Heritage Service for HIST 431

Participating in heritage service is an optional assignment for HIST 431. What is heritage service? In general, this is volunteer work done in service to history or heritage activities. Here are criteria for service that qualifies for the assignment.

• The activity takes place on the Great Plains of North America.

• It is volunteer work that contributes to regional history or heritage.

Here are some examples of heritage service.

• Organizing or staffing a heritage event

• Serving as an officer of a historical society or similar cultural organization

• Doing hands-on work in historic preservation

• Giving a performance, conducting a program, constructing an exhibit, or in other ways educating the public

• Training others to conduct heritage activities

What’s the Assignment?

There are two obvious parts to the assignment.

1. Contribute service to a heritage activity or organization (amounting to a day or so effort).

2. Write a report on it, posted to Webblog.

Specifications for the Report

Target length for the report: 250-300 words (and if you have a digital photo, that would be cool—upload it and use the link function). Elements to include in the report:

• Who, what, when, where

• Description of service performed

• Description of the larger cause or activity of which you were a part

• Assessment of the heritage significance of the cause or activity

• Consider: What does this tell us about the cultural history of the Great Plains?

A routine, full day of heritage service, with report, can earn up to 40 points, awarded according to the rubric at the bottom of this page. Points for more or less time spent in service are negotiated, prorating according to time. There may be special, organized service opportunities that may confer considerable credit. Watch Webblog for announcements of these.

Rubric for Evaluation of Heritage Service Reports
Basics	Tell who, what, when, where	8
Description of Service	Clear description of activities performed	8
Description of Cause	Explaining what larger cause or activity you were part of	8
Significance	Significance to regional heritage and to cultural history is assessed	8
Appropriate Length	Target length: 250-300 words	4
Matters of Style	Composition, grammar, and punctuation are important to communication.	4
Total Possible		40

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