Final Paper/ProjectAsian American history is, in many ways, social history – history seen from the perspectiveof ordinary people. While economic, social, and religious elites have always wielded greatpower historically, the consequences of historical changes and transformations are lived byall people, powerful or not, and ordinary people, in their own ways, have contributed tothose changes and transformations.The final paper/project addresses the original question we began the class with: in whatways have the ideas of “Asia” and “America” emerged and been shaped by global historicalforces – capitalism, industrialism/modernity, labor migration, nationalism – and how haveordinary people made sense of those forces as they’ve come to shape their lives, culture,and the societies in which they live.For your project, you will compare the histories/stories of two Asian Americans from theearly twentieth century. You will choose two people from a list of names I will provide,research their personal and family histories, and write up your findings, situating how theymight have experienced the broad historical changes we have discussed in the course.Telling their individual stories allows you to frame and illuminate that broader history, whilecomparing and contrasting their stories allows you to explore the difference and diversity ofAsian American experiences. Part of what you’ll have to decide is what “Asian American”means – how Asia and America are related – in the context of their story and history. Intelling their histories, you may and probably want to consult and incorporate materials fromyour previous assignments: a) what are/were the conditions of the region and/or countrythey came from as well as where they live now; b) what were the specific historical issuesthat shaped their lives? how aware were they (and/or their families) about the fullcircumstances and conditions of those issues? c) have they lived under the samecircumstances, or have they changed, particularly if they migrated/immigrated?You may choose one of several formats to present your final project: a conventional paper(12-15 pages), a web site), a video documentary, or some other type of mixed-media formthat combines aspects of these forms. In that regard, I will demonstrate and explain in-classan online platform, StoryMaps, that allows you to put your story and any documents youfind on the web. In your choice, remember that certain formats require production andpost-production processes in addition to the thinking that goes into its original treatment.You are familiar with writing papers on a computer word-processor where once you’veorganized your thoughts, production is a relatively simple matter of spellchecking,proofreading, and printing (and stapling and copying). A video documentary may requirewriting a script, significant time shooting footage, editing, and other post-productionprocesses. Keep in mind also that each format differs in the presentation of argument,2evidence, narrative, and style. Regardless of format, you should turn in all materials youproduce, not just the final version. If you put up a web site, also print out pages with theirrespective content and a site map showing the relationships between the different pages.For a documentary, provide a script, etc. I will arrange a place on the web for all thepapers/projects so everyone will be able to see each others’ papers/projects. So rememberas you are writing/working on them that they will be public, not just for my gradingpurposes.Your projects will be original historical research; in almost every case, the stories you writewill be stories that have never been told or presented. Neither you – nor I – will knowwhere the person’s story goes or how it turns out. That may make the assignmentfrustrating initially, but it will also make it interesting, and hopefully exciting. You will have achoice between one of two types of people on the lists: a) a picture bride or b) a naturalizedWorld War One military veteran. Which you choose will give you access to differentinformation:• For picture brides, you’ll have information collected by the state of California ofwomen who arrived via Angel Island in 1918. The list of tabulated informationincludes their names, the name of the ship on which they arrived (and on whatdate), in some cases, their age, the name (or initial) of their husbands, and theaddress where they settled. In some cases you’ll also have a date, which indicatesthe date they subsequently had their first child (if it was within a year).• For WWI veterans, you will have a copy of the naturalization petition they filedduring or after the war. The petition asked a number of questions that the veteransanswered as best they could: where they were born, when, where, and how theyarrived in the United States, did they have wives and/or children, who were theirwitnesses, etc.To begin your project, enter the name(s) of the people you’ve chosen using the respectiveGoogle form for picture brides or WWI veterans, then check against the other Google formresponses to see if someone else has chosen the same person. If you chose a picture bride,return to your Google form and enter the additional information you have about them fromthe picture bride document. If you chose a veteran, e-mail me and I will send you a copy oftheir naturalization documents. Using those documents, return to your Google form andenter the additional information you have about them from those documents. You shouldenter this information for each person you include in your project.From there, you’ll be on your own to research the person. There are several genealogicalsites online that can help you find additional information about them. These include FamilySearch (http://FamilySearch.org) and Forebears (http://Forebears.io), which offer freeaccounts, and Ancestry (http://Ancestry.com), which is a paid service that offers a free trial.On these sites, you can find information about when someone arrived, where they lived(and when they lived there), who they married, what children they had, if and when theydied, etc.3Most sites will have general guides to finding historical information and you can find otherresources online and in the library for finding historical/genealogical information. You mayhave to figure out ways to configure your searches to get this information:• do you have details about the person, such as their birth date and location, that canhelp distinguish them from another person with a similar name?• might there be an alternative spelling for the person’s name to use in your search?Once you find information or a historical document about the person, save a copy andconsider what kinds of information it may contain. A marriage license, for instance, oftenlists parents and witnesses. A ship manifest may have explanatory notes about relatives,sponsors, or location. The more information you find about someone, the more clues youwill have to find additional information about them.Take detailed notes while doing your research. Use them as the basis for a rough draft ofthe story you will tell. You may find documents that connect to some of the issues, themes,and history we’ve discussed in class or in the assigned readings. Feel free to use them assources for context in your story.You do not need to do this research alone. You can ask the reference librarians in Bartle fortheir assistance. You are free to help one another, sharing tips about how to findinformation, etc. (I have set up a discussion forum on Blackboard for this). You may also askquestions in class or during my office hours. If it turns out your research isn’t leading tofruitful results, you may always choose a different person for your project.Save electronic copies of any documents or photographs you find to include with yourpaper or to use in a StoryMaps version of your project.