of these depictions of indigenous women? Which images seem to be the most accurate and why? Which seem to be the least accurate and why? Consider both the images and the text accompanying the images, as the text provides important context.
General Seminar Instructions: (From now on, I will only link to these instructions) When: Submit your initial post by Friday evening at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. Then read through other entries by classmates – ideally, classmates who answered differently than you did – and respond thoughtfully to at least two by next Monday evening at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. If that Monday is a federal holiday, respond by Tuesday 11:59 pm Pacific Time.
What: By a thoughtful response, I mean address the historical topic and try to further the discussion. Please don’t review classmates’ posts; relate the information in their posts to your own thoughts or findings on the material. Comparing answers is an easy way to start furthering the discussion. Writing “Good job!” or “I really like how you…” while kind, does not count as a thoughtful response. When you reply, always type the name of the classmate you are responding to, and your name at the bottom of the message. Make sure to use proper grammar and punctuation in this course. Please avoid “text” or “twitter speak” when corresponding.
Scoring: A rubric will be used to grade you on this discussion. Instructions: “How do I view the rubric for my graded discussion? Two-thirds of your seminar discussion points will be for your original post, and one-third for your responses to classmates.
Summary: Post by Friday evening at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. Respond to at least two classmates by next Monday evening at 11:59 pm Pacific Time (unless it’s a holiday).
IMPORTANT: Students must also submit both their discussion posts and replies posts. The Similarity Check is mandatory, but students don’t earn any points for it.
