Semester-long water history projects

Introduction

The thematic question we’ll ask this semester is how did pre-1400 CE peoples access, use, and make meaning with fresh water? 💧

🏗️ You’ll be part of one of five teams this semester, building a research report over the course of the semester. The five projects involve writing research reports for: a historical novel, a historical role playing video game, preparing a disaster response team, creating a shoe and clothing brand, or project managing one of these four projects. Descriptions of each of these teams are below.

Pre-1400 CE Video Game Project

Your project is to create a background research report with five case studies for a video game studio to consider as they plan a historical simulation game (HSG). Below are the requirements of the report:

  1. All material relates to real-world historical events, people, and actions between around 500 BCE and 1400 CE.
  2. The game will have a single player, though you can advise on what non-player characters to include.
  3. Your recommended character should be fictional, but all the evidence you supply the game studio will be historical evidence from primary and secondary sources in our course. No mythical, divine, or otherworldly characters, although you character’s beliefs should be historically accurate for the time and place of their lives.
  4. The action of your recommended scenarios will be centered on a specific river basin in the pre-1400 CE world.
  5. During the semester you will be introduced to five historical skills: GIS maps, object analysis, historical statistics, metadata, and distant reading. Your final report must use each of these five skills, though you do not need to include all five skills in each of your five case studies.
  6. You will be supported in your project by project manager student. All communications to your group should include your project manager.

Sources

In addition to the common readings for the class, you will explore additional readings we agree to on historical video game creation. There’s abundant writing about the intersection of video games and history, so our task will be to find meaningful articles that best support your team’s project.

Your first reading will be the podcast “Learning History with Video Games”

Other sources you should consider include:

  1. The Fresh Water Stories Zotero bibliography 2.The 9 book History of Water Series, edited Terje Tvedt and Eva Jakobsson, available in our library as physical books.
    3.The Journal (Water History)(https://mnpals-ndc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01MNPALS_NDC/2nme62/alma9989929787004303), also available through our Normandale library website 4.The book Water in World History by Ellen Arnold, both physical and digital copies in our library. 5.”Gaming the Past: Video Games and Historical Literacy in the College Classroom” Csilla E. Ariese-Vandemeulebroucke, Krijn H.J. Boom, Bram van den Hout, Angus A.A. Mol, and Aris Politopoulos. 2021. Return to the Interactive Past. The Interplay of Video Games and Histories. Leiden: Sidestone Press. https://research-ebsco-com.ndcproxy.mnpals.net/linkprocessor/plink?id=d88f6d35-f233-3ef4-b12a-b1a8b1076081.

Pre-1400 CE Novel Project

Your project is to create a background research report with five case studies for a historical fiction author to consider as they plan a new historical fiction novel. Below are the requirements of the report:

  1. All material relates to real-world historical events, people, and actions between around 500 BCE and 1400 CE.
  2. The novel will have a primary character, though you can advise on what other characters to include.
  3. Your recommended character can be real or fictional, but all the evidence you supply the author will be historical evidence from primary and secondary sources in our course. No mythical, divine, or otherworldly characters, although you character’s beliefs should be historically accurate for the time and place of their lives.
  4. You must include food, floods, or rivers as a central plot device in your story.
  5. During the semester you will be introduced to five historical skills: GIS maps, object analysis, historical statistics, metadata, and distant reading. Your final report must use each of these five skills, though you do not need to include all five skills in each of your five case studies.
  6. No fantasy or science fiction elements should be included (no magic, divine intervention, aliens, Ai, etc.)
  7. You will be supported in your project by project manager student. All communications to your group should include your project manager.

Sources

In addition to the common readings for the class, you will explore additional readings we agree to on historical fiction. There’s abundant writing about the intersection of fiction and history, so our task will be to find meaningful articles that best support your team’s project.

Your first reading will be the short article: Lucier, Makiia. “Writing Historical Fiction.” Knowledge Quest, vol. 42, no. 5, 2014, pp. 78–80. https://mnpals-ndc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01MNPALS_NDC/2qm9l9/cdi_proquest_miscellaneous_1550992582

Other sources you should consider include:

  1. The Fresh Water Stories Zotero bibliography
  2. The 9 book History of Water Series, edited Terje Tvedt and Eva Jakobsson, available in our library as physical books.
  3. The Journal (Water History)(https://mnpals-ndc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01MNPALS_NDC/2nme62/alma9989929787004303), also available through our Normandale library website
  4. The book Water in World History by Ellen Arnold, both physical and digital copies in our library.
  5. “Historical Practices: Author Rilla Askew on Writing Historical Fiction.” Journal of Women’s History, vol. 34, no. 3, 2022, pp. 124–31, https://doi.org/10.1353/jowh.2022.0028.

Pre-1400 CE Disaster Relief Project

Your project is to create a background research report for a disaster response organization. Your organization is tasked with reestablishing communities after they have suffered catastrophic loss, that includes destruction of their infrastructure, government, economy, and cultural institutions. You will build five case studies using world regions for how to use pre-1400 history to help best support disaster response. Understanding the pre-1400 history of place — which includes their historical geographies, food ways, ecologies, & cultural beliefs — is central to effective disaster response. Below are the requirements of the report:

  1. All material relates to real-world historical events, people, and actions between around 500 BCE and 1400 CE.
  2. The report should recommend what are higher order and lower order concerns for each case study.
  3. You are not including any post-1400 CE recommendations, such as the current political environment, culture, or trade conditions.
  4. You must address food, floods, or rivers in your recommendations.
  5. During the semester you will be introduced to five historical skills: GIS maps, object analysis, historical statistics, metadata, and distant reading. Your final report must use each of these five skills, though you do not need to include all five skills in each of your five case studies.
  6. You will be supported in your project by project manager student. All communications to your group should include your project manager.

Questions you may wish to consider:

  1. What food has historically succeeding in your case study regions?
  2. What government models are historically familiar to peoples of your regions?
  3. What religious traditions are historically rooted in your region?
  4. What local economies, ecologies, and water systems will need restoration?
  5. What medical issues are historically endemic to the region?

Sources

In addition to the common readings for the class, you will explore additional readings we agree to on history and disaster response. There’s abundant writing about the history and disaster responses, so our task will be to find meaningful articles that best support your team’s project.

Your first reading will be: Rahmani M, Muzwagi A, Pumariega AJ. Cultural Factors in Disaster Response Among Diverse Children and Youth Around the World. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2022 Oct;24(10):481-491. doi: 10.1007/s11920-022-01356-x. Epub 2022 Aug 12. PMID: 35953637; PMCID: PMC9371955. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9371955/

Other sources you should consider include:

  1. The Fresh Water Stories Zotero bibliography
  2. The 9 book History of Water Series, edited Terje Tvedt and Eva Jakobsson, available in our library as physical books.
  3. The Journal (Water History)(https://mnpals-ndc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01MNPALS_NDC/2nme62/alma9989929787004303), also available through our Normandale library website
  4. The book Water in World History by Ellen Arnold, both physical and digital copies in our library.
  5. Bavel, Bas van, Daniel R. Curtis, Jessica Dijkman, Matthew Hannaford, Maïka de Keyzer, Eline van Onacker, and Tim Soens. Disasters and History: The Vulnerability and Resilience of Past Societies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. https://mnpals-ndc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01MNPALS_NDC/2qm9l9/cdi_askewsholts_vlebooks_9781108752381

Pre-1400 CE Cooperative Nonprofit Clothing and Shoe Brand

Your project is to create a background research report for non-profit cooperative factory that wishes to make shoes and clothes. Your task is to evaluate the pre-1400 CE conditions that might shape this new company and recommend five regions, based on five case studies you build, for where to open a factory. You will build five case studies using world regions for how to use pre-1400 history to help best support your company. Understanding the pre-1400 history of place — which includes their historical geographies, food ways, ecologies, & cultural beliefs — is central to effective brand creation and management. Below are the requirements of the report:

  1. All material relates to real-world historical events, people, and actions between around 500 BCE and 1400 CE.
  2. The report should evaluate the challenges and benefits of opening a factory in one of your five case study regions.
  3. You are not including any post-1400 CE recommendations, such as the current political environment, culture, or trade conditions.
  4. You must address both the physical creation of goods (shoes and clothes) and the marketing of these goods based on history.
  5. During the semester you will be introduced to five historical skills: GIS maps, object analysis, historical statistics, metadata, and distant reading. Your final report must use each of these five skills, though you do not need to include all five skills in each of your five case studies.
  6. You should include a final recommendation of a one region based on your historical research and explain that recommendation.
  7. You will be supported in your project by project manager student. All communications to your group should include your project manager.

Questions you may wish to consider:

  1. What natural resources were historically available?
  2. What historical skill groups have inhabited the region?
  3. What water flows are available?
  4. What pre-1400 cultural elements might influence fashion produced today?
  5. What historical elements or stories be useful for you brand’s marketing?
  6. What historical gender, racial, and religious norms might influence your brand.

Sources

In addition to the common readings for the class, you will explore additional readings we agree to on history and disaster response. There’s abundant writing about the history and disaster responses, so our task will be to find meaningful articles that best support your team’s project.

Your first reading will be: 5. “Yangtze Silk,” Sofi Thanhauser. 2022. Worn : A People’s History of Clothing. New York: Vintage. https://research-ebsco-com.ndcproxy.mnpals.net/linkprocessor/plink?id=80856a24-fc95-3bbe-af92-31d4e2c81336.

Other sources you should consider include:

  1. The Fresh Water Stories Zotero bibliography
  2. The 9 book History of Water Series, edited Terje Tvedt and Eva Jakobsson, available in our library as physical books.
  3. The Journal (Water History)(https://mnpals-ndc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01MNPALS_NDC/2nme62/alma9989929787004303), also available through our Normandale library website
  4. The book Water in World History by Ellen Arnold, both physical and digital copies in our library.
  5. SHENG, ANGELA. “Determining the Value of Textiles in the Tang Dynasty: In Memory of Professor Denis Twitchett (1925-2006).” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 23, no. 2 (2013): 175–95. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43307663.
  6. Pendergast, Sara, et al. Fashion, Costume, and Culture : Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages. Volume 1, The Ancient World. UXL, 2004.

Project Management

Your project is to support one of the four research teams who are creating reports. To effectively manage your team you will need to do the following:

  1. Review all the same readings, videos, and assignments the team produces.
  2. Help organize the team to effectively produce the highest quality projects.
  3. Ensure that the team stays focused on pre-1400 CE history.
  4. Conduct independent research that you believe will complement the existing sources the team is using.
  5. During the semester you will be introduced to five historical skills: GIS maps, object analysis, historical statistics, metadata, and distant reading. You will offer support to others as they learn these skills and communicate with the professor any challenges you team is experiencing.
  6. Meet with the project management team once a week to share best practices and brainstorm solutions.
  7. Write up project status reports throughout the semester.
  8. Communicate with the professor about successes and challenges in the team in a timely fashion.

You will NOT be responsible for:

  1. Any grading
  2. Any disciplinary issues
  3. Any direct teaching

Sources ####

In addition to the common readings for the class, you will explore additional readings we agree to on history and disaster response. There’s abundant writing about the history and disaster responses, so our task will be to find meaningful articles that best support your team’s project.

Your first sources will be: What is Project Management: and Olson, David L. “Introduction to Project Management.” Core Concepts of Project Management, Business Expert Press, 2020, https://mnpals-ndc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01MNPALS_NDC/2qm9l9/cdi_proquest_ebookcentralchapters_6126641_5_12 pages 1-8.

Other sources you should consider include:

  1. The Fresh Water Stories Zotero bibliography
  2. The 9 book History of Water Series, edited Terje Tvedt and Eva Jakobsson, available in our library as physical books.
  3. The Journal (Water History)(https://mnpals-ndc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01MNPALS_NDC/2nme62/alma9989929787004303), also available through our Normandale library website
  4. The book Water in World History by Ellen Arnold, both physical and digital copies in our library.
  5. “A Day in the Life of a Project Manager”