| Histories of Small Towns in South Texas These histories were written and produced by students of |
| Histories of Small Towns | Doing History in Small-Town Texas |
| Due Dates for Fall, 2008 | Why Do These Projects?? |
| The Template | Grading Criteria for Projects |
Why Research the History of Small Towns in South Texas?
I have two reasons for pursuing these projects with my students.
One is an underlying philosophical belief as a historian. The other
is a pedagogical preference as a teacher. As a teacher I have come
to understand the importance of personalizing the teaching of history to
students. The mere rendition of names and dates is not only dull,
it fails to engage students in the learning process. My goal is to
involve students in a more personal way by "doing" history of the sort
outlined below.
As a historian I have come to the conclusion that the mainstream
media in this country wants us to believe that anything worth knowing comes
out of big cities. Since most popular trends covered by the media
originate from major urban centers, most "boomers" and young people have
been conditioned to downplay the relevance of rural America. Americans
started as a rural people. Much of our cultural foundations are grounded
in rural America. Our economy is dependent upon it; our religions
are steeped in it. Our increasing national ignorance of the
economic and historical importance of rural America bodes ill for the future.
To ignore the farm and small town is to ignore ourselves...
OK, Now What? How do I do this?
(Instructor's Personal Note: This web project, in its present form, could not be possible without the expertise and committment of Ms. Tory Beckman-Wilson, adjunct-professor of history at Palo Alto College. She has been integrally involved in the design and implementation of these pages, and has been a big assist to me and our students in the computer lab. This is a better effort because of her.)
The first thing to do is pick the town in South Texas you want to research.
The only requirement here is don't pick one of the towns already on this
website! If you are from San Antonio, it is probably a good idea
to pick a community close to town, or a community that you are somehow
familiar with. Visit your town. Identify key resources like
the library, local museums, cemeteries, mayor's office, etc. Introduce
yourself to people at these locales, and explain what it is you are doing.
Establishing a cordial relationship with one or two people will help you
a lot. Ask these folks what sources of information they know of that
could help you. Who do they know that knows about local history?
Virtually all of these communities have individuals who keep local histories,
who have web sites, who maintain contacts with other individuals interested
in the history of the town.
Once you have acquainted yourself with the community, read about it. Get to know its history, its local culture, its important "founding" families and economy. The New Handbook of Texas is a fair place to start, but the information is not very detailed. The internet will have some information, of course, but be careful. Primary sources, those that are written down, or spoken by those in the know, are by far the most accurate and detailed. The absolute best way to find these sources is (drum roll...) by going to the town.
Due Dates For Spring, 2008:
January 30, Class Time!
Choice of town/community: Type it
up and email or submit it to this instructor. Also, include the County that this town is in. Very important. Finally, explain why you chose this town. Do you have connections to it? Choose any town in South Texas you want, EXCEPT
for towns already completed on these pages. To view the towns already completed,
return to the top and link up. Include information about where the town is and why you chose this town.
(If there is a reason!) Typed.
Interview Subject Identified: February 20, Class Time!
March 31, Class Time!
April 4, Class Time!
Between Between April 7 and April 11, students will be working in the computer lab (during class) and elsewhere to produce web pages. The instructor will be there, along with Prof. Beckman-Wilson, to assist students in this effort. These web pages will include all of the information, images, interviews, etc. that you have collected up to this point. Students will be able to use my office for scanning documents, working on their html document, or asking any questions you may have regarding the assignment. It is not the time to say you need help finding information or a town to research. Too late for that!
April 21: Completed project, on USB drive, is due. 6-10 page paper, photos, annotated bibliography, and interview. All must be submitted in digital format.,
Grading Criteria For This Assignment
