One Stone, Many Birds

I have had some students visit to talk about topics for the controversies paper. First of all yes, it is due this week. 

Never Saw it Coming

Some of you are still grasping for a topic. My advice always begins at the same place--is there some way we can tie the controversies paper to your final project? If so, do it, and both will be the stronger for it.

Example: Suppose your final project will be to write the career paper, where you pick a type of public historian and write about what they do and what it takes to become one. A good controversies paper would be on some historical controversy that particularly involved that profession. If you are writing about historian in the National Park Service, examine the controversy over the establishment of Washita National Monument, or the redesign of Gettysburg. If your final paper is about historic preservation write a controversies paper about the battle to save some historic building or other.

It is even OK to tie your controversies paper to another class. If you are taking Dr. Young's colonial course you could write over the controversies at Yale and Brown where they are all upset that some of the oldest buildings on campus turn out to be named after colonial slave holders.

The more your research overlaps the stronger your work will be!


Finally, remember the last sentence in the assignment: "What do we learn about the practice of public history from the controversy?" Remember to think about the big picture!