American Military History Course Records,
Scope and Contents
The American Military History Course Records consist of pre-battle and post-battle correspondence of the battle participants, journal entries, medicial reports, roll calls, neutral observers' accounts, photographs, and the final paper "battle histories" relating to the Battle of Durham Park. The pre-battle correspondence includes email communications for the Appalachian and Georgian team commanders, as well as some participants' journal enteries. Post-battle correspondence includes letters written by battle participants documenting their experiences in the battle. Researchers should note that the medical file also contains the last letters from the soldiers who were "mortally wounded" in the battle. The students' names have been redacted from the final papers in an effort to preserve student confidentiality and each paper has been assigned a number instead.
Dates
- 2007-2011
Language
The materials are in English.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for use in the Dougherty Reading Room. The students' names have been redacted from the final papers in an effort to preserve student confidentiality and each paper has been assigned a number instead.
Historical Note
This collection stems from a class assignment for the American Military History class (original designation was HIS 3533 - American Military History). The assignment was conceived and developed by the class professor, Dr. Judkin Browning of the History Department at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Students were required to participate in a wargame, using only water balloons as projectile weapons. They also wore flag football belts to delineate teams, red for Georgia and yellow for Appalachian. Being hit in the air by a water balloon or having one's belt pulled off by an opponent signified a student's "wounded" status, at which point he or she had to sit on the ground. Students were divided into two equal teams several weeks ahead of the set date of the wargame. They prepared for the battle by devising strategies, acquiring supplies and reconnoitering the ground. The battle took place in the fall semester each year (beginning in 2007) at Durham Park on the campus of Appalachian State University, near the intersection of Rivers Street and Blowing Rock Road. After the "battle," students wrote their accounts, during class time, of their experiences in the battle. As their research paper requirement for the class, students were required to write a history of the battle, using the primary resources created by themselves and observers of the battle. All primary sources are included in this collection, as well as the final battle history papers.
A comprehensive description of the exercise can be found in the following article: Judkin Browning, "Using Wargames as Active Learning Tools to Teach the Historical Process," The History Teacher (May 2009).
Extent
4 Linear Feet (4 boxes, 6 half-size manucript boxes, 1 CD box)
Abstract
This collection stems from a class assignment for the American Military History class (original designation was HIS 3533 - American Military History) developed by Dr. Judkin Browning of the History Department at Appalachian State University. The Amerian Military History Course Records consist of pre-battle and post-battle correspondence of the battle participants, journal entries, medicial reports, roll calls, neutral observers' accounts, photographs, and the final paper "battle histories" relating to the Battle of Durham Park.
Arrangement
This collection is organized chronologically by each year's battle. The materials from each year's wargames are housed in two separate boxes: one for primary documents and the second for final papers. The class paper assignment is also included at the end of the first box for each year.
Acquisitions Information
Donated by Dr. Judkin Browning.
Processing Information
Processed by Kelly R. Grimm, October 2011.
- Biography. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Boone (N.C.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Durham Park Subject Source: Local sources
- Education -- Curricula Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Educators Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Experiential learning Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- History Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Military education Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Photographic prints Subject Source: TGM II, Genre and physical characteristic terms
- Research Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Student activities Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Students. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Universities and colleges -- Faculty. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- UA.5018: American Military History Course Records, 2007-2011
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Kelly Grimm
- Date
- October 2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Research Center Repository
