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Course Description
Genealogy is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the United States. According to some experts, nearly 75% of Americans are interested in discovering their family history. There are many reasons for this: some people are interested in learning more about their heritage, others want to preserve their family's history for future generations, while still others become involved as a means of spending time with older relatives. Whatever the reason, based on the number of books, web sites, and software programs devoted to this topic, there is widespread interest that continues to grow.
While taking on the task of researching your family tree can appear – and in many cases actually be – a daunting task, it is far from impossible. Thanks to the increasing availability of information online, many people can easily conduct a great deal of their research from the comforts of their own home. In this course, we will present tips and strategies for beginning the process of constructing your family tree. In addition to describing the various records and sources available for finding information, we will help you to understand some basic genealogy terms and tools. We will also discuss the steps that you can take to permanently preserve your family's records and history.
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Learning Outcomes
By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
Describe how to begin the process of researching your genealogy.
Describe where to look for clues.
Describe where and how to find official records kept by local municipalities, churches, and other entities.
Describe using technology to connect with other people that have information you need.
Describe how to avoid common mistakes.
Summarize how to write and publish your family history, and
Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
Course Lessons
Lesson 1: Introduction to Genealogy
Simply put, genealogy is the study of family history. Make no mistake however, genealogy is anything but simple.
Lesson 2: Getting Started
Chances are, you didn't wake up this morning and think, "Gee, I think I'll take an online genealogy course today."
Lesson 3: Sorting It All Out
Feeling overwhelmed yet? If you are, don't despair, because in this lesson, we will show you how to begin to get a handle on the information you have gathered so far and begin to get it organized.
Lesson 4: Looking for Clues
Contrary to what you may believe, it is not always necessary to conduct an extensive search for information about your family's past.
Lesson 5: Official Records (Part 1)
Official records-those records kept by local municipalities, churches, and other entities, represent the most accurate source of information.
Lesson 6: Official Records (Part 2)
In this lesson, we continue looking at some of the most common sources of information that can help you piece together your family tree.
Lesson 7: Official Records (Part 3)
As you may have guessed based on the amount of time we have devoted to this topic, there is a wealth of information available in official records.
Lesson 8: Learning from Others
As you can probably imagine, the Internet has made networking with genealogists from around the world nearly effortless.
Lesson 9: Avoiding Common Mistakes
Let's face it, if you're new to all of this, you are bound to make a few mistakes along the road to filling out your family tree. And if you do, don't worry - most of them are fixable.
Lesson 10: Dealing With Dead Ends
Even with all the resources available, chances are that you are going to hit at least one roadblock in your quest to fill in your family tree.
Lesson 11: Handling Special Situations
Up to this point, we've been proceeding with the "one size fits all" approach -- meaning that there is nothing atypical about your family tree. But, we all know that the world - and its inhabitants - are far from "one size fits all."
Lesson 12: Keeping It All Organized
In the last 11 lessons, we've covered a great deal of ground, and have given you plenty of direction for researching your family tree.
Lesson 13: Family Histories
For many genealogists, the ultimate goal is writing a family history. As daunting as that task may sound, there are ways to turn that goal into a reality. In this lesson, we will discuss how to write and publish your family history.
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