Unit 1 — Welcome
I’m glad you’re here! In this class, we’ll examine the ways that historical narratives are constructed. History is not simply the accumulation of facts about the past, of names, dates, and details. Instead, our knowledge of the past is constructed. Stories help us to understand who we are and how we relate to everyone else.
From an early age, parents and loved ones tell us about our families, what religious, social, political, etc. communities we belong to. We learn what all of that means about how we see and understand the world around us.
During this first Unit of our course, we’ll spend some time introducing ourselves to one another, becoming familiar with the digital tools and platforms that we’ll use to share our study of historical skills and issues, reflecting on the definition and significance of history, and writing about our own recent histories during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
For us to succeed in our study of historical thinking skills and the construction of historical narratives, we must first get to know one another so that we can understand the different perspectives, viewpoints, and lenses we each bring to the study of the past. Please go to the Discussion Board in Brightspace to introduce yourself. I’ve written a prompt there with some ideas of questions you could answer to do so, but please feel free to introduce yourself in the way that makes you feel most comfortable.
Once you’ve added your introduction, you’ll need to sign up for the digital tools that we’ll be using regularly together in class. First, sign up for a Medium account and add your username (mine is @brandonbmorgan) to this sheet. Once I have your username, I’ll be able to add you to our class Medium publication (this site) where we’ll post our thoughts and ideas about historical thinking and analysis this semester. I’m excited to use Medium because it allows us to highlight, annotate, and comment on each other’s posts. Please review this document (also included in the Video Tutorials module in Brightspace) for instructions about how to add your posts to our class Medium publication — it’s not as simple as just adding your username to the spreadsheet.
Then, sign up for Twitter and post a quick tweet using the course hashtag (#CNM1103) to let us know you’ve made it. History is based on reading, interpreting sources, and writing so we’ll be doing a lot of it in different formats.
What does history mean to you?
Once you’ve signed up for both platforms, post a few tweets that explain what History is to you. Don’t look for a dictionary or encyclopedia definition, but explain what comes to your mind when you think of the word History. Respond to the ideas of your classmates.
The last step for this Unit is to write your first entry here on Medium (again, see this document for information about how to submit your post so that we’ll all be able to find it). In your post, tell the history of your experience during the pandemic. A recent episode of the Radio Ambulante podcast inspired me to add this assignment to our first Unit (here’s a link to an English-language translation). Here’s my pandemic account (I wrote it in September 2020). This Time article also makes the case for keeping a “Coronavirus journal.” (Full disclosure — I’m not good at journaling and keeping my own history, even though I’m a historian. I’m working on it!)
Consider these questions as you write your post: What has changed for you during Covid? How will people in 20 years know your story? Who will know your story? What are you doing to preserve your history? Why does it matter?
Please complete all of these activities by Sunday, September 5, at 11:59 pm. Let me know whenever you have questions or need any help.
I hope you enjoy our initial unit and getting started with our examination of the skills and processes involved with studying the past!
