RATIONALE:
The service learning project for this class will be writing and producing
an organizational history for a local feminist organization. The purpose
of this project is two-fold: first, it is intended to provide a forum for
integrating the knowledge you’re gaining in the classroom with real-world
organizations; second, this project provides a valuable service for the
organizations whose histories you’ll be writing. You will be better
equipped to write similar things in the future; you’ll also be able
to apply your knowledge of the intersections of broad historical trends
with local histories to other areas of your life outside of school. The
organizations will have a valuable fundraising tool, and an interesting
new take on their histories.
You can assume that your audience for this project consists primarily of potential clients (if you’re looking at a service organization) and potential donors. These people are smart and interested in the organization, but may not be particularly interested in history or knowledgeable about the history of feminism (think of your parents or neighbors as potential audience members).
LOGISTICS:
Your project should have 3 basic parts:
1. Research:
• Oral histories: these interviews will provide most
of the raw material you’ll use to construct your organizational history.
One of the first things you should do is compile a list of contacts who
might be useful interviewees (or informants, as subjects of oral histories
are often called). I’ve placed a few books on reserve in Wilson Library
to provide additional perspectives on how to conduct oral history interviews.
• Archival records: some organizations will have
stronger documentation of their roots than others. Another important step
in this project is determining what kinds of records are available and how
you will gain access to them (some records may require explicit written
permission).
• Due date: your research should be complete by the
middle of April (obviously, this is not an official due date, but you’ll
need to be finished in order to do a good job of writing the history and
working on your presentation)
2. Written Narrative: this is the “raw” form
of your organizational history. You’ll turn one copy in to me and
another in to your organization (they may want it in electronic form as
well as a typed copy). The text from this narrative will be the bulk of
your final product.
• First Draft: due April 4, this initial draft will
be graded on a ?-/?/?+ basis. There’s no specific page-length requirement,
but keep in mind that my comments will be more useful to you the more finished
your draft is.
• Length: at least ten pages, typed, double spaced.
• Organization: your narrative should be a fairly
standard history, with an introduction, clear structure, and a conclusion.
• Due date: May 12, noon, in my office or via email
attachment
3. Presentation:
• Finished product: you and your organization will
work together to determine whether they would be best served by a website
or a pamphlet. This decision will also be influenced by your skills as a
group, and the level of presentation the organization is expecting. Depending
on the group, they may have someone who can help with pamphlet- or web-design.
• Public presentation: Your group will present your
findings to the public. This presentation is also an important way to give
back to the organization you’re working with; for many nonprofits,
this will be the first contact most of their members will have with your
project. The presentations can take different forms, which will mostly be
dictated by the kind of project you end up doing. We’ll talk more
about this aspect of the project in April.
• Due date: for the product of your work, the exact
due date will depend on your organization’s needs, but your project
needs to be completed by May 12 at the latest; the date for the presentation
is currently TBA.
If you’re having trouble getting started, you may want to look at examples of article-length organizational histories in the Journal of American History (JAH). The JAH is available in the library and at www.jstor.org; I’ve also selected a few articles to link to from our class website.
I look forward to your visits during my office hours, and am happy to discuss your projects with you.
GRADING:
You will receive a group grade for this project. Each of the group members
will receive the same grade (except in exceptional circumstances). To receive
a high mark on this project, you will need to be working on different stages
of research and writing throughout the semester, but your grade will be
based on the final narrative your group writes. Although this project does
not have an explicitly comparative aspect, you are expected to apply the
insights you’ve gained through your coursework to the organizational
history.