Primary Source Assignment
HI 3003: Environments in World History I: Antiquity to 1500 Primary Source Analysis Paper: One of the roles of the historian is to find and critically analyze primary sources, often with the help of secondary source material. There are many different ways to interpret a primary source document. In some instances, this might involve telling a story; in others it might involve a commentary on the language employed in the document; and in other cases that interpretation might emerge from an attempt to assess motivation, intent, or purpose. Simply describing what happened will never be sufficient as an historical interpretation of a document. Historians are always trying to discover both the meaning and the significance of a piece of historical evidence. Since that evidence usually consists of written documents, this paper should also seek to find a balance between exposing the meaning and the significance of the evidence (your document). By meaning, we are trying to reconstitute what that document might have meant (or how it might have been understood) by the historical actors in that era. By significance, we attempt to relate how that evidence contributes to a particular interpretation of past. Therefore, a good document analysis paper will focus upon both the text itself, and the context (the broader picture of the history of that period that informs the document). Two primary sources related to environmental history are provided on Blackboard. Choose one of these as your focus for this assignment, and write a 3 – 4 page paper, addressing the following:
• What is the document? • Who wrote it? What might this tell us about the perspective and biases of the author(s)? • When was it written? How does the document reflect/what does it say about the time when it was
written or created? • Where was it written? • Why was it written? Who was the intended audience? • Significance: overall, how does this document contribute to my understanding of this historical
period? How might it be significant in environmental history? Some of these questions apply better to some documents than others. Try to address all the above questions, but focus on those questions (it could be several) that you think can best be used to analyze and reveal the meanings of your document. This assignment may require some additional outside research. You might want to compare this document to others that are similar, or analyze reactions to it in past and present (secondary works). Optional early draft due: September 28th Final copy due on: October 5th