Utilize the link above and the lesson to write a primary source review in anticipation of uploading the finished product to the SLO assessment that is due towards the end of the course (see course calendar for due date). The assignment should be created in a Microsoft Word document prior to entering the SLO assessment. The last question on the SLO will present an opportunity to upload the finished writing document for submission.
Primary Source Review Assignment
Part One: Learn about Primary Sources by viewing the PowerPoint Lesson: Overview of Primary Source Documents (Library of Congress). The link to the PowerPoint Lesson is provided below.
Part Two: After viewing the lesson, compose a 3-5 page review on a selected primary source document. Primary source documents are to be selected from the link below.
Browse through the sources until you find something that interests you. Please spend some time viewing the different primary sources. (It is fascinating to read the original documents from history!)
Reviews are to doubled-spaced in Microsoft Word format utilizing the MLA style format. Reviews should be composed in Times New Roman 12 point font. The finished product should be a formal paper written in essay style. Submit your paper as an attachment within this assignment. Do not send the assignment via email.
Taking into consideration the information presented in the Overview of Primary Source Documents lesson: Address the following points in your review:
1. Who wrote the document?Until you know this you know little about the document. Sometimes you can figure this out from the document itself. Was the author a political or private individual? Was he educated or not?2. Who was the intended audience?This will tell you about the author’s use of language and the knowledge that he assumed on the part of the reader.3. What is the story line? What is going on in the document? 4. Why was the document written?Everything is written for a reason. Is it just a random note, or a scholarly thesis? 5. What type of document is this, or what is its purpose? A newspaper article is different than a diary. Thus, one can expect to extract different kinds of information from different kinds of documents. 6. What are the basic assumptions made by the author? For example, did the author assume that the reader could understand certain foreign or engineering terms? 7. Can you believe this document?Is it reliable? Is it likely? 8. What can you learn about the society that produced this document? All documents reveal information about the people who produced them. It is embedded in the language and assumptions of the text. Your task is to learn how to “read,” or analyze, a document to extract information about a society. You might wish to analyze each document in terms of various aspects of a society (economic, political, religion, social structure, culture, etc.).
9. What is the importance of this document to history?10. Finally, What does this document mean to you?
