Students will be required to prepare 2 biographical sketches and present their findings to the class. Students will select the subjects for their biographical sketches in consultation with the instructor. The goal of the biographical sketches is to use the life of an individual woman to explore the larger issues about women in American history. You might find a particular subject of interest and then search for a woman whose life illustrates that topic. For example, you might be intrigued by the renewed emphasis on homemaking during the 1950s after the turbulent decades of the Great Depression and World War II. Maybe the life of Ruth Handler, who took the invention of Tupperware and turned it into one of the most common household products in America, would make a great biographical sketch. Or, you could start with a person, perhaps one of your ancestors, and explore how events such as the Great Depression or settlement of the West affected their lives. Students may choose from a variety of formats for their sketches. You might want to write a traditional paper, approximately 5 pages in length. Or you could put together a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation, with approximately 20-25 slides. Other options could be a QuickTime or Media Player movie, a web site, or a scrapbook. Students will be graded on the documents they turn in and on their classroom presentation. Classroom presentations should be approximately 15 minutes in length. Whatever format you choose for the document you turn it, it is recommended that your classroom presentation include visual and, if appropriate, audio materials. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH #1 DUE: Tuesday, February 26 Biographical Sketches are each worth 15% of the final course grade.
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