First, you will be assigned your period and place of analysis in class during Week Two. You should begin researching the events and culture of that time and place as soon as possible. Here are two maps that will help you become oriented in your particular region, and with the resources that are available to you:

• Southern History Database Team Assignments. This map shows where the different teams will concentrate, and how they will be divided up among the class.
• Primary Sources by Geography: Resources on the South Available at UVA Libraries. This map shows how the many primary sources available at the University of Virginia libraries divide up geographically across the nineteenth-century South.

Your assignment is to compose ten episodes that tell about your time and place, and to do this you will need the help of secondary sources. These will give you background on what other historians understand about the nineteenth-century South, including what happened and why. In writing episodes for this class, you will be entering into this historical conversation, so you will need to learn what others have been saying. First try to get a sense of what themes historians think are important. As you read through the books we have placed on reserve, pay close attention to geographic variation and change over time. We have compiled a guide to secondary resources to help you begin your research. Many of the resources listed here can be found on reserve at Clemons library. Remember, a description of your task can be found on the class assignments page. If you have questions or would like to discuss research strategies, please do not hesitate to contact your TA.

Be sure to use:

• Guide to Secondary Resources for Researching Your Entries
• Guide to Citing Sources for Your Entry

Each episode will be based primarily upon your original reading of primary sources found in UVA's libraries (particularly Alderman's periodicals room and the Small Special Collections Library) and online. Among the primary sources you consult should be newspapers, letters, diaries, and plantation records. When you consult these sources, you should be sure to take effective notes, recording citation information, the time and place that the document was created, and what is significant about that document. Using a laptop in Small Special Collections Library can facilitate this research. We also recommend using digital cameras to capture images of Special Collections items reduce the time you spend in the archives. In addition, it is advisable that you visit Special Collections in pairs so that more students can view more items as quickly as possible. Especially helpful pages of microfilmed newspapers from the Alderman Periodicals room can be printed for later reference. We have also compiled a guide to primary resources to help you begin your project. The best description of your task is on the class assignments page, but if you have any questions about research strategies, please do not hesitate to contact your TA.

Be sure to use:

• Primary Sources by Geography: Resources on the South Available at UVA Libraries. This map shows how the many primary sources available at the University of Virginia libraries divide up geographically across the nineteenth-century South.
• Guide to Primary Resources for Researching Your Entries
• Guide to Citing Sources for Your Entry
• Guide to Using UVA Special Collection
• Click here to download the Special Collections SHD Episode Sheets
  (You can save the PDF file to your computer by right-clicking on the link and then choosing the "Save Target As" or "Save Link As" option.)