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Social
Science 155T
Monday, Wednesday, 10:30-11:50
FPH 107
plus Lab/Workshop,
Friday, 9:00-12:00
(location varies)
Jim Wald, 559.5592
contact
instructor
Off. Hrs. G-15 FPH (sign-up)
Mon., Thurs., 12:00-2:00
Wed. 12:00-1:00
(and by appointment)
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tutorial website
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syllabus
assignments
research resources
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Document
Analysis [NOTE: This is tentative;
details to be finalized]
PART 1:
Due: around mid-semester (precise date to be determined)
Length: 3-4 pages
Task: Select one of the "starred" (*) Renaissance
primary sources (or groups of primary sources) from meetings
4 though 10. Analyze the document as closely and clearly
as possible. That is, do not merely summarize the contents.
The task is instead to offer an interpretation
of your own. What is the significance of the document?
What central ideas or issues does the document raise?
Place the source in context and explain how it helps us
to understand the world of the Renaissance. Be sure to
address the following points: Who are the author and (at
least probable) audience? When and where was the document
written? For what purpose and under what circumstances?
What does the language--tone, imagery, allusions, vocabulary--tell
us about the origins and purpose of the text? (You may
wish to consider in addition: What can we say with relative
confidence about the document? What questions remain to
be answered?)
Interpreting the document and placing it in context means
relating it to larger phenomena or trends of the era by
drawing upon as many other relevant primary and secondary
sources as appropriate. Use them to inform your reading
of the document, but don't let them do your work for you.
(Note: There is no need for extra research at this point;
the syllabus should provide you with ample resources.)
Be sure to provide bibliographic data and specific page
references in foot- or endnotes (Chicago style).
Three pages is a rather small space, so you will have
to plan your argument and choose your words with special
care. Begin by reviewing the comments on your first paper.
Try to build upon that advice, and as before, consult
the Pocket Style Manual frequently. History is "about"
interpretation, and the purpose of this paper is to enable
you to try your hand at being a historian. I hope that
the exercise will help you to become more careful and
critical readers, thinkers, and writers. As you prepare
your essay, consider how the historians whose works we
are reading employ primary sources in their interpretations.
Consider how the methods that you utilize here can be
applied to subsequent class readings and written assignments.
Having sharpened your skills by carefully interpreting
a single document, you should later find it easier to
prepare a review essay or research paper based on the
integrated analysis of multiple sources. If you have questions
about the assignment, by all means ask me sooner rather
than later.
PART 2:
Due: as above (turn in both parts of the assignment
together).
Length: c. 1/2 to 1 page
Task: Review your first paper. Explain how your
initial impressions of the Renaissance have changed in
light of what you have learned in class. |
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