Back To School: Day 92

An update on my participation in the Boston University Certificate in Genealogical Research online program which began on 13 January 2010.  You can read here about Day 1, Day 20 and Day 72.

I just finished the Immigration module and it was actually more difficult than I thought.  Here are some details:

• The text - A Genealogists's Guide to Discovering Your Immigrant & Ethnic Ancestors by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack was better than I expected and I know I will be using this in the future.

• The module focused on the "push" and "pull" factors for specific ethnic groups during specific centuries.  Discussions involved the reasons why certain groups came to America and what pushed them from their homelands as well as what pulled them to America.

• There was an African-American Records "self-check" and it was an eye-opener for me.  I don't think you can really appreciate the challenges of doing African-American genealogy research unless you are actually given a case to work on.

In addition, today was the deadline for my repository report.  This assignment was given the first week of the course back in January: go to a local archive or repository and report on the facility, the resources, as well as take a manuscript and document it.  To me this was an important component of an online course: it made sure that participants didn't rely solely on on-line resources and it also ensured that they became familiar with how to work with local resources.  I used the Newberry Library here in Chicago and focused on Welsh immigrants to the Mohawk Valley area of New York, namely Utica.

Today I've started the Professional Genealogist module which lasts for a week and ends next Tuesday, 20 April 2010.  So far the information is very useful in terms of calculating an hourly rate, adhering to a code of ethics and more.  While not all participants in the BU program will go on to pursue genealogy as a professional, the information is helpful to get a sense of what it takes to become a professional genealogist.

* * *

Reminder!  The next session of Boston University online classes in this program starts on 10 May 2010 and the registration deadline is 23 April 2010.  I highly recommend this class whether you want to become a professional genealogist or you just want to improve your own research skills. Call 1-877-290-9005 or visit the website at http://www.bugenealogy.com.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee