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  1. Syllabus/

Assessment

5 mins
Table of Contents

Assessment is via these four elements.

  • Environmental Scan: 30%
  • Lead Discussant / Backgrounder: 30%
  • Business model (includes in-class presentation): 30%
  • Above and Beyond: 10% (leadership in the seminar, quality of the work, sophistication of questions for our guests, etc.)

Environmental Scan #

Due Jan 23rd.

What aspect of the business of history are you interested in? What is the ‘market’ for it? What are the existing businesses in this area? Who are you anyway, and why are you here?

Answer the following questions, and organize into a visually pleasing way, in no more than three pages.

Personal inventory:

  1. Why are you here?
  2. What is your goal for this class?
  3. What kind of experience(s) do you have that are relevant?
  4. How do you work with others? Do you delegate, or do you collaborate? Or are you entirely DIY?
  5. How do you deal with barriers?

Environment scan:

  1. Do you have a general idea for what you want to create already? Describe it as best as you can.
  2. Who is the audience? Who is already in this space (ie, who is the competition)? See if you can find some numbers here in terms of dollars spent on x per year, or number of visitors in a given time frame, etc.
  3. Do you spot any patterns or trends (e.g, in demand for your idea over time)?
  4. How might these patterns have an impact on existing operators?
  5. Consider your idea in terms of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (re threats, eg: generative AI and how might that factor in to things?)

NB This isn’t a business plan or model; it’s a back-of-the-envelope blue-sky dreaming-big-dreams moment. The goal of this is to get you thinking about the practicalities and possibilities as we move into the second part of the class and hear from people out there in the history ‘industry’.

NO AI TO BE USED IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN

Lead Discussant / Backgrounder #

Due before class before the relevant day.

Conduct background research on our guest’s particular industry or business so that you are prepared to lead the discussion and ask good questions. Prepare in advance twenty questions; use the ten questions from the Environmental Scan above as a way to get started, suitably modified given our guest’s background, industry, etc. Good questions are designed with a purpose in mind. Your goal is to understand this person’s work. You should be familiar with their company or field.

These questions along with a ‘backgrounder’ document (5 - 10 pgs MAX) will be submitted to me electronically before the particular day and will be shared with the class.

On the day, I will introduce the guest, and after the initial chat, you will take on the role of asking the first questions (drawn from your list and background knowledge), and moderating the discussion.

IN CERTAIN LIMITED CONTEXTS CERTAIN GENERATIVE AI TOOLS MIGHT BE USEFUL with permission and planning. Such permission will have to be obtained from me through personal consultation. You take responsibility for anything that a generative AI tool ‘creates’ (and note the inherent conservatism and lack of creativity inherent in such tools). Work created using generative AI that has not been pre-approved will be rejected and you will be required to redo it again.

Business Model #

Due April 3rd (one page synopsis due Apr 2 for use in class).

In part three, you’ll revisit your environment scan, your backgrounder (or someone else’s), in the light of what we’ve learned and our conversations with our guests, and you will prepare a business model document. Tell me (inter alia, as will become evident in the class):

  • the story: how did you conceive this idea; what makes it stand out; what will it be in the future?
  • the experience: what has to happen in order for someone to want to use your brand/service/thing? What’s the unifying experience for your audience? Where will people encounter your thing?
  • Are you producing a product or providing a service?
  • Are you selling your own product/service or providing someone else’s?
  • Do you own your own IP or are you licensing from someone else?
  • Are you an owner/operator? A partnership? A co-op? A non-profit?
  • How will you generate revenue? Who actually will pay you?
  • Where does the initial funding come from?
  • What makes this model sustainable?
  • What makes this model historical?

…and whatever else is necessary.

You are trying to sell me on your idea. No more than ten pages. In addition, prepare a visually pleasing one-pager that captures everything. You will have ten minutes to share the one-pager with the class.

IN CERTAIN LIMITED CONTEXTS CERTAIN GENERATIVE AI TOOLS MIGHT BE USEFUL with permission and planning. Such permission will have to be obtained from me through personal consultation. You take responsibility for anything that a generative AI tool ‘creates’ (and note the inherent conservatism and lack of creativity inherent in such tools). Work created using generative AI that has not been pre-approved will be rejected and you will be required to redo it again. Note that the use of such tools in certain contexts might undermine the value-proposition of a ‘history’ business in the first place.