Student Papers from Professor Sylvie Kande’s Making History
The papers below are three results of an assignment Professor Sylvie Kande gave to her Fall 2020 Making History (HI 4062) class. The assignment criteria appear at the bottom of this webpage.
Niko Siano
The photo is one of a girl kneeling with a sign that says “I’M ONLY 9 YEARS OLD AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED RACISM,” the girl has a very serious look on her face and is wearing a shirt that appropriately says “Fearless”. The girl is down on one knee showing acts of peace. The girls sign might be the most emotional part about the entire photo. The fact that a 9-year-old girl has faced acts of racism and yet is not kicking or screaming but yet peacefully protesting like how all the great civil rights activist in the past have done is truly inspiring.
Natalie Kuplen
With others, such as “Hands Up Don’t Shoot,” you can tell just how frustrated people of color and their allies are with the current state of America. All of these photographs capture people’s emotions and tell a story. They allow the viewers to fully understand the significance of a historical event such as the Black Lives Matter movement. Photographs have been used all throughout history to tell stories, both the good and the bad. They’ve become an important part of how we teach history.
Michael Keating
People of all races, creeds and backgrounds are coming together in an attempt the change a system where that long list of people had their lives taken from them in recent years. As another poster that is pictured says: “No lives matter until Black Lives Matter”. Most people love each other, regardless of race or background, and when someone or a group is in need of help, most people recognize that.
The purpose of this assignment is to write a 6-page paper with bibliography. Please begin working early on this important piece. Instructions are below. I will request a draft by mid-November.
You have the choice between
- Teno, Jean-Marie Colonial Misunderstandings. Documentary accessible on Kanopy.
- The Nero files. PBS Documentary accessible on Films on Demand.
- Lee, Fiona "The Rising"exhibit Amelie A. Wallace Gallery website (only available until 11/25)
1) Write an introduction with useful information on the photographer/director (other works?), the title (attractive? serious? etc.), the outlet (describe its general orientation), the year of release (any significance?) 1/2 page
2) Director's/photographer's thesis and the supporting arguments. 1 page
3) Select an important section of the movies/exhibit : summarize it and discuss its content, emphasizing its strategic importance in relation to thesis. 1 page
4) How does this work contribute to narrating history? 1 page 1/2
5) Look at the intro and the conclusion of the work together, and note your observations: are they aligned? are the questions asked in the intro answered in the conclusion? does the conclusion bring closure or does it open onto a new issue? 3/4 page
6) Develop your opinion about the work. Do you have a counter-thesis? 1 page
7) Bibliography 1/2 page