What does the source tell us about the person or persons who produced it? What can we tell about their views, fears, or concerns based on the source? What does the source tell us about the surrounding context? What is happening around the production of this source?

Idyll XII – Theocritus

Primary Source Analysis Papers

For one of the assignments in this class, you will be asked to write a 500 word analysis of a selected primary source or sources (note that word count should not include any footnotes). The goal of this assignment is for students to conduct a close analytical reading of a primary source document from the time we are discussing, and to explain in their own words what this source tells us about a specific historical period or issue. After completing this assignment, students will be able to analyze a primary source, connect and contextualize it using other assigned materials in the course, and create an original argument about the source.

The paper analysis should include your answers to the following questions:

• What does the source tell us about the person or persons who produced it? What can we tell about their views, fears, or concerns based on the source?
• What does the source tell us about the surrounding context? What is happening around the production of this source?
• Connections with other course materials. Does this source align with something you have been asked to read so far this semester? Does it contradict anything? How is your understanding of the source informed by the other course materials?