BU Certificate in Genealogy Online Program : Week 5 Review

 This post will be very short. Feedback was received from an individual stating that reviews on the Boston University genealogy course should be written after the course is complete. So my posts may become sporadic. Week 5 is now complete. An advanced assignment on DNA was due Sunday which was difficult in my estimation. 

The second module begins today. It will consist of three weeks of study. The topic of this section is called "Evidence, Evaluation, and Documentation." Readings for this week will include articles from the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Genealogy Standards, and Professional Genealogy.

Take-a-way for last week.

• Know your DNA test kits; Y-DNA and mtDNA very well. Not simply that Y-DNA traces the direct male paternal line and that mtDNA traces the direct female line. Know the specific uses and limitations of each kit and how to interpret the results. Read up on mutations, genetic distances, STRs and SNPs, haplogroups, and subclades.

2021 International German Genealogy Conference - Virtual

 The International German Genealogy Partnership is hosting its 2021 conference. This year it is virtual making it easier for genealogists to participate. The conference will be held 17 July to 24 July 2021. This year's theme is "Researching Together Worldwide / Weltweit Gemeinsam Forschen".

There is a great line-up of speakers listed below for this event. 

• Ute Brandenburg
• Dr. Wolfgang Grams
• Timo Kracke
• Roger P. Minert, PhD, AG, FUGA
• Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
• Katherine Schober, MA
• Diahan Southard
• Michael Strauss, AG

There are various registration options available. Please see the registration link for more details. There is an early bird price through 31 March 2021!

To stay up-to-date with conference news, check out the IGGP Blog.

BU Certificate in Genealogy Online Program : Week 4 Review

 At the end of week four I had redemption. My assignment for the previous week was graded and I did very well. I was very happy and relieved from the following week's crash and burn. The project for week four included researching and studying various passenger manifests. We also had to correlate data found in those documents with other documents that were provided. There was a lot of research and document analysis for last week's assignment.

As I begin week five it is very noticeable that the amount of reading has dramatically increased. We will be reading an article from the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, one chapter in Professional Genealogy, and five chapters in The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy. There will be the usual discussion post and an assignment on DNA due this coming Sunday night.

This appears to be an enormous amount of reading. Especially if the student is working full-time. Living in the Northeast we have major snow and ice storms supposedly rolling in. I suggest that the student budget his or her time very wisely to successfully get through this week.

BU Certificate in Genealogy Online Program : Week 3 Review

Week 3 is in the books now. This course is a lot of work. Make no mistake about it. Unfortunately for me, my assignment for week two was not as well received as the week before. Lesson learned on my part! Major take-a-way: pay attention to the smallest details! As one instructor mentioned in an online classroom video, "the smallest details can make or break your research in genealogy."

Each week there is plenty of reading from journal articles, our couse textbooks Genealogy Standards, and Professional Genealogy. There will always be a discussion question where you write an original post and then also respond to at least two other students' posts. And the weekly graded assignment.

This week's take-a-ways:

• Pay attention to all of the details, both large and small. Overlook nothing! I learned this lesson. Learn from my mistake.
• If you are unsure, simply ask a question.
• Schedule your time. You cannot do all of the readings and assignments in one day or night. That is impossible.

BU Certificate in Genealogy Online Program : Week 2 Review

 Week 2 of the Boston University online course is wrapped up. I made it through! Grading for the first assignment was posted over the weekend. I did very well. Let's hope that last week's assignment goes as well.

Again, the actual assignments will not be discussed in detail. This week we studied correlation of records for similarities and conflicts among the records. Similar to last week; another question was posed for a discussion topic. We had to write an original post and the respond to at least two other students' posts.

Required reading for the week increased compared to Week 1. Our written assignment focused on utilizing records where data is inconsistent, writing a biographical draft, and developing a sketch for future research.

To reiterate some of last week's take-a-ways:

• Set a schedule and follow it so that you do not fall behind for your readings and assignments. As the course progresses, readings are becoming more involved and so are the assignments.
• Make sure that you understand the question! Ask the instructors if you are not sure!

• A new take-a-way is now that we are going to be doing more genealogical writing; we need to grammatically write with our English skills that we learned possibly a long-time ago. Genealogy is all about writing. Telling stories, explaining, and documenting your research goes so much further than simply listing names, dates, and places. Learn to use and like spell check. Use a thesaurus so that you are using different word. Do not simply recycle the same word over and over. Use commas and periods to break up your sentences.

So far I am happy with my decision to take this course. I feel that it will hone my existing skills and I will learn new skills and techniques. My readings are calling me...