Option B: Archival Research Project
(I AM GOING TO PROVIDE A RESEARCH PROPOSAL DOCUMENT TO GO OFF OF. THE PROPOSAL WAS APPROVED BEFOREHAND SO YOU MUST USE IT)
For this option, you will choose a particular collection of raw, primary sources, such as oral history interviews, collections of letters, diaries, or any other archive, online or off, and explore a research question of your choosing concerning the archive.
For example, earlier this semester we explored how various 19th century newspapers covered a particular event, and we also completed an assignment which examined oral history interviews with veterans or WWII homefront participants. In each of these cases, you were exploring archival information, and completing a short research exploration which delved into some aspect of U.S. history raised by the material you sifted through.
In this option, you will choose some archive — you can choose the two that we explored briefly, for instance — and develop a research proposal that will lead to a final paper. You can build off of your previous assignment if you wish, although this must, of course, be a new and original paper.
For instance, if you became interested in a particular interviewee who discussed their time fighting in a particular battle, or fulfilling some particular function, you could expand your search in the archive to find other interviewees who had a similar experience. Or if you became interested in an event which was covered by newspapers at the time, you could expand your search to additional newspapers.
Rule of 3x: If you were to build off of your original assignments, instead of using one interview (as you did in the assignment) you would have to use at least three in the project. Similarly, if you were to build off of your newspaper project, in which you were supposed to look at three (3) issues of a newspaper, now you must look at least at nine (9) issues.
This archival size and breadth should be imitated even if you choose an entirely different archive outside the parameters of the first two assignments.
You should also consult outside sources about the event. Try not to use Google to explore these issues, but instead use library databases to find additional background.
In addition to the Chronicling America and Rutgers Oral History archives we have already explored, we will discuss additional archives in class, and suggested ones will be posted on Blackboard.
Feel free to think outside the box: the archive explored need not necessarily consist of written material. Archives of photographs, or films, would also be strong candidates for this project. As with any other archival choice, however, you must bring in secondary sources to buttress and help prove your thesis.
