Mapping Prejudice: Coding Deeds, Paper, and Event on Campus

Due Wednesday 4/16, 9 a.m. upload to the D2L Assessments > Assignment Dropbox (likely two or three documents in total.)
HIST 2221 -- Spring 2025
Professor Janke
40 LA Points (awarded for coding deeds, writing the paper, listing three questions)

In this class we have been learning about residential segregation and the role that racially restrictive covenants played in that segregation.  As part of this assignment, you will be contributing to a larger community research project called the Mapping Prejudice Project, which relies on volunteers to categorize racial covenants which are then mapped in order to understand the lasting impact of such covenants. 

For this paper you will follow the steps listed below and at the end you will write a 2 page paper reacting to your experiences. You will also generate some questions for the presenters and attend an event on campus on 4/16 during our class time. Overall, this is less of a formal paper and more of a response/reaction to your work coding the documents.

Complete the following steps to get started volunteering with the Mapping Prejudice project:

STEP #1.  Learn how to classify deeds. 

In class we will complete the training for the "Transcribe on Your Own" option, which is linked from the MP website below. Scroll down and choose Step 1: Watch our Training Video.  This video is very helpful and explains how to register and how to code.  Linda's tip: Keep the video open on one tab as you complete the registration process and get started coding.  You can replay the video as needed.  Once you are logged into Zooniverse there will be some required training modules.  They are very helpful, so make sure to complete them!

STEP #2: Go to Zooniverse.org and set up an account as explained in the training video and/or you will learn about this during your session.  After this you're ready to go!  You will be creating a private "Collection" as part of your work so you can save examples.

 

My Zooniverse log-in information is:

 

I have saved a sample document to "my collection."  YES/NO

 

STEP #3: Code a total of 20 deeds.  This will be the most time-consuming part of this assignment.  Linda's tip: Set aside enough time to really focus on doing this important work.  Doing a half-serious job could result in incorrectly coded deeds and make more work for the folks at Mapping Prejudice. Linda is happy to Zoom and screen share with you if you need extra help with this part of the task. Linda's tips:

*Some of the documents will be confusing; it's just the nature of sifting through thousands and thousands of legal documents.  Take your time and read carefully.  Some of the documents will be unrelated and do not contain racial covenants.  Just click and move on.  Some of the documents will contain covenants and it will be easy to fill out the information.  Others will contain covenants but have unclear answers to the questions.  As I said, take your time.

*Don't be afraid to click on "NEED SOME HELP WITH THIS TASK" as it will give you some very helpful examples and explanations.

*The MP website has a Talk/Help area where you can search for your question or post your question for someone to answer.  Linda figured out several of her confusing deeds by searching for the relevant terms.  Click here: https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/mappingprejudice/mapping-prejudice/talk/1096

*Take a few notes while you're working.  Having some examples of the language in the deeds will make writing the response paper easier.  You can also refer to your collection (saved in Zooniverse)

 

 

STEP #4: Screen shot your Zooniverse account to demonstrate how many deeds you have coded.  When you are logged in, at the top right of the screen you will see your Login name.  Use the dropdown menu to go to your PROFILE and then click on YOUR STATS button in the middle of the screen.  You will see a report on the total number of classifications you have completed.  Click here to see an image of my stats so you'll know what to look for.  You can then screenshot or use your print function to create a pdf attachment of the page.  You can share your screenshot/PDF in whatever way is easiest for you.  You can attach it to the end of your paper or upload it separately into the Assignment Dropbox. Or you can post it in a message in your Contact Linda forum. Or you can print it and bring it to class.

 

STEP #5: Write a 2 double-spaced page reaction paper. This is not a formal academic paper so I will not be evaluating it for a thesis statement, evidence, etc.  Instead I am looking for you to describe your work process, your reactions to it, and your thoughts about how doing this work illuminated the historical topics. You may certainly write more than 2 pages if you have more thoughts to share. When finished, upload to the Assignment Dropbox on D2L.

In your paper, answer some or all of these questions: [You may choose which to write about -- I'm just looking for a description of your work process, some reflection, and a conclusion about the legacy.]

*How did the process of coding go for you?  Was it relatively easy to figure out?  Did you have any really strange or difficult documents?  Did you have some documents that were pretty easy to figure out?  Did the process get easier as you went along?  Did you ask for help at any point along the way?

*Next, reflect upon the deeds themselves.  What did they say? Your paper should describe the examples you noted while working.  What strikes you about the documents?  Were you surprised by what you found?  What groups were restricted by the covenants and what language did they use?  How is reading the actual legal documents (what historians call primary sources) different from just learning about this history from other sources, such as reading about them in a textbook?

*Finally, conclude with a paragraph or two reflecting on what you think is the legacy of these covenants today.  Why should we study and learn about these?  How did helping to research actual deeds help you achieve a more complex understanding of some of the concepts we have learned about?  (such as red-lining or residential segregation.)

Citations: Since there is no required reading for this assignment (unless you are referring back to the red lining materials we read earlier) you are not required to include citations. Be aware that your paper will be submitted to Turnitin.com which will check for plagiarism and AI usage.  Any AI usage will result in a zero for the entire assignment.  Please use your own words to describe your process, the challenges along the way, and what you thought and learned from it. AI cannot help you generate examples from actual deeds, nor can it describe your process and reactions.

STEP #6: Questions for the History of Racism in Anoka County/Mapping Prejudice event

On April 16 we will attend an event in the Legacy Room on the Rapids Campus instead of our usual class.  Attendance will be taken.  As part of this assignment, you should think about three questions you would like to ask the folks at Mapping Prejudice.  You do not have to ask them yourself during the Q&A portion of the event, but it would be great if you did! I will scan the questions myself and might ask a few if you would prefer not to.  List your three questions after the end of your 2-page paper.