Two model biographical sketches (note that I still included comments for improvement, but overall, the students understood the assignment well, made good observations, and provided evidence of how they used the scholarly works from their bibliographical sketches in this assignment):

Model bio sketch 1

Model bio sketch 2

For this assignment, you will invent and take on the role and perspective of a historical figure from the time period covered in each of the three units in this course. You will craft your role by choosing to play a representative of a socioeconomic group—developed by using the criteria of gender, race/ethnicity, occupation, and region as starting points—responding to the topic that you choose for your bibliographic essay. So, for example, if your bibliographic essay is about domestic violence, your character should have dealt with domestic violence in some way. If your bibliographic essay is about homosexuality, your historical figure should either be homosexual or relate to someone who is in some way. Your sketch should provide detailed information about your background (your region/country, your race/ethnicity, your occupation, etc.), your family, your loved ones, the people you work around/with, your daily life, your aspirations. Your historical figure should also respond to relevant events and issues of the unit covered (like colonization, slavery, being among the first generation of mestizos, etc.). For each subsequent unit, the historical figure you invent will be a descendant of your historical figure from the prior unit.

To write your sketch, you should use required readings, my lectures, the Role Play Bibliography on the course website, and independent research – websites, magazine articles, scholarly articles – to craft a realistic family history and help you contextualize your role play characters. If you should discuss your involvement in a law suit, for example, you should include a footnote/citation about the academic literature where you read about this type of law suit. Or, if you are basing your character off of one of the people in the First Blacks website, you should include a footnote/citation about that in your sketch. Although I am asking you to document your sketch using footnotes/citations – so that I know you used academic and other sources to research your character – this biographical sketch will not be a formal piece. You should write it in first person from the perspective of your character, like you will your diary. (Your diary entry can be even more informal since a diary is very private, while this biographical sketch is being presented to an audience. Your biographical sketch will be graded based on how plausible your life history is which will in turn be based on how well you research and document your character’s story.

On the role play dates (3/4, 4/1, and 4/27) you must submit your written biographical sketch to me via BlackBoard in .doc format by 3:30pm. These biographical sketches should be well-documented using Chicago or another citation style (whatever you choose, keep it consistent). 

For our role play dates, you will present your historical figure to your classmates in character, as if you are him/her. You will give us your background and mention the salient aspects of your life in 2 minutes tops. Please do not simply read your biographical sketch. Practice what you will say and make sure that it lasts at least 2 minutes. You will not have to stand, but you will have to speak without reading. You are not required to dress up or bring props or present supplemental audiovisuals, but you are welcome to be creative with this assignment and any extra effort will be taken into account in your grade.

The biographical sketches and role play days (along with your diary entries or material culture essays) are meant to help you immerse yourself in the time periods studied and provide a more meaningful context for your final bibliographic essay.