All students in this course created a virtual museum exhibit using ArcGIS StoryMaps.
The Creative Portfolio is an alternative way for Commonwealth Honors College students to fulfill the Honors Thesis requirement. It involves a written document coupled with a creative artifact, such as a performance, musical score, architectural project, engineering invention, screenplay, business case study, collection of original poetry, or art exhibition.
The Creative Portfolio for this class is a curated virtual museum exhibit related to the topic of colonialism and empire. This project allows students to ask research questions about a period of time, area of the world, and culture or polity of their choosing. Each student curates a virtual exhibit on their research topic, consisting of 16 primary sources—such as artifacts, everyday objects, maps, pieces of art, documents, photographs, sound recordings, architectural plans, etc.
Students write short (2-3 paragraph) well-researched descriptions of each primary source, but all descriptions tie to the larger theme of the exhibit, and the research questions the student is trying to answer.
In addition to the curated museum exhibit, students complete a 10 page reflection paper, which incorporates background research, class readings, and a personal reflection on the creation of the exhibit and what they learned from their research.
Special thanks to UMASS GIS Librarian Rebecca Seifried for teaching students how to use ArcGIS StoryMaps. Special thanks also to CHC Library Liaison Jennifer Friedman, for student research instruction and assistance, and to Copyright and Information Policy Librarian Laura Quilter, for advising students on the legal rights and responsibilities of using images online.