This project invites students to imagine the incredible variety of Jewish communities, identities, and performances in the U.S. from the middle of the nineteenth-century to the present day. As Jewish citizens established themselves in sites from Murfreesboro to New Orleans, from Galveston to San Francisco, they wrestled with how their Jewish identities might be perceived by non-Jewish residents and with what “versions” of Jewish identities they wanted to perform for themselves and others.
Students create a podcast, a short documentary, a museum exhibit, a living history performance, a website, or some other format that they propose in lieu of a traditional academic paper. The final project incorporates archival research to illuminate some aspect of Jewish American performance history for a more general (non-scholarly audience).
In-class workshop focused on finding appropriate research material with subject liaison, affordances of various digital projects formats, and telling a story with research. Individual in-class consultations, an in-class library support day, and a course specific guide were provided.
