Assignments

Research Journal

On the first day of class, I will ask you to create a research journal as a record for your work. A research journal is not a diary or informal notebook – it is a place where you systematically record, analyze, reflect on, and discuss how you are synthesizing the goals of the class. It should be formal and clear, and it may be some of the most important writing you do during the semester. If done well, your journal entries can provide you with concrete ideas (and even polished prose) for your archival research project. They will also help me to know how you are navigating the project and the course. Your research journal should have three sections:

1. a “log” section in which you keep a record of what you do, read, and discuss inside and outside of class. Where relevant, be sure to log the titles of outside sources, page numbers, archival call numbers, etc. Think of your log as a focused method for taking important notes. This section may be handwritten, but each entry should be dated.

2. an “assignments” section for the actual prompts that I will give you in class throughout the semester. This section should be typed and formatted in MLA style.

3. an “analysis” section in which you comment on the work you have done up to that point, reflect on your assignment, make connections between your research/archiving activities and class discussion, ask questions, and/or discuss future goals for the next journal. This section should be typed and formatted in MLA style.

All sections should be legible and show careful thought and consideration. Although I will ask you to bring this journal to class each day, I will collect and grade your research journal in five batches. In each batch, I will look for evidence that you have taken risks with the course material, demonstrated some understanding of the process of archiving, and/or genuinely engaged with the concepts of the course. The voice in which you write should be your own, although you will likely “speak through” some of the theorists and writers we read, using in-text citations where needed. Consider how titles, headers, and subheaders can help you to shape your responses creatively and clearly.

----------------------------------

Archival Problem Solving Reports

Twice during the semester you will work in a small group on problem-solving exercises that are intended to help you identify, use, and apply various archival tools – print and electronic. You will collaboratively compose a written report based on each small-group problem-solving exercise. In these reports, your group should demonstrate how you are building a critical, even theoretical, understanding of what you are doing. Each report should contain the following sections and be formatted in MLA style:

1. a brief summary of how you solved the exercise, as well as the successes and challenges you faced as a group. For example, did you discover several routes of investigation, and were some more productive or efficient than others? How did you or your group handle dead ends? How might the research process have been made easier for you as researchers?

2. a response to the actual problem-solving exercise assigned to your group;

3. a focused analysis in which you draw connections between the problem-solving exercise, the readings we have done to date, and some of the discussions we have had throughout the semester. For example, how have the archives you consulted been constructed – are they clearly marked by their subjects or their “archons”? Are there gaps in the archives you consulted that should be filled or can be filled? What other concepts from our readings are clearer – or more complicated – as a result of this problem-solving exercise? What other research questions were generated for your group as you worked?

All sections should show careful thought and consideration and reflect a true collaborative effort. In each report, I will look for evidence that you have taken ownership of the activity, reflected on the process, and/or genuinely engaged with the theories and concepts of the course. I will expect you to attend to language and organization, to use sources accurately and responsibly, and to cite the sources you use. As with your Research Journal, consider how titles, headers, and subheaders can help you to shape your responses creatively and clearly.

----------------------------------

Archival Research Project

Over the semester, you will work in small groups on different aspects of processing the Hendricks collection. This collection will serve as the basis for your archival research project. Assignment details with evaluation criteria will follow, but here are the essential components:

Project Proposal: On October 28, you will turn in a project proposal (1-2 pages) that outlines the archival project your group has begun for the IU Archives and proposes a complementary individual research project inspired by critical questions of the course, and framed by one or more of our theoretical readings in the course. This proposal should be typed and formatted in MLA style, including a brief list of Works Cited. I will ask you to sign up for a one-on-one conference with me to discuss your interests and goals for the project.

Query in Progress: On December 2, I’ll look for a brief (3-4 pages) analysis of your archival project in which you describe its status (what work remains to be done by you this semester or by an archivist in the future), analyze its potential usefulness for the Hendricks collection, and link your activities to the theories and methods of the class. I will also ask you to discuss, describe, or explain your individual research query as it currently stands, including what you have found out about it and what your sources are telling you so far. This query-in-progress should be typed and formatted in MLA style, with a list of Works Cited.

Archival Component: The archival component will consist of what you do in small groups to process the Hendricks collection, and it will culminate in an individual presentation to be given during the last week of class in which you demonstrate what you consider to be significant connections between the processing work your group has done and your own individual research query. More information on the nature and format of these presentations will follow. Philip Bantin, representing the IU Archives, will be asked to help evaluate the usefulness and effectiveness of this archival component.

Research Component: The research component will culminate in a well-investigated, senior-level paper generated from an original question based on your work with primary texts (~15 pages), but you might also find ways to integrate visual artifacts if you decide that they are a necessary part of your investigation, or if their analysis will enhance your project. Your options for this project are vast, and your project may involve one or more disciplinary methodologies, e.g., a close reading, a rhetorical analysis, a theoretical discussion, an historical examination, etc. The project as a whole should help you demonstrate not only your commitment to the IU Archives and the Hendricks collection, but also your critical understanding of the nature of archival practice, its use in humanities research, and where it converges with feminist or other theories.