Author: dana

Primary sources are the foundation of most research projects in history. It is from primary sources that historians first develop their own ideas and interpretations of a defined topic; ideas and interpretations that are then developed and explored using those primary sources as evidence.

Step #2 helped you to understand the CONTEXT for your primary source: who the author was (or what kind of person may have written it), where it is from, when it was created. You may also have found out information about why your source was created or what purpose it served (the agenda) and who it was written for (the audience).

In this step of your research assignment, you will use the context you’ve gathered from Step #2 to help you analyze your primary source as a historical source. Answer the questions below using information gathered from Step #2 alongside your OWN INTERPRETATIONS of the source as it appears in Worlds of History: Volume 1 to 1550.

Make sure to double-space your assignment and include the questions.

For a Microsoft Word version of the questions below, see:

Step #3 – Analyzing your primary source

For a google doc version (make sure to download or copy the file first before writing on it):

Research Assignment Step #3

Submit your answers to the following questions to blackboard.

1. Name of your primary source as it appears in the textbook. Is it part of a larger document/source?
2. Author (if known)? Author’s background? If the specific author isn’t known, who (not an individual named person but a general sense) might have written it? 
3. What geographical area is your source from?
4. When was it created (if known)?
5. What language was it originally written in?
6. What is your primary source about (1-2 paragraphs)?
7. Why do you think your primary source was written? What is its purpose?
8. What kind of source is it? Is it a novel or a poem? A legal document (a law code or a court case)? A painting? A travel narrative? A history? A religious text? A letter? Some other kind of document or visual?
9. Who do you think is the intended audience? Is there a specific group of people, or a specific person, that it was written for? If there is no specific person or people, who might be the people it is intended for?
10. What are some of the central themes in your source? What did you learn about the particular time period and place that it comes from? Remember to focus this question on the section of the primary source that is included in the textbook, not the broader source as a whole. This question is important as it will help guide your research in Step #4.

For HIST 190, we are using two textbooks:

Kevin Reilly, editor. Worlds of History, Volume I to 1550 7th edition, (Bedford-St. Martin’s, 2020) is the book that we use for TUTORIALS. It is available for purchase via the UNBC bookstore. This book is REQUIRED.

Our second textbook is optional. It is a FREE open-access narrative history of the premodern world that acts as an accompaniment for the lectures.

The optional textbook is (available open access at the link provided):Eugene Berger, Brian Parkinson, George Israel, Andrew Reeves, Charlotte Miller, Nadejda Williams, World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500 (University of North George Press, Open Education Resource)

It is available here: http://solr.bccampus.ca:8001/bcc/file/e1c00bd0-99f2-4842-aa80-2abccd5cee29/1/WorldHistoryTextbook.pdf

Tutorials for HIST 190 are based on learning how to read, think about, and discuss historical primary sources. Under the guidance of our teaching assistants (TAs), Nevada and Eliane, you will engage in activities and discussion based on readings assigned in Worlds of History: Volume I to 1550 by Kevin Reilly (7th edition).

Detailed information on the readings assigned for each week and questions to think about is available on the individual module pages available here:

Modules

Tutorial Times, Locations, and Instructors

 Mondays @ 11:30 a.m. in 8-160

Mondays @ 5:30 p.m. in 8-160

Wednesdays @ 4:00 p.m. in 8-160

Wednesdays @ 11:30 a.m. in 8-160

So why should you care about tutorials anyway?

Tutorials are a very important part of HIST 190. 20% of your overall grade comes from your engagement with the tutorial material. Engagement can take many different forms, including involvement in tutorial discussions, participation in tutorial discussions on the chatboard, and active listening. All aspects of tutorial engagement require you to complete the readings and activities and prepare to engage with your fellow students. 

Your TA will go over how engagement will be assessed in your first tutorial.

How can I get an A in the tutorial portion of HIST 190?

Do the readings, come to tutorials, and participate in discussion. Don’t worry if you found the readings hard or didn’t quite get what was going on. Some of these documents are tough and very complicated! Other students (perhaps even the TA) feel the same way! The tutorials are designed to teach you how to read, write and think about history so bring your questions and confusion! Remember that questions count as participation!

To get you started in thinking about how to read historical documents, we’d like you to answer the following questions for each reading and bring your answers to each tutorial discussion:

1. Who wrote this document?
2. When was it written?
3. Where was it written?
4. What language was it written in? If it’s translated from another language into English, does the fact that you are not reading it in the original language matter?
5. Who might have read it? Are you one of the intended readers?
6. Why was it written?
7. What is it about?

For many of these questions, you will be inferring or guessing based on what you’ve read in the document. That’s okay as historical analysis is founded on inferences or guesses based on the evidence that we have at hand. Don’t worry if you’re unsure about your answers or if you don’t have an answer to a question. Your TA will go over the answers and discuss how we can reach such responses based on the material contained within the sources. 

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