SH-Common Book Assignment
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School
University of Alabama *
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Course
100
Subject
Arts Humanities
Date
Apr 3, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
6
Uploaded by CorporalFlagElk7
Savannah Hargett
Dr. Sasser
UH 100-002
2 November 2023
Common Book Assignment
On October 3, 2023, my class went on a walking tour of the Hallowed Grounds at the University of Alabama. Smith Hall, located in the quad's northeast corner, was one of our many stops. We discovered that Smith Hall is named after Eugene Allen Smith (1841-1927), a former State Geologist and University Professor. Smith assisted in rebuilding, re-establishing, and re-
assembling the Alabama Museum of Natural History after it was destroyed by Federal Troops during the Civil War in 1865. I want the history of the University of Alabama to be taught and known to all students, past, present, and future. Chad Tindol makes this phrase in Chapter 4 of Foundations of Engaged Scholarship that truly stood out to me: "Passing a test is not the same as learning. It is not the same as being well educated. It is not the same thing as being smart." I feel
that studying and comprehending history is a crucial component of learning for everyone. It is critical for everyone to understand where they came from, the history of where they went to school, and the circumstances that led to events such as name changes, what the plaques on the side of the buildings stand for, and so on. I believe it is critical to reveal the true meaning of Smith Hall's name. We would not have a museum named after Eugene Smith if it had not been for his selfless deed of assisting the university after the structure was destroyed. Not every student understands the significance of the names of the buildings they pass by or enter daily. Today, because of the measures being carried out, war general monuments and memorials commemorating battles with a slave background are being demolished. I would like to bury the
history of the structure being demolished during the Civil War so that people are not angered or harmed in society. On my sign, I did not include any contentious imagery or slogans. I inserted the Alabama state seal as well as the Alabama board of geologist’s seal to represent the true cause for the existence of Smith Hall to this day. Smith Hall should be remembered in honor of Eugene Smith and his self-less acts that resulted in the Alabama Museum of Natural History being rebuilt. I do not believe the name should be changed or should not be altered because of Eugene Smith's history and legacy. 400 WORDS
1)
400-550 WORDS you will individually write a short reflection that explains how and why your group created this new sign and incorporate at least one citation from our course materials, either the textbook or the novel. Consider these questions, keeping in mind that their purpose is to help you brainstorm. In other words, you’re writing one
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journal entry about such issues, not answering them one-by-one. Some may be more relevant than others for your purposes. a. What story or history do you want to tell? What story or history should UA tell?
b.
What narrative or history do you want to unbury, and why?
c.
What narrative or history do you want to keep buried, and why? d.
Are you creating or withholding agency from anyone with your new sign? e.
Should the names have changed from their original names? Why or why not? f.
How should the building’s history be remembered, or is it best to retell UA’s history in another way?
g.
Was there anything you wish your group had done differently (if applicable)? Tuscaloosa is named in honor of a legendary Native American chief, Tuskaloosa, which means “Black Warrior” in Muskogean. Tuskaloosa was a principal chief of the Ancestral Choctaw and Creek Native American confederacies. The word Tusclaoosa came from two Choctaw words “tushka” meaning warrior and “lusa” meaning black. Many buildings and statues
have been named after “Black Warrior” and the name meaning behind “Tuscaloosa.” For instance, the big elephant statue in front of Bryant-Denny Stadium on University Boulevard is named “Tuska” after one of the Choctaw words that comes from the modern-day Tusclaoosa. According to the Black Warrior Brewing Company website, The Black Warrior Brewing Company, also on University Boulevard, is also named after the Black Warrior River that runs through Tuscaloosa County. Moundville Archaeological Park is also on the Black Warrior River in the middle of Tuscaloosa. According to University of Alabama Moundville Archaeological Park, Moundville is site once occupied by Native Americans from Mississippian culture. Today there are Indian mounds that once housed members of their village. You can still go there to see the mounds and what it was like for the Indians to live and the kind of environment they once survived on. 196 WORDS. Needs to be between 200-250
In the spirit of Verble’s When Two Feathers
, we can’t intelligently believe UA’s campus history begins in 1831, when it was “founded.” Rather, the campus and its cultural history are both much
older. Therefore, spend some time researching the Moundville Archaeological Park, once called “The Big Apple of the 14
th
Century” by National Geographic. At one point, this was the largest
city north of Mexico, and it is culturally several centuries older than Plymouth Rock. You’re certainly free to visit Moundville, but take a look at the website
and do an internet search for “Moundville, AL.” Likewise, learn where the name “Tuscaloosa” originates and why the brewery on University Blvd is called Black Warrior Brewing
Company
. Or, you might even visit
UA’s Natural History Museum, which takes our campus history into pre-historic times. It is a lot of info, but your objective summary only needs to be one or two solid paragraphs written (of course) in your own words. In the beginning of October, University of Alabama honors students were granted with the ability to have the author of When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky, Margaret Verble come to speak to us about her book. She spoke with us, answering questions, and commented about why she wrote the book. At the beginning Verble was asked a question about why she began her book with the prologue, “When it Was.” Verble answered back that she wanted to give people the history of what truly happened. She could not find a way or part in the story to fit it in, so she began writing about it in the prologue. It tells us about the zoo and gives us for site of what happens in the story. There was a real-life zoo during the 1920s, but it was gone by the time she was older. She wanted to be able tell the story about the time before she was born and how it eventually led to what is there in the present time. In the first sentence of her prologue, it states “It was long after the buffalo thundered toward a great salt lick in lines, bellowing, snorting, and flicking flies.” Buffalo were most popular in Tennessee centuries ago, long before the period the book was written in. Some popular questions we could ask about our school and Tuscaloosa County would be when white people came to Tuscaloosa and what were the initial reactions. We would be discussing and bringing up people and animals’ that were here centuries in the past. I would also ask about how life differs from before and after the civil war. The University of Alabama was damaged during the war in the 1860s. Almost all buildings had to be rebuilt, not including buildings and stores that were destroyed by federal troops that are not on campus. There were slaves present on the campus and throughout the whole Tuscaloosa County. Slaves
were no longer able to work in cotton fields or work for their servants after 1866, which would have been a tremendous difference for the workers. 351 WORDS needs to be 400-550
In the interview we watched last week, Margaret Verble tells us that she wanted to tell the neglected history of Nashville with this novel. Your reflection on the Hallowed Grounds
tour, as well as your research into Moundville and Tuscaloosa, should help you to better understand and appreciate the nuances and complexities of When Two Feathers
. In other words, the course has asked you to use critical thinking (
i.e
., thinking beyond the surface) to better understand belongingness, identity, agency, and narrative in your own life, as well as the life of UA’s campus.
Now, turn to Verble. Why does she begin Two Feathers
with the prologue “When it Was”? What does this introduction tell us about the story’s setting and historical context? What are some questions we could ask about Tuscaloosa that would help us write an introduction like Verble’s “When It Was” if we were writing about The University of Alabama and Tuscaloosa County?
Your short creative writing piece or essay (400-550 words) will be in the style of “When it Was” from When Two Feathers. You may consult/brainstorm with your group members, but ultimately
all students will write their own introductions. Ultimately, you want your written work to prove clearly, even compellingly, how your individual critical engagement with the issues raised by both the textbook and the novel influence how you understand our local, academic community. This assignment is designed to help you increase your creative and critical thinking, as well as give you an opportunity to practice writing with detail and focus. The ultimate goal is to assess your understanding of the issues raised by the textbook, explored by the novel, and experienced on our campus.
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