The Controversial Calendar

Is this calendar controversial?  The example is a month/day calendar from 1966, published by the Student Union’s newspaper.  Each page includes an image of a female student, complete with her details on study and residence.  Most of the women are posing on a couch; one woman is posing on a fireplace mantle.  The women are all wearing suggestive clothing.  Written on the front are the words “Controversial Calendar”.

Audience:

General example that is good for novice students at the undergraduate level and can be used at the graduate level as a reminder of research skills.

Objectives:

·         To be guided through the research process with access to original sources.

·         To introduce primary and secondary sources.

·         To demonstrate how primary and secondary sources work together.

·         To participate in the “brainstorming” process of research.

·         To allow for discovery time with original sources.

·         To recognize researcher bias when thinking about historical sources.

·         To recognize bias in historical sources.

Ingredients:

Originals only whenever possible—no digital sources.

ü  Calendar

ü  “Wild Thing” by The Troggs (1960s version)

ü  Yearbook

ü  Newspapers

ü  Reports

ü  Minutes

ü  Published histories

ü  Diaries

ü  Academic calendars

ü  Oral histories

Method:

Prep time about 15 minutes
1.       Pull primary and secondary sources needed in advance of the session.  Keep the sources out of sight until needed.

Exercise time between 30 and 45 minutes

2.       Start the music with the first page; stop with the last page.
3.       Walk through the classroom, showing the calendar page-by-page and up close, letting the students absorb the images and form an opinion.
4.       While showing the example, talk about the time period and history for context.
5.       Ask if the students think this calendar is controversial.
6.       Ask students how they would prove/disprove that this caused a controversy.
7.       Ask the students to brainstorm and shout out potential sources of evidence.  Hints for some sources may be required.
8.       As each source is shouted out, pull the source from its hiding place and give it to the student to search for evidence while explaining who created the source and discussing what function that creator serves.
9.       Give the group time to look through each source.  Let them discover an answer but also time to discover the source itself.  Teach the group how to use the source while sharing tid-bits of stories and ideas.  Allow students to ask questions about the sources.
10.   Bring the group’s focus back to the question by asking what the students discovered.  Ask each student (in turn) with a source to report on the findings; save the best source of information to the last.
11.   Guide an open discussion about the findings in each source—especially the sources that contain no evidence.  Allow for each source to be evaluated.
12.   Ask if this calendar caused on controversy.

Results:

·         This example generates a great deal of discussion and interest in university history.  Some students want to know more about the calendar and continue to ask questions after the formal session is complete.
·         Relate this guided example to other assignments that students may face.  Part of the process is to make the students think widely about sources for their own research.
·         Using audio and visual sources is an excellent way to enhance the message.

Assignment:
·         No assignment results from this general example.  Students have produced their own assignment incorporating ideas from this exercise.
·         There is potential for an assignment about the university during times of change and about campus attitudes.

Notes:

The best part about this example is that it “hooks” students immediately.  Allowing students to see the original calendar, up close and page-by-page draws the students into the process as a vested partner.  It seems that no one can resist a good controversy.