Reading Like a Historian

Read like a Historian

What is history?

• History is an account of the past.

• Accounts differ depending on one's perspective.

• We rely on evidence to construct accounts of the past

• We must question the reliability of each piece of evidence.

• Any single piece of evidence is insufficient to build a plausible account.

Reading like a historian

• teaches you how to investigate historical questions

• helps you evaluate the trustworthiness of multiple perspectives on historical issues

• how to learn to make historical claims backed by documentary evidence

You will use reading strategies such as:

• sourcing

• contextualizing

• corroboration

• close reading

SOURCING

• asks you to consider who wrote a document as well as the circumstances of its creation.

• Who write it? Why? When? What is the author's perspective?

SOURCING

• Identify the author's position.

• Evaluate the purpose.

• Is it trustworthy?

CONTEXTUALIZATION

• asks you to locate a document in time and place and to understand how these factors shape its content.

• When and where was the document created?

• What was different or the same then?

CORROBORATION

• asks you to consider details across multiple sources to determine points of agreement and disagreement

• What do they say? Do they agree? Why or why not?

• What documents are the most reliable?

CLOSE READING

• helps you evaluate sources and analyze rhetoric, (the art of speaking or writing effectively)

• What claims does the author make?

• What evidence does the author use?