Fieldwork

2 page maximum text double spaced, images can take extra space as needed

This assignment asks you to carry out an online fieldwork/scavenger hunt and write up a short description of your findings illustrated with three or four (depending on your success with item 3) of the four items that you will be searching for.

I know this is a stressful time for everyone, so I’d like you to think of this as a fun assignment; a way for you to be introduced to and explore the amazing range and depth of digital collections since in the future online is where you will find nearly all your research materials as the world changes post coronavirus. Upload your assignment as a file, pdf or doc/docx.

1. CULTURAL OBJECT

The UCLA Fowler Museum has one of the best collections of African art in North America. There are numerous short videos available on the museum’s website showcasing some of its exhibitions.Watch one that captures your interest(s): https://www.fowler.ucla.edu/video/

Then go to the Fowler Museum Online Collection UCLA: https://www.fowler.ucla.edu/collections/Links to an external site.

Choose one object from the 784 displayed that appeals to you in some way. Why did you choose it, where is it from, when was it made, by whom was it made, is any or all of this information available? Please upload a thumbnail image and insert in your assignment.

2. HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPH

The Library of Congress, located in Washington, D.C., is the world’s largest library, with nearly 110 million items in almost every language and format stored on 532 miles of bookshelves. It’s collections constitute the world’s most comprehensive record of human creativity and knowledge. Much of this collection is now being put online, including its remarkable collection of photographs.

Go to the Library of Congress Online Collection: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collections/ (Links to an external site.)

Search for your country or a particular place within your country and choose one historical image. What is the date of the photograph? What particular collection is it from? Is there sufficient information provided for you to determine why this photo was taken? Why did you choose it?Please upload a thumbnail image and insert in your assignment.

3. HISTORICAL DOCUMENT

Increasingly libraries and archives are digitizing their collections so that anyone anywhere in the world can access their materials. One of the largest such digitization projects has taken place in South Africa where under apartheid access to the collections was limited by politics and race. The University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg has a huge and ever expanding collection of digital materials, many of them documenting the struggle against apartheid. I want you to look at one collection within their archive, that of the Legal Resources Centre. The LRC is a non-profit organization that established itself during the apartheid era as a champion in supporting the rights of those who were oppressed by an unjust legal system and oppressive government. After the establishment of a democratic government in 1994, the LRC mandate extended to enforce the rights established in the new Constitution and Bill of Rights; especially where it affected women, children, AIDS/HIV sufferers, other minorities, land rights and education. The collection consists of 201 interviews recorded as digital audio recordings and transcripts. The dates of the material range from 2006 to 2010. These dates refer to the recordings and the transcribing of the recordings. The roles of the interviewees are wide-ranging, including people who were not employed by the LRC. The roles are recorded as part of the description. Content of the interviews reflect the history of the development of the LRC and the cases and causes that were involved.

Go to the LRC Online Collection: http://www.historicalpapers.wits.ac.za/?inventory/U/collections&c=AG3298/R/ (Links to an external site.)

Clink on one of the highlighted links to an account (by lawyers and by their clients), look near the top of the page that opens and you will see a link to a pdf transcript which will download when you click on the title of the pdf. Read as much of the pdf as you have time and write a short paragraph summarizing what you have learnt about the individual being interviewed: what is their name, when were they born, where did they grow up, why are they interesting to you? Can you find a photo of the individual on the Web? If so please upload a thumbnail image and insert in your assignment.

4. MEDICINAL PLANT

There are a huge number of plants in Africa that have medicinal and other uses. The availability of such plants, and the ways in which they are often cultivated, harvested and processed, demonstrate the ability of the African environment to support life on the continent, and the skill and energy of African producers to maximize the productivity of their environment.

Go to the Useful Plants of Tropical Africa Collection (a subset of Pl@ntNet): https://identify.plantnet.org/explo/prota/ (Links to an external site.)

Choose a plant that begins with the same letter as the beginning of your first or last name (or as close to as possible), click on the plant, on the page that opens click on one of the links for additional information. Write a short paragraph describing what the plant is used for and approximately where it is grown. Please upload a thumbnail image and insert in your assignment.