Title: Public History Capstone: Showcase and Oral Defense
Course: The American West: Power, Place, and Memory > Section: Week 15 · November 30–December 4, 2026: The Contemporary West and the Politics of Memory

THE AMERICAN WEST

Public History Capstone: Showcase and Oral Defense

ASSIGNMENT

Public History Capstone: Showcase and Oral Defense

Purpose
Defend evidentiary, interpretive, audience, and ethical choices under questioning.

Fall 2026 deadline: Friday, December 4, 2026, 11:59 pm Central

Automatic grace period: through Sunday, December 6, 2026, 11:59 pm Central; no permission is needed and no penalty applies. Work is not accepted after the grace period without pre-approval or extenuating circumstances.

Task

Present the artifact, explain the central claim and strongest evidence, respond to unanticipated questions, identify a revision decision, and provide accessible final materials. Defenses occur during the December 1 and 3 class meetings.

Submission

In-class presentation; upload slides or speaking notes if used.

Criteria for success

1. Public claim and framing (5)
2. Evidence explanation (8)
3. Interpretive and ethical judgment (8)
4. Response to questions (10)
5. Accessible delivery and materials (4)

AI boundary

No generative AI during the showcase or oral defense. Prepared slides remain subject to the course AI policy and Decision Record.

Decision Record

1. State your initial claim or plan before substantial AI assistance.
2. Name the most consequential interpretive choice you made and explain why.
3. Identify one plausible alternative you rejected and the evidence behind that decision.
4. Name evidence that changed, narrowed, or complicated your thinking.
5. State one claim you cannot fully establish with the available evidence.
6. Record AI use: tool, purpose, what you accepted, rejected, and verified—or write ‘No generative AI used.’

Process checklist

- My question or thesis is specific, contestable, and historically situated.
- I identify creator, date, audience, purpose, and collection context for key primary sources.
- I corroborate rather than asking one source to prove more than it can.
- I distinguish evidence from inference and acknowledge uncertainty.
- I cite sources and rights information; media includes captions, alt text, or a transcript.
- If I used generative AI in a permitted way, I include the required process disclosure.

Evaluation

This assignment is evaluated on four levels—Exemplary, Proficient, Developing, and Beginning—across the listed criteria. Ask for clarification before submitting if the purpose, task, or criteria are unclear.