History 483: NUS-UBC Summer Exchange Program Letter of Intent Guidelines

Assignments

Assignment #1 - First Interview – 20%

Interview each other in pairs and represent the other person. Maximum 5 min. length for videos, and maximum 1500 words for written media.

For those who have already taken my class, 1 page set of notes on what you consider the most important things someone should think about when doing an interview, with a group presentation in class.

Assignment #2 - Restaurant Group Exercise -- 30%
Go into groups of 4-5 students and choose a restaurant somewhere in the Greater Vancouver area. The restaurant can be of any kind, but preferably should be one that is run by migrants to Vancouver. You will work together in a coordinated way to examine the restaurant from a multiple number of perspectives. For instance, some of you might try to arrange an interview with the owners or operators/managers or chefs, perhaps even do an oral history. You could all take turns going to the restaurants at different times on different days to see what kinds of customers eat there and why. Some of you might examine the menu and find out how it was created--did they copy other similar restaurants in the city? Are they bringing in dishes from another place outside Canada? Some of you should examine the history of the location. Were there other restaurants there before? What were they like? What is the history of that locale or the surrounding block? This will entail some historical detective work, involving city records. In the end, each of you will write up the work that you did as individuals, but the whole group's findings need to be coordinated with each other so that it comes together as a team project. Ideally, you will present the material on a website mounted on the class website.

Final Project -- 40%

Attendance and Planning -- 10%

Instructions on Posting Interview Project

For examples of interview projects from the last time this course was taught, go to http://ubchistory485.blogspot.com

In order to post the link to your interview project, you can do the following:

1. Create your own website at blogger.com or some other hosting site. Once your website is done, write an email message with your name as the Title of the message, and the following message:

"My oral history project is at the following link:

http://www.whatevermysitename.com

Name
History 483"

Email this message to henrysnyu.history483@blogger.com. Wait 3-4 minutes. Your message should then be posted at
http://history483.blogspot.com

2. If you want to create a post at the http://history483.blogspot.com site yourself, email me and I will give you administrative access to the website and you can design your own post at the website.

3. If you have finished your html site yourself and do not wish to mount it publicly at another site, email it to me in a zipped folder and I will mount it at this site. If you go this option, please give me at least an extra three days, so email it to me on Friday before it is due.

4. If you have created a video clip, please email it to me directly as per #3 above, or mount it to the http://history485.blogspot.com site as per #2 above.

5. If you have used Microsoft Word and have embedded photos within the document, go to the "Save As..." options and save it as HTML. A folder will be created with the html index file and accompanying pictures. Zip that folder and send it to me by email three days early.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

NUS-UBC Summer Exchange Program Letter of Intent Guidelines

Hi, all,

Please send your 1-page rationale (letter of intent) why you want to join the UBC-NUS Summer Exchange Program and your official UBC Transcript of Records (as a pdf attachment).

You could use the following questions as guidelines:

(1) Why do you want to join the summer exchange program?
(2) Have you ever traveled to Asia before? Have you been to Singapore? Have you gone through an exchange program before?
(3) What do you expect out of this summer exchange program?
(4) What can you offer to the summer exchange program (especially to the other students), in terms of your personal history and intellectual background?
(5) What is your commitment level to the summer exchange program? (In a range of 1-5, with 5 ABSOLUTELY GOING IF ACCEPTED)

WHAT I NEED:
(a) Please type your letter of intent in a WORD document. Use 12-point GARAMOND font. 1X1X1X1 inches; 1.5-2.0 space. Maximum: 300 words (1 page) and Attach it by email.
(b) Attach a brief 1-page CV
(c) Attach your UBC Transcript of Records

INSTRUCTIONS:
(a) Send it as an attachment to this email: mlawsantiago@gmail.com
(b) DO NOT send it to Henry, only to Lawrence. Again, DO NOT EMAIL HENRY.
(c) Email by FEBRUARY 13, FRIDAY. IF you can't send it by then, send me an email saying when you can submit it and the reasons why you can't complete the application now.

Cheers, and goodluck to writing your applications!

Lawrence (and Henry)