HIS 100 Module Four Activity Template: Bias in Primary Sources

 

Locate an additional primary source relevant to your historical event. Use it and the primary source you identified in a previous module to answer the questions below. Replace the bracketed text with your responses.

 

Source One

Conduct source analysis on a primary source relevant to your historical event.

 

Attempt to write the APA style citation for your first primary source and include a link to it. You will not be penalized for incorrect format.

• [Insert citation.]

 

Respond to the following questions:

• Who authored or created the primary source?
  • [Insert text.]

 

• What was the author’s position in society at the time the primary source was created?
  • [Insert text.]

 

• When was the primary source created?
  • [Insert text.]

 

• Where was the primary source created, released, or publicized?
  • [Insert text.]

 

• Who was the intended audience for the primary source?
  • [Insert text.]

 

• Why was the primary source created?
  • [Insert text.]

 

• Whose perspective(s) is presented in the source?
  • [Insert text.]

 

Source Two

Conduct a source analysis on a primary source relevant to your historical event.

 

Attempt to write the APA style citation for your second primary source and include a link to it. You will not be penalized for incorrect format.

• [Insert citation.]

 

Respond to the following questions:

• Who authored or created the primary source?
  • [Insert text.]

 

• What was the author’s or creator’s position in society at the time the primary source was created?
  • [Insert text.]

 

• When was the primary source created?
  • [Insert text.]

 

• Where was the primary source created, released, or publicized?
  • [Insert text.]

 

• Who was the intended audience for the primary source?
  • [Insert text.]

 

• Why was the primary source created?
  • [Insert text.]

 

• Whose perspective(s) is presented in the source?
  • [Insert text.]

 

Both Sources

 

Analyze the primary sources relevant to your historical event for the presence of bias.

• [Insert text.]

 

Compare how your historical event is represented in your primary sources.

• [Insert text.]

Thus far, you have learned how historical contexts, perspectives, and biases influence the interpretation and “telling” of historical narratives. For this discussion, reflect on what you have learned about your research question and the historical event and current event you chose. To ensure an interesting discussion, you are encouraged to think creatively about your initial posts and extend the points made by your peers. It is also important to review the module resources and read the prompts in their entirety before participating in the discussion. You should include examples and other supporting evidence from the module resources in your posts.

Discussing challenges that face our world often means investigating opinions and ideas different from your own. Remember to remain thoughtful and respectful towards your peers and instructor in your discussion post and replies.

Create one initial post and follow up with at least two response posts.

For your initial post, address the following:

Discuss the brainstorming process you used to identify bias in your primary and secondary sources. How did you do it? Describe the strategies that were successful for you.
Consider the challenges you encountered identifying the narratives about your historical event. What methods did you use to identify the absent voices in the historical narratives?
What perspectives do you think are missing from the narrative about your historical event?
Be sure to cite evidence from your sources to justify your points.

For your response posts, address the following:

How might you use your peers’ strategies to uncover another absent perspective related to your historical event or expose a historical narrative bias? If you think you cannot apply your peers’ strategies to your own event or narrative, explain why.
Remember, this assignment is graded on the quality of your initial post and at least two response posts to your classmates. If you refer to any module resources, be sure to include an attribution (or citation) for the resource.