please see attachment
Past of the Present Assignment
You will submit this assignment via the Turnitin assignment area on MyHills. The
assignment should be 300-400 words, typed and double-spaced.
Due dates
See the course schedule.
Submit via MyHills in the Past of the Present area of the course menu. You are
welcome to submit them early.
Purpose:
One of the things I would like you to get out of this class is a sense of historical context
and how that context shapes the world in which we live. Think about it as “the past of
the present.”
Directions:
1. Choose a news article about a current event. The article should be no more than 2
months old. Provide the title and a link to the article you’ve chosen at the top of the
page.
2. Summarize the article in a few sentences.
3. For the majority of the assignment, explain how what you’ve learned in class or in
the textbook helped you to better understand the article. In other words, connect it
to the class with specific examples and citations from the course materials. If it’s
from the textbook, include a page number. If it’s from the learning units, give the
name of the video, mini-lecture, audio, or handout.
Here are some examples of questions you might ask yourself: How do our course
materials help me understand the context (background) of this news story? How
are the events described in the story related to a topic we’ve studied in class—what
are the similarities and what are the differences? As Mark Twain said, “history
doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” No two events or people are “just like”
each other. Is this event part of a larger historical pattern? How might an
understanding of history change the outcome of the events described in the story?
The best articles will allow you to make logical connections. If you find yourself
really stretching, you should find another article. Try to find a modern-day story
that you can connect to the historical background you’ve learned in class. A lengthy
article centered on a historical event or book would not be a good example of a
news article because it would be hard to find enough new details from your course
materials to provide background. The best article choices are organic. They find
something recent and in the headlines. Ideally, it would not look like you did a
Google News search on some topic we’ve covered, like WWI, and found an article
from two months ago. Choose an article from a news source, not a website for an
organization, encyclopedia/reference, or similar page.
News Sources:
I must admit, part of the point of the assignment is to get you to engage with the news
if you’re not doing so already, so the most organic way to do this is just check the news
every day and keep your eyes peeled and ears tuned. As backup, here are a few
suggestions for news sources that have reporters out in the field. You do not have to
use one from this list. If you have any doubts about your news source, run it past me
and/or check it against the news database on MyHills.
Local newspapers, of course: The Ottumwa Courier, Oskaloosa Herald, Fairfield
Ledger/Southeast Iowa Union, Daily Iowegian, Bloomfield Democrat, Albia News,
etc.
Associated Press:
Reuters
National Public Radio www.npr.org
The Christian Science Monitor
BBC World News
The Guardian (UK or US editions)
The New York Times
The Washington Post
Foreign Policy
Politico
The Hill
Smithsonian Magazine:
National Geographic:
Archeology Magazine:
Do not use the History Channel (www.history.com); it’s not a news source.
Sources
Besides the news article, you should only use your class notes and textbook, not
outside sources. The point of the assignment is to demonstrate that you can organize
and apply what you’re learning in class to a current event. Cite all your sources. MLA
or APA is fine. Chicago Style is standard for history, but frankly, it’s fairly complex and
not something you’ll use again unless you become a history major. Google “Purdue
OWL citation” for an explanation of citation styles.
As always, if you need help, don’t hesitate to contact me.
For writing assistance, go to an IHCC Success Center or NetTutor on our MyHills
page. In either case, choose a writing tutor rather than a history tutor. Do not use
websites that edit your paper for you using AI.
Review the policies on Academic Integrity in the course syllabus. The work needs to
come from your brain, not internet tools.
AI Policy: This course assumes that all work submitted by a student will be generated by the student or as
part of an assigned group. Any portion of an assignment done by someone else, including AI-generated or
AI-edited content, is not allowed and will be treated as academic misconduct. This includes the use of AI –
generated content unless the use of AI tools is specifically part of the assignment or is allowed by the
instructor.
The use of AI falls under the IHCC Academic Misconduct Policy:
