source analysis paper workshop hist-4

1. Source Analysis Paper
Analyze a primary source as “a window onto
the past.” What does it tell us about its world?
About the people who created or utilized or
responded to it? How does your knowledge of
its historical context help you understand what
it meant in its original setting?

2. Getting started
• Read the instructions and grading rubric for the Source Analysis Paper (in Assignments).
• Look at the sample papers from previous semesters (on the “Guides, Tips, Samples” page).
10 MECHANICS
grammar, spelling, word count
20 STYLE
organization, clarity, persuasiveness, historical-critical orientation
20 CONTEXT
What realities and ideas shaped the way the source functioned or was understood in its
day? Use your knowledge of those realities and ideas to analyze the source. Think about
various contextual layers such as the goals of the author or artist, the experiences of their
intended audience, the political context, intellectual, technological, religious, economic, etc.
Different contexts are important for different sources.
20 QUOTATION
Utilize quotes, paraphrases, or descriptions of the source. Explain what each quoted or
described feature of the source illustrates; never let a quote stand alone; explain its
significance. Clearly distinguish between your own statements and paraphrases of the
source.
70 points

3. • Choose a primary source to analyze. It can be from any of the civilizations we’ve
studied up to the early Roman period. If you have a question about a source, ask!
• A primary source is something from the time period you are studying, created and
used in the past. It is not something created in modern times.
– For example: Which is a primary source and which is not?
Getting started
• A hymn to Isis from the New Kingdom
• A story from Exodus in the Hebrew Bible
• The Persian Wars
• The story of the Battle of Thermopylae from Herodotus’ Histories
• Your textbook The West
• A fresco from a Roman house in Pompeii
• An internet page about Ishtar
YES
YES
NO
NO
YES
NO
YES

4. • Primary sources may be:
– Textual (like a document, letter, book, speech, sermon, court record, song,
poem, etc.).
– Physical (like a shield, pot, axe, ship, coin, house, etc.)
– Visual (like a painting, statue, etc.)
• Where can you find primary sources for this paper?
– HIST-4 Primary Source Anthology
– The websites listed on the “Guides, Tips, Samples” page (and other websites if
they’re reliable)
– The images from our lecture slides
• Choose a source that’s interesting to you.
Getting started

5. • Do a little research to find out about the historical context of your source.
– Basic context might include:
• When was your source created and/or used?
• Where?
• By or for whom?
• Why and how?
– Take notes or start writing the paper as you find useful information.
It’s often a good idea to begin the paper with a paragraph that clearly
identifies the source and its basic context.
– You do not need to cite the sources of your information in this paper.
– Do not spend too much time researching and writing about context.
This paper should focus on analysis, interpretation, historical criticism.
It is not a research project. Dive right into the source itself.
Writing the paper

6. • Read (or examine) your source carefully. Select some interesting
features to analyze in the paper.
– Choose some quotes or details.
• Clearly quote, paraphrase, or describe each one.
• What do they show us about that period in history? About how people lived,
thought, behaved in that time and place?
• Draw some connections to historical context. What specific aspects of
historical reality are reflected in each quote or detail? Use your knowledge of
those historical realities explain what the quotes or details meant to people
back then.
– Identify some themes, concerns, or ideologies.
• What does the source show us about the general outlook of the people who
created or used your source? About how they viewed the world and their place
in it?
Writing the paper

7. Checklist
10 MECHANICS
grammar, spelling, word count
20 STYLE
organization, clarity, persuasiveness, historical-critical orientation
20 CONTEXT
What realities and ideas shaped the way the source functioned or
was understood in its day? Use your knowledge of those realities and
ideas to analyze the source. Think about various contextual layers
such as the goals of the author or artist, the experiences of their
intended audience, the political context, intellectual, technological,
religious, economic, etc. Different contexts are important for different
sources.
20 QUOTATION
Utilize quotes, paraphrases, or descriptions of the source. Explain
what each quoted or described feature of the source illustrates; never
let a quote stand alone; explain its significance. Clearly distinguish
between your own statements and paraphrases of the source.
70
points
Proofread!
Did you:
• Clearly identify the
source and its
basic context?
• Draw some
connections
between details in
the source and
aspects of
historical reality?