A.  Portfolio:
 

Due:  Either during the final class period of the semester OR, if slightly more time is needed, during the final office hours (3-5 p.m.) held during that final week of classes.  DO NOT leave the paper/portfolio off with the secretaries in the history office; given our department's  inadequate mailbox facilities, this puts an unfair burden on them.

DO NOT be late.  After all, you have had all semester to work on this project.  If the portfolio is turned after the deadline, (1) it will incur a penalty; (2) it may not be graded until the Holidays, resulting in the student at first receiving an X.

Format:  All work should be typed, single-spaced, and printed out, then submitted in a 3-ring binder (maximum of 2 inches). 

Contents: 

A.  Required:

(1)  Title Page containing

a.  The Title
b.  Student's  name
c.  Date of submission
d.  Student's UT EID
e.  Student's class (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior)
f.  Semester/Year of course

(2)  Course Paper (See below for further instructions)

(3)  One or more Pedigree Charts reflecting your current understanding of your family tree

Some students  may have compiled so much information about the different branches of their family that they might do well to consider constructing several Pedigree Charts to simplify the picture.  This is not a requirement; just a suggestion for managing the information. 

The pedigree chart must be done on a genealogical software program.  Neatness is critical.  No hand-written chart will be acceptable.

(4)  Copies of the seven most enlightening documents that you have uncovered.

Such sources may include SSDIs, census records, military records, court records, birth-marriage-or-death certificates, photographs, etc.  You should try for a variety.  Simply supplying a series of SSDI or census records (the two easiest to come by) will not be acceptable.

If your sources are one-of-a-kind, a photocopy will do.  Do not supply the originals.

(5)  Copies of all regular homework assignments from the semester.

All must be carefully numbered.

Any or all of them may have been reworked for style or for content.  The student will be graded on the final product contained within the portfolio, not the original version handed in at a class period. 

(6)  One or more suggestions that you have concerning how to improve the course.

 B.  Optional (though strongly recommended):

(1)  Additional documentation that you have uncovered in your research.

(2)  Any articles or news stories (printed or web-based) that you may have found particularly enlightening in respect to genealogy.
 

Note:  In the portfolio, each of these items should be in a separate section.

B.  Paper:
 

Contents:

The paper should be comprised of the following sections:

A.  A history of your family (12-14 pages)

B.  An explanation of how your family fits into American history or, by extension, the history of the places from which your ancestors came (though the overseas aspect need not be covered unless you desire to do so)  (1-2 pages)

C.  A list of the seven research sites you found most helpful in your genealogical research and a short paragraph explaining why each was important.  (At least three of these should be websites.) (2 pages)

D.  An analysis of the major problems you encountered in your research and the major breakthroughs you made (2-3 pages)

E.  An explanation of the next steps to be taken in researching your family (2 pages)

Total Length:  approximately 20-22 pages.
 

Notes:

Footnotes/Endnotes are an absolute requirement in the final paper!  (Any failure to include them in the proper form will lead to a major deduction in the paper/portfolio  grade.)

By the time you start writing the paper, you should understand that a critical aspect of  genealogy is to inform your reader precisely where your information has come from.  The way to do this is through either footnotes or endnotes. 

As a rule of thumb, each page of a research paper should contain about 4 notes, and perhaps more, depending upon how many sources you are using.  

For an example of how the professionals do it, see the Document 4 that I have placed on the website.  Obviously, I do not expect such extensive, multi-source footnotes from you.  But it does give you an idea of what makes a genealogical study truly compelling to other genealogists.

Writing:

  I have a section of this website setting forth rules for good writing.  Even if you are (or think that you are) a good writer, please consult this section.  Following my suggestions will probably help you earn a higher grade on this paper and might just help you become a better writer overall!  (To access this section, click here.)