Primary Source Analysis Assignment

Primary Source Analysis AssignmentPrimary Source Analysis Assignment

Pick two documents from the same week that have been assigned since Week one of the class. Answer the following questions in relation to the documents:

1. Answer all of the questions that are found at the end of the document in the E-Companion reader.
2. Who, what, when, where: Who is the author or authors. Do not simply give a name, give context about who this person was and what was happening in their lives at the time of the document. For example if you choose The Code of Hammurabi, consider what date the Code was completed, how far into his reign was this? Was he at war with anyone at the time, was his empire at peace? Also, If you choose a document that has an unknown author, like the Epic of Gilgamesh, contextualize the document in terms of the probable date of completion with what was happening in Mesopotamia at this time?
3. What role did the document play in the historical development of western civilizations? For example, if you chose the Book of Exodus, you would want to consider the role that the development of monotheism had on western development.

Estimated Word Count: 700900 words total

How that breaks down

You are analyzing two primary sources from the same week, and for both documents, you must answer:

1. All end-of-document questions from the E-Companion
2. Who / what / when / where (author + historical context)
3. Historical significance to Western civilization

A strong structure usually looks like this:

Document 1

• Context (who/when/where/what): 200250 words
• Answers to end-of-document questions: 100150 words
• Historical significance: 150200 words

Total for Document 1: ~350450 words

Document 2

(Same breakdown)

Total for Document 2: ~350450 words

Total Paper Length

700900 words

(About 34 double-spaced pages, 12-pt font)