Modern History - Key Source Skills PDF

Preview

Summary

Download Modern History - Key Source Skills PDF

Description

Key Source Skills: The most significant question in Section One of the HSC, on the basis of marks awarded, is an analysis of perspective, reliability and usefulness of selected sources. Key definitions Perspective EXPLAIN and ANALYSE the perspective of the AUTHOR or CREATOR of the source. You should write two or four sentences on the perspective – according to the lines designated in the question. AVOID paraphrasing the source. You MUST use the word PERSPECTIVE in your answer. Key questions: Is it primary or secondary?

Who is the author/creator?

What is the author/creator’s viewpoint?

Primary: Written or created from the perspective of someone involved in or close to the events being studied. Secondary: Written or created after the event. What is there motive for creating the source? - What does the writer of the document hope to do with it? Is the author trying to influence a particular group of people? -

Does she or he state this in the source?

-

What kind of genre is the writing? How does this affect the selection and arrangement of information? For example, the writer of a biography might, for example, put the emphasis on his subject’s character and actions, not on the events of the time.

You MUST have some evidence to prove your ideas from the source. The source must be analysed carefully for evidence of the author’s perspective. You can occasionally speculate as to the broader beliefs or attitudes of the authors. BUT it is important that you do not make too LARGE ASSUMPTIONS.

Reliability: You may be asked to ANALYSE the reliability of the sources.

HOW: Look for clues from the source as to the reliability for a PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Just because it is PRIMARY DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT IS AUTOMATICALLY RELIABLE. Just because it is SECONDARY does not mean it is NOT RELIABLE. Sources can be reliable for ONE PURPOSE but unreliable for another.

STEPS: 1. Look for clues from the source as to the reliability for a PARTICULAR PURPOSE. 2. Explain how the source MAY be reliable AND/OR unreliable for one purpose but reliable/unreliable for another. The question will usually state for WHAT PURPOSE the historians wish to use the sources. 3. Key questions: clues for reliability:

 



Is there bias? If so what type of bias, for what motive? Can the events be confirmed? Can they be found in other sources? Common knowledge? - Are there contradictions in the source? - Are there deliberate distortions or untruths in the source? Is information LEFT OUT or written in extreme emotional language? - If information is left out is it obvious that an important piece of information is missing? - Is it subtle – would you need to know the event/circumstance well to identify the missing information? - Is it unreasonable to expect the information from the author of the source? - What does the source NOT tell us that we would like to know? -

Is the gap in the knowledge deliberate or unconsciously made by the author?

-

Is the selection of facts balanced OR was there limited access to evidence which resulted in a biased or one-sided view by the author?

Are the conclusions/judgements in the source sound? - Are there similarities or differences between different sources? - Do the primary sources make the same conclusions on the event? - Do the primary sources case similar assertions or judgements on personalities, events etc?

4. You MUST have evidence of the BIAS from the source to back-up your judgement. KEY: There may be a reason to suspect that a source is subject to bias but students should provide evidence for such a claim. A historian may have reason to doubt the reliability of a source for ONE particular purpose but this DOES NOT necessarily render it useless.

Usefulness: ANALYSE the usefulness of a source. MUST – Make a JUDGEMENT as to HOW the information IN the source MIGHT be used by a Historian AND to WHAT EXTENT the sources are USEFUL for THIS purpose. Can the source: Help the historian draw certain conclusions about the events being studied? Help the historian understand a certain event being studied? Help the historian draw certain conclusions about the PURPOSE/ARGUMENT about the event being studied? KEY – BE AS SPECIFIC AND PRECISE as possible in your JUDGEMENT as to how the SOURCES may be useful and to what extent they are useful.

MEMORY TRICKS:

S.O.U.R.C.E. Source: where it comes from (date/provenance/author etc.)? Objective: why was it written? Usefulness: how useful for what you want/ need? Reliability: how reliable for what you need? Context: how does it fit in with what you know? Example: always use source examples to back up what you say....