HIS 200 Project 1 Guidelines and Rubric

Project 1 Guidelines and Rubric

HIS 200 Project 1 Guidelines and Rubric

Overview 

History is for human self-knowledge . . . the only clue to what man can do is what man has done. The value of history, then, is that it teaches

Historical awareness informs various aspects of our lives. We live in a time of rapid change, and we often think more about the future than

better understand our own lives in the context of the places we live and society in general. In America, speci�cally, the government is infor

shift will eventually move throughout the different levels of government, effecting widespread change. 

For the projects in this course, you will select a historical event that has impacted American society in some way. You may select an event t

your own event, with instructor approval. You may consider using the event you chose to work on in your Perspectives in History class, if t

through this assessment.  

In Project 1, you will develop a plan for an essay on this historical event. The plan will include a brief description of the selected historical e

In addition, you will identify an audience for your essay and decide how to communicate your information to this audience. In Project 2, yo

you selected, examining its impact on society as well as its impact on you personally. 

Project 1 addresses the following course outcomes: 

Select appropriate and relevant primary and secondary sources in investigating foundational historic events 

Communicate effectively to speci�c audiences in examining fundamental aspects of human history 

Apply key approaches to studying history in addressing critical questions related to historical narratives and perspectives

Prompt 

Your writing plan should answer the following prompt: Select a historical event that has impacted American society. Develop a plan for wr

selecting appropriate resources for your research, and identifying an audience for your essay. The purpose of this writing plan is to provid

thinking about how to support your thesis statement. The following critical elements will be assessed in a 1- to 2-page word processing do

Speci�cally, the following critical elements must be addressed: 

I. Describe the historical event that you selected. Why is this event signi�cant? 

II. Describe at least two secondary sources that you could use to research your historical event. Your sources must be relevant to your

In your description, consider questions such as: What are the similarities and differences in the content of your sources? What make

investigating your event? What was your thought process when you were searching for sources? How did you make choices? 

III. Describe at least two primary sources that you could use to research your historical event. Your sources must be relevant to your ev

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HIS-200-H1819 Applied History 23EW1

your description, consider questions such as: How do these sources relate to your secondary sources? What do they add to your und

appropriate and relevant for investigating your event? 

IV. Based on your review of primary and secondary sources, develop a research question related to the historical event you selected. In

about? 

V. Identify an audience that would be interested in your historical event and research question. For example, who would bene�t most f

VI. Describe how and why you can tailor your message to your audience, providing speci�c examples. For example, will your audience u

associated with your event, or will you need to explain these? How will you communicate effectively with your audience? 

What to Submit

Your writing plan should adhere to the following formatting requirements: 1–2 pages, double-spaced, using 12-point Times New Roman fo

Project 1 Rubric

Criteria Exemplary (100%) Pro�cient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%)

Historical Event Meets “Pro�cient” criteria, and

description is exceptionally

clear and contextualized 

Describes selected historical

event and its signi�cance 

Describes selected historical

event and its signi�cance, but

with gaps in detail or clarity 

Secondary Sources  Meets “Pro�cient” criteria, and

description of resources

demonstrates strong

understanding of information

needed to investigate

foundational historic events 

Describes at least two relevant

and appropriate secondary

sources that could be used to

research the historical event 

Describes at least two

secondary sources that could

be used to research the

historical event, but with gaps

in appropriateness, relevance,

or detail 

Primary Sources  Meets “Pro�cient” criteria, and

description of resources

demonstrates strong

understanding of information

needed to investigate

foundational historic events 

Describes at least two relevant

and appropriate primary

sources that could be used to

research the historical event 

Describes at least two primary

sources that could be used to

research the historical event,

but with gaps in

appropriateness, relevance, or

detail 

Research Question  Meets “Pro�cient” criteria, and

response demonstrates insight

into connection between

research and question 

Develops research question

related to the selected

historical event based on

review of primary and

secondary sources 

Develops research question

related to the selected

historical event, but question is

not based on review of primary

and secondary sources 

Audience  Meets “Pro�cient” criteria, and

identi�cation of audience

demonstrates insight into event

and question 

Identi�es an audience that

would be interested in event

and research question 

Identi�es an audience that

would be interested in event

and research question, but

audience is not appropriate for

event and question 

Message  Meets “Pro�cient” criteria, and

response demonstrates

sophisticated understanding of

how to effectively

communicate with speci�c

audience 

Describes how and why

message can be tailored to

audience, providing speci�c

examples 

Describes how and why

message can be tailored to

audience, but with gaps in

examples 

A ti l ti f R S b i i i f f S b i i h j S b i i h j

Articulation of Response  Submission is free of errors

related to citations, grammar,

spelling, syntax, and

organization and is presented

in a professional and easy-to-

read format 

Submission has no major errors

related to citations, grammar,

spelling, syntax, or

organization 

Submission has major errors

related to citations, grammar,

spelling, syntax, or organization

that negatively impact

readability and articulation of

main ideas 

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