For this assignment, we will begin to think about how historians research and evaluate evidence in conducting the historical method and how this process can help us understand both the past and the present: Formulate historical question/hypothesis Gather primary and secondary sources Analyze sources Apply your source material to shape an argument/interpretation about the past Why is this process useful for you? Researching and analyzing sources helps develop Information Literacy, which is “a set of abilities requiring individuals to ‘recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.” The Historical Method utilizes primary source evidence to shape interpretations of the past: Primary Sources: Documents, artifacts, and other forms of evidence (now video, audio, born-digital materials) that were created during the time under study. (Example: If you are studying the New Deal, one of FDR’s speeches from the 1930s would be a primary source. If you are studying WWI, a soldier’s letters home would be primary sources. Offer original, first-hand, and inside viewpoints of particular historical developments. Primary sources are the forms of historical evidence studied by historians. This video gives an introduction to Primary Sources and other types of sources used by historians: https://youtu.be/PYgFvqq64W4 The overarching goal for this assignment is to select two primary sources – one primary source from the historic period under study and one modern source that future historians might analyze to better understand the era in which we are living. You will then analyze these sources in conversation with each other. There are two ways to approach this assignment. You might start with the present and think about your own life and what experiences you would like to compare with those in past decades and then work backwards. Or, you can start with a historical event and think about how it continues to resonate today. You might use these questions to help guide your brainstorming and research: What parallels do you see between the topic or specific text and your own life? What reminds you of your experiences? How does the primary source resonate with what is happening in the world around you? What events in recent news remind you of previous events in United States history? What are unresolved issues from the past that carry over today? You will then want to find a primary source created during the historic event and a relevant, recent one and compare them. (Keep in mind the diversity of sources available: social media posts, videos, photographs, etc. that have burgeoned in the 21st century). Primary sources are available by searching through the databases in the FGCU library guide found here: https://library.fgcu.edu/c.php?g=403874&p=7724829. Often, you can find additional databases by googling your topic and “primary sources” as well. Just be sure the sources you find are from the time period and not simply about it. 3. After you have researched and selected a primary source and a modern source, complete this source analysis exercise: Text to Text.docx All responses should be detailed, precise, and thoroughly explained. You will be graded based on the following: The quality of research/appropriateness of sources The strength and thoroughness of your analysis The clarity of your responses The fulfillment of the assignment learning outcomes
