Relatable World History Project

Project Description

This project is a case study of “relatable world history” as conceptualized by Tiffany Trimmer. According to Trimmer, “Case studies may be relatable because a similar historical process or dynamic affects several distinct times and places. Yet why they are affected (historical causes and dynamics) and the end results (historical consequences) can vary slightly or significantly.¹ 

Topics

As student of Cleveland and the World, you will  choose a case of relatable world history for your semester project. You get to choose the case study and how it will be presented. For example, you might choose to focus on the stationing of Nike Missiles in Cleveland as an example of nuclear proliferation during the Cold War as your case study with high school students as your audience (if you are or are planning to teach in a high school). Alternatively, you might take the same case study and adapt it to appeal to a public history audience in a museum or digital project.

Product

Your case study will be presented in the format of your choice. Do you want to create a podcast that will be a resource for a local museum or collection? Is a digital project with visualizations of your argument the best way to share your conclusions? Perhaps a lesson plan or open educational resource is a useful product for you and your students. It is up to you as the author to choose an effective product.

Outcomes

As author of your case study you will

• focus on the relationships between local history and global history
• present a clear understanding of how your case study fits in the historiography
• demonstrate how historians, educators, scholars, and others can engage audiences in world history through Cleveland history.
• Uses appropriate tools (digital or analog) to publish the project that matches your goals and audience (we will work on these skills throughout the semester)
  • you will choose the main final product of your project. It could be a digital exhibit, podcast, video, visual narrative etc.

Resources

Cleveland & the World Resource Guide 

References

1. Tiffany Trimmer, “Relatable World History: Local-Global Migration Histories of La Crosse, Wisconsin, the Malay Peninsula, and Barbados (ca 1620s-1930s),” World History Connected October 2018. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://journals.gmu.edu/whc/article/view/3790.