ONLINE WORKSHOP
        USING PRIMARY SOURCES
WEB SEARCHES

This workshop serves two purposes.
bulletIt provides experience for using the Internet and Caucus which you will need for the virtual classes that begin next week
bulletIt prepares you for Topic III, the Dynastic State, which is the focus for the class meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

Be sure to post your work in the Caucus item "Workshop" between Friday and Monday morning, Feb. 3.

 

A.  Look over the guide on Primary Sources. Try out the links on that page.  

Print out the Guide for Analyzing Primary Sources and Prof. Burrows' Guide. You will find them useful throughout the semester as we deal with various sources. 

B. Read the document by Jean Domat in the sourcebook. (You will also find it online by clicking here.) You may find it a hard nut to crack but don't worry. We'll be working together on it in this workshop. As you work with the document, try to answer question 3 below and at least two others and post your answers in the Workshop Item in Caucus.  [Note that the TB chapter  24 provides the CONTEXT for this document.] Over the weekend be sure to read what others have posted and comment on your agreement or disagreement.  
1.WHAT KIND OF DOCUMENT IS IT? Is it an essay, diary, report, state
paper, poem or piece of fiction, transcript of testimony or meeting etc.? The first thing to do is CLASSIFY the source. 

2.WHO IS THE AUTHOR AND WHAT WAS THE MOTIVATION FOR
WRITING? Identify the writer as to country, life dates, historical role, etc. The introductions in the source book and the text book should give you this information. Can you discover, from the text book background or from the content of the document, what motive the writer had? [See questions 4 & 5 below.]

3.WHAT IS THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT? What are the place and date of the document? What were the special circumstances of its writing? What was happening at the time? If the sourcebook or web site has an introduction, it might some information, but you should also use your text book or other references. Note the text book pages which may be relevant. Remember, the text book may not mention either the document or the writer, but you should be able to find something about the general context of the time place of the author. 

4. WHAT IS THE SOURCE ABOUT? What is its TOPIC? What do you see as its MAIN POINT or IDEA? The title is usually a good guide to the topic. Note both topic and main point or idea. If the source is an essay or other piece of persuasive writing, you will find that the topic can be turned into a question to which the main idea or thesis is an answer. State both topic and main point in your notes. 

5. WHAT ARE THE MAIN PARTS AND KEY WORDS AND PHRASES OF THE DOCUMENT? Here you will note the major sections of the document and a few examples or points the writer makes in developing the main idea. It is important to note also key words, phrases, images, etc.
C.  WEB SEARCH EXERCISE: Notice that the online notes for Topic 3  have several links to web sources. You should also learn to search the web for more material. The following two exercises will set you on your way to finding pertinent material.
bulletCan you find one other primary source from the same context as Domat's from that list?
bulletCan you find anything else on the Web dealing with Domat or the topic of his source? (This requires a Web Search. Try using a Search Engine - either Google,  HINT: use Domat's full name in quotation marks.)

Post what you find in the Caucus workshop item.