Overall Framing Statement: Throughout my time at the University of England I believe that I have met the learning outcomes for my history major through the completion of assignments such as projects and essays. These learning outcomes are 

During my time at UNE, I took history courses that discussed various periods and perspectives of history. Within these courses, I completed various assignments, essays, and projects that supported the learning outcomes of the History major. 

Learning Outcomes: 

• Learning Outcome #1: Apply and utilize the range of skills and historical methodologies it takes to decode the historical record because of its incomplete, complex, and contradictory nature.

My Definition: Students will be able to explore the various interpretations of history by applying skills and processes by considering primary and secondary sources to contextualize and compare historical arguments. 

Claim & Evidence: I have learned how to analyze historical narratives and arguments in order to compare them to one another. In one of the first history classes I took at UNE, What Actually Happened: Debating American Revolution (HIS 395) I was required to look at material through a historiographical lens, in order to understand the various interpretations of the American Revolution. Through comparing the text and doing research on the authors and the contemporary environment I was able to understand the purpose and perspective of their analysis. An example of work that displays this is an essay I wrote for this class that compares the writing of H.W Brand’s Our First Civil War: Patriots and Loyalists in the Revolution and Gary B.Nash’s The urban crucible: Northern seaports and the origins of the American Revolution. Specifically I considered the sociocultural climate at the time of their writings, finding that their interpretations were a product of their time. 

Essay #3 Brands v Nash

In regards to the comparison of the sources I wrote,  “Inspired by the contemporary social movements of the early 20th century and his own time, Nash takes a neo-progressive approach to the issue. Furthermore, in his writings he addresses issues like social welfare and minority rights, subconsciously reflecting his own ideologies as an active member of the civil rights movements throughout the 1950s until the 70s.  Unlike Brands who focused his studies on the economic effects of the war, Nash takes a different approach.”

This except shows my ability to place a past historical event, in this case the American Revolutionary War in relation to the Vietnam War. 

A more recent example of me reaching this learning outcome is my honors project. Throughout this project, I focused on illuminating the stories of Westbrook Students and Faculty to showcase how they challenge the formal narrative of Westbrook. This required me to compare the scrapbooks of the students to the catalogues and handbooks. Here is an excerpt from my final paper that displays my interpretation and analysis of these contrasting sources. 

“Scrapbooks belonging to the students and faculty of Westbrook during the late 18th and early 19th centuries offer us a perspective that contrasts with the college’s moral aspirations, thus challenging the dominant narrative that defines the experience of a coeducational student. The scrapbooks provide a personal and candid perspective of the culture cultivated within the dormitory halls, classrooms, and on the grounds of the Westbrook Campus” 

Through this claim, I highlight the complexity of the historical record as it requires you to consider multiple experiences and sources. 

Learning Outcome #2: Recognize the provisional nature of knowledge, the disciplinary preference for complexity, and the comfort with ambiguity that familiarity with history requires.

My Definition: Students must recognize the ways in which history is constantly evolving as a result of new interpretations and additional sources. 

Claim & Evidence: I understand that the historical narrative is multifaceted and dependent on the knowledge we have now. Most importantly, I understand that we must be willing to accept and recognize that while history is factual it is still reliant on interpretation. For my history class, American Indian History and Culture (HIS 313), I co-authored an article that discusses the importance of incorporating indigenous voices within museums and educational institutions. The article presented how the act of “decolonizing” museums and fighting against the dominant narrative is an important step to making our historical teaching as accurate as possible. Here is a quote from that article, “For some, changing long standing exhibits and including new perspectives, like the Wabanaki’s, might feel threatening or in a way “altering” history. Miller emphasizes that this is the way that depictions of history grow in accuracy and truth.” This statement emphasizes the importance of recognizing history’s “ambiguity” as outlined in the learning outcomes. For marginalized voices, such as members of the indigenous community it is important to recognize that their stories have not been at the forefront of the historical narrative not because they didn’t exist or weren’t accurate, but rather that they were historically suppressed. 

Learning Outcome #3: Create historical arguments and narratives.

My Definition: Students should be able to use evidence from sources to arguments and identify historical narratives. 

Claim & Evidence: In my coursework, I have been able to strengthen my ability to create arguments and identify various narratives. In my methods class, History Hands On Topics: Holocaust in History and Memory (HIS 290), I conducted in-depth research regarding the impacts of the Monument Men and their effectiveness in repatriating thousands of artworks. Over the course of the semester, I was required to draft and revise a thesis statement that would be the main argument of my paper. The first draft of my thesis states, “While the work of the monuments men was crucial to recovering and protecting thousands of historical monuments and artifacts–their attempt to offer restitutions to individual victims of art theft often fell short of their intended efforts.” After proposing this as my thesis, I had to discuss its effectiveness of stating my argument with both Professor Zuelow and my peers through various writing workshops and peer review sessions. 

With this feedback, I revised my thesis to include supporting evidence. The final thesis stated, “While the work of the monument’s men was crucial to recovering and protecting thousands of historical monuments and artifacts–their attempt to offer restitution to individual victims of art theft often fell short of their intended efforts due to the act of “safekeeping” and corrupt practices within the military. By comparing the new thesis to the old one, you are able to see the evolution of my writing despite it only appearing to be minor changes.