Assignment Question
In this assignment, you will do exactly what professional historians do. You will closely analyze a non-textual primary source: an image, video, song, or other artifact that does not depend primarily upon the written word for its meaning. You will make an argument about the source in context that helps us piece together historical knowledge. There are no right answers for these papers (though it is possible to get facts wrong!), just like the work of historical analysis and understanding is never done. What you write will use the source to help us understand history better, and/or use history to help us understand the source better. This is your chance to argue for your own understanding of what happened, why, and why it matters. Choosing Your Source You may use any non-textual primary source assigned, presented, or discussed in class for this assignment. It is okay if you have already referenced your source in a prior assignment, though I encourage you to diversify your expertise. The major categories of non-textual sources we’ve discussed include images (photographs and cartoons), music videos, songs, and video footage. A primary source provides first-hand information: it illuminates an event, experience, time period, idea, or personal point of view. We examine primary sources to understand what the world was like when that source was created. In this context, “non-textual” means not predominantly written. As a rule of thumb, if you can copy and paste at least 95% of a source into a Word doc, it does not count for this assignment. If you use a song, you must substantially address non-lyrical elements, such as the beat, instrumentation, and/or music video. If you choose to use an audio or video version of a speech, you will need to foreground the non-textual elements of it significantly. You may use an image or video that appeared only on lecture slides, which are all available on Canvas. If you don’t know the source of your image, you can do a reverse Google search or email me and I will track it down. All of the videos on the syllabus, including music videos, count as primary sources except for the PBS documentaries (short and long) and the documentary How to Survive a Plague. (The Sydney Age compilation of 9/11 footage is edited, but lightly enough that I will count it for this assignment.
You are also welcome to focus only on a portion of that video.) If you really want to discuss How to Survive a Plague, you may use an unedited chunk of archival footage that appears in the film, but please clear your timestamps with me first. Requirements Write a cohesive, thorough, and argumentative analysis of your primary source. Your essay should include a brief summary, but should mostly be focused on proving an arguable thesis. Each paragraph should lay out a specific sub-argument and then provide evidence for that argument. Together, the paragraphs prove the full thesis. This kind of argument-writing is where historical knowledge comes from. To brainstorm for this assignment, you may want to use the exact same prompts you used for the annotation of a textual source, but with an expanded definition of a “word.” What aspects or moments in your source do you notice? What strikes you? What seems illuminating, or confusing, or important, or weird? How does the source connect to themes or events we’ve discussed in class—or how might your source challenge, complicate, deepen, or extend the things we’ve already learned? The annotation assignment’s closing prompts were meant to help you find an arguable thesis, and they can be applied to this type of source too. Those prompts also indicate the kinds of arguments that work well in historical scholarship. The goal of this paper is not to paint a source as “good” or “bad,” “right” or “wrong,” but to use it to understand the past better. Tips and Advice What does it mean to understand the past better? Think about the ways your understanding of history has been complicated or deepened since you started this class, and think about the discussions we have in class, where people don’t always agree. Think, too, about how the secondary source you analyzed used primary sources to illuminate the past. Here are a few examples. We talk a lot in class about what people in the past wanted: what they hoped and feared, what they assumed, and what they believed. Sometimes these kinds of things aren’t obvious. You can help other people understand history better by making an argument for what you see in a text that others may miss. Understanding the past better can also involve filling in big categories with better detail. What is “the Civil Rights movement,” for example, and what might people not really understand about it that your text illuminates? We ask big questions in class that these documents can answer in interesting ways. When did the Civil War end? Was the American government’s commitment to pluralism during World War II genuine, and did that period mark a real advance in equal rights or a step backward? What, if anything, changed in 1968? As you write, think about audience: who you’re writing for. It’s of no use to practice writing for me. Instead, you are writing for a reader interested in history, who is curious but skeptical.
Imagine that your reader is familiar with your primary source, but hasn’t thought very hard about it. They probably don’t realize what’s interesting about it or what they can learn from it. You will need to convince them! In addition, you will need to clearly and concisely remind your audience of key details. Your reader maybe half-watched the source quickly and didn’t take notes, or they took the course a few semesters ago. Your paper will briefly describe the source for them and provide a new perspective that comes specifically from you. By the end of the paper, your audience might still disagree with your take, but they will at least see it as plausible. Your argument may focus primarily on the source itself, i.e., making an argument about what the creator is trying to convey or about what appears in it; or your essay may focus on the connection between source and context, i.e., using your source to illuminate something about the historical time period in which the source was written. Remember, in either case, the goal here is for you to create and support your own argument, just like you’ll do in workplaces and other situations for your whole life. You are creating a detailed—but crucial—brick in the giant building of historical knowledge. Logistics This essay should be in a standard font, 10- or 12-point, 1.5- or double-spaced, with 1-inch margins. You may use any professional citation style. My favorite, and the preference of professional historians, is Chicago. Read style guides carefully to learn how to cite non-textual sources. Since this information is readily available online, I ask that you look it up first before asking me how to cite a source, and then come to me if you are confused. For videos and songs, please provide approximate timestamps for details and direct quotations. Remember to cite all information that appears in the text, after each sentence. If you consult ChatGPT or generative AI at any point in your process, you must cite that as well. Essays should be written in the third person. They are summarizing and analyzing a source, making broadly applicable arguments. Each paragraph will have evidence drawn from the source itself.
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|