Primary sources are the foundation of most research projects in history. It is from primary sources that historians first develop their own ideas and interpretations of a defined topic; ideas and interpretations that are then developed and explored using those primary sources as evidence.

There are many different places to find primary sources, but the two most accessible to students are online and in-print primary source collections. This part of the HIST 231 research trail assignment asks you to use both. You will first look for one primary source related to your broader topic using online sources from specified websites. Next, you will look for a primary source related to your broader topic using one of the published primary source collections that I’ve placed on reserve at the UNBC library OR from our textbook A Short Medieval Reader ed. by Barbara Rosenwein.

For information on where to access primary sources:

Finding Primary Sources

Guidelines for choosing primary sources

  • You must choose one primary source from an online collection and one primary source from an ebook or in print book.
  • Each primary source must be a minimum of 400 words long.
  • Choose sources from two different authors. If you’d like to focus on the writings of one person, let me know.
  • Make sure your sources are connected in some way. They can be from two different authors at the same event, or from different geographical places talking about similar issues. In general, your sources should come from a similar time period, unless the goal of your project is to look at change over time.
  • Don’t pick the first two sources that you find. Spend some time digging into the source collections.

For assistance in choosing primary sources, see the video here:

Research Trail Part One Help

 

What to Submit for your assignment

Answer the questions below about EACH PRIMARY SOURCE.

Due Date: January 29th at midnight. Submit to Moodle.

Remember to read your sources FIRST before looking at the questions below. Then read it again and answer the questions. For a google doc of the below questions which you can download, see:

Research Trail Part One Google Doc

  1. What is your broader topic?
  2. Name of your primary source.
  3. Where did you find it (Which website? Printed sourcebook? Give the name and bibliographic information of the sourcebook(s) you used.
  4. Author (if known)? Author’s background? If the specific author isn’t known, who (not an individual named person but a general sense) might have written it? Remember to answer this question in relation to the medieval author of your primary source, rather than the modern editor of the book or website you found it in. 
  5. What geographical area is your source from?
  6. When was it written (if known)?
  7. What language was it originally written in?
  8. What is your primary source about (1-2 paragraphs)?
  9. Why do you think your primary source was written? What is its purpose?
  10. Who do you think is the intended audience?
  11. Why did you choose it? (1 paragraph)
  12. What kind of information about your topic does it contain? What did you learn from it? (2 paragraphs)
  13. What questions do you have from reading your primary source? These questions can help you develop avenues of further research.