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 In this assignment, you will use the
WPA
"Life Histories"at the
Library of Congress to
describe the difference between the 1930s and the modern
era. You will explore a specific subject as three people
described it, and see how their views and opinions differ
from our own.
As part of the New Deal the WPA (Works Progress
Administration) compiled "life histories" of ordinary
Americans. These interviews have been put on-line in a
searchable database, which you can connect to by clicking on
the link above.
This link will take you to a page called "Life
History Manuscripts." Scroll down this page, and you will
see "search by keywords." Click on this, and then enter your
search term or terms.
You can pick any subject word you like--use your
imagination. For example, entering the subject word "exam"
turned up eight different people's life stories. Entering
the subject "baseball" turned up eighty eight. Your job in
this paper is to:
- A: identify a subject you're interested in;
- B: find at least three life histories that make
extensive mention of the subject; and
- C: write a three page paper describing the
difference between the way people in the thirties thought
about the subject and the way we do today.
Your paper can make use of any other material--the
other readings for the course, other Web sites, other books
you may have read. But it should be mainly based on the
"life
history manuscripts."
Papers are due Thursday, October 9, in class
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