Prof. Alice Nash                                                                                                      Spring 2007
UMass History Dept.

Hist 393I – Indigenous Women

Guidelines for Assignment 3
Finding the Sources for Secondary Works

This assignment has three parts, each important in a different way. Your assigned text will be one of the biographical articles in Theda Perdue, ed., Sifters . Please refer to the schedule, to be determined in class.

1) Find a source: Track down one (1) of the primary sources and one (1) of the secondary sources cited in this article. Make a Xeroxed copy of the exact page/passage cited by the author and turn it in to Professor Nash at least 24 hours before the date scheduled for discussion of this article. Be sure to write the complete and correct citation on the document. (Note that you may only use a web-based source as a last resort. If I can find it in the library, you will get a zero for this assignment! )

Purpose : Students will learn how to read citations by using this information to find the source. They will enhance their library skills, and hopefully gain a better sense of why correct citations matter.

2) Lead class discussion : You should come to class prepared to lead the discussion of this article. Think of questions that might stimulate discussion of the class as well as important points that should be addressed.

Purpose : Students will gain experience in public speaking. There is no better way to learn something than to teach it!

3) Summary and reflection (2-3 pg. paper): Write a brief summary (250 words max.) of the article, then reflect on what you learned from looking for the author's sources. This must be turned in on the day that we discuss your assigned article.

Purpose : Students will practice the art of extracting and summarizing information in a written form. The reflection part of this paper asks students to identify what they have learned.