UNIT+1+--+THE+HISTORIAN'S+MANY+HATS

Objectives:
1. Describe the different roles of a historian. 2. Read historical documents from a historian's viewpoint. 3. Create primary sources about a historical event. 4. Examine and interpret primary sources from a historian's perspective. 5. Identify the main historical ideas of the Renaissance and Inquisition in European history. 6. Collaboratively working in teams.

Part I: What is a historian and what does a historian do?
Before we can learn about history, we need to recognize what history is. You may have done this already in previous classes with Mr. Armstrong or other teachers from your past, but we need to reinforce this concept so that we can approach history as **objectively** as possible. Unfortunately, 100% objectivity is impossible when it comes to history. Since humans are imperfect by nature, their **interpretations** of the past will always be cluttered by culture, bias, prejudice, language, and **myriad** other obstacles. However, if we know this going into the study of history, we can hopefully filter these out of our analysis and create the clearest picture of history possible.

The following reading, "[|The Historian's Many Hats]" is from BBC, the British Broadcasting Corporation, and does a great job of explaining the many different roles a historian plays and the challenges of writing history as objectively as possible. While reading the selection, please complete the following assignment and have it ready to submit at the beginning of next class:

This needs to be done before you start the reading. Definitions need to be reworded in your own words. Heretical Faggot (British/English Definition, definition in reading) Eucharist abstain penance beseeching source
 * Vocabulary**

1. In section 1, Heretical beliefs, the historian gives his account of a historical event. What is happening to Hogsflesh? What is the historian's “story” or main point of the article?
 * Discussion Questions**

2. What are the roles of a historian defined by John Arnold? Do you agree or disagree with his assumptions? Can you think of any other roles?

3. What is meant by “treat(ing) their sources with fidelity?” Remember to put your response in your own words. Why is it important to remember this when reading historical references?

4. How can a single event be interpreted in more than one way? Can you think of an event in your life that historians could interpret with differing points of view?

5. Talk to a family member or friend about something that happened to you both a long time ago. Examine how you both remember the incident and write about it. With that in mind, when attaching meaning to history, is it possible for a historian to be completely objective? Use examples from the incident you just discussed to reinforce your response.

6. What problems may arise when historians practice subjective history? In what ways may subjective history be beneficial to the study of history? Think back to the incident you just discussed with your family member or friend. Why did it make sense for you to remember the event the way you did and for the other person to remember it the way he or she did? What does this tell us about history?

7. Why is every historian "a storyteller?" If all historians are storytellers and there are myriad versions of every story, can we trust historians? Why or why not?

8. How did your view of history and historians change based on this reading? How will you approach history now that you have explored these views?

The Renaissance and the Inquisition


Renaissance Art Slideshow

Part II: Creating a Primary Source
Now that you have learned and analyzed what it is to be a historian, you will begin wearing "the historian's many hats." If you look back at your notes there are two types of sources that one can use for gathering information. What were these two types of source called again? That's right, **primary sources** and **secondary sources**. Even though secondary sources confirm your ideas and help establish facts, it is the primary source that is the main vehicle for creating history. The goal of the following activity is to help you define the difference between a primary and secondary source. Follow the directions below for today’s project.

1. You will be broken up into teams of 3-4.

2. Once in your teams, get your thinking caps on and create a world-altering event that will happen 50 years from now. For example, "Africa Breaks off from the Middle East and has smashed into Spain." This event will have a lot of effects on the people of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Make sure that your event makes sense. I want you to be creative but not silly or way too unrealistic. Your topic must be approved by your teacher before you go on to the next step. You will have 10 minutes for this part of the project.

3. You will now write a story in your group that explains the event(s). This part needs to be taken seriously as the foundation of the project's success is based on this. Your story should have important information that needs to include answers to the following key questions:
 * What?
 * When?
 * Where?
 * How?
 * Who?
 * Any other key elements

Your group must complete this part of the project in 30 minutes.

4. Now that you have your story, it is time to get creative and make some primary sources of your event. Each member of the group will have to decide what type of primary source they will be submitting. Some ideas include newspaper articles of the event the day it happened, letters, live news reports, live radio reports, interview a person who was a witness to the event, etc. Your teacher will have to approve of your primary source before you get to work on it. There are a couple of key notes that you need to be aware of for this part of the project:
 * At least ONE source needs to come from the "printed media family."
 * No two will be the same in any given group.
 * If you decide to make a video, newscast, or other technology-based project, there will be no extensions. Don't bite off more than you can chew. With that said, this is a great time in which you can use the computers to their full extent.
 * Have some fun with your projects! But be careful because if you have too much fun your project may not make sense. The key word I want you to think of while making your primary source is //**quality.**//
 * Your teacher is expecting each project to be done by the person to whom it was assigned. With that being said, make sure and use others in your group as peer editors, actors or other roles.
 * Time is limited! Don't waste it in class.

You will have the remainder of the class to work on this project and whatever is not done will turn into homework. Your completed projects will be due at the beginning of next class. Step 5 will be explained to you on that day, but be forewarned; failure to bring in your primary sources will severely hurt your grade. If there are any questions or comments, first ask a fellow student(s) and if you can't get the answer, raise your hand and your teacher will help assist you.

Post your projects on the appropriate link in your class page:

WORLD HISTORY BRIGHTMAN D
This project/activity will be assessed as a **completion grade.** As long as you follow the instructions above, you will receive full credit.

Creating A World: Student-Run Analysis of the 1700's
The focus of this course is Modern World History, so we are going to skip 400,000 years of history and really try to focus on the last 400 instead. As a benchmark, we will start our year of study at the 1700's. Traditionally, your teacher would stand up in front of the classroom and explain "all you need to know" about the time period. Today, things are going to change a bit. For the past week we have been exploring what historians do. You now understand what primary and secondary sources are. You have analyzed and discussed the roles of a historian. You have just completed an assignment in which you were able to practice some of the basic skills of a historian. We will now push you into the pool of history and have you start swimming on your own. In groups, we will be discovering what life was like in particular regions in the world during the 1700's. Your key question for this assignment is:

Which factors were most prominent in each region during the 1700's?
We will break the world up into sections that teams will explore. The key areas to consider are:


 * **Middle East (//MWH// 60-70)**
 * **East Asia (//MWH// 89-99)**
 * **Western Europe (//MWH// 34-57, 80-88)**
 * **Eastern Europe / Russia (//Handout// 574-581)**
 * **Americas (//ABC-CLIO// look under Eras)**
 * **South Asia (//MWH// 71-79)**
 * **Africa (//ABC-CLIO// look under Eras)**

Today you will be divided into teams once again. You will be assigned one of the geographic locations above. It will then be your responsibility to prove which area in the world is the most powerful. However, before we begin the assignment, it is crucial that each of you understand the term Factors of Analysis. What makes a civilization powerful? Let's go ahead right now and as a class clarify "What makes a nation powerful?"

Good! Simply put, factors of analysis means breaking up history into different categories. This will make comparing and contrasting much easier. Think of it this way, since many of you have lived abroad, you can see both the good and bad in your old host country because you can compare it to Korea. In this project, you may find out that your area is very strong in technology. Try and convince us that technology defines a civilization. The same would be true for wealth, artistic creativity, or countless other indicators.

Now that we have explained it and given some examples, here is a List of Factors of Analysis that your group should consider analyzing as you research your project.

**Directions for the Project Day 1 (Detective and Interpreter):**
1. Teams will be decided by the teacher.

2. Each team will be assigned a geographic location.

3. You will start conducting research. In terms of research we will ask you to start off by using the following site: [|http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com]. To sign into the database use the following information:
 * USER NAME:** KIS
 * PASSWORD:** welcome

4. Start to identify Factors of Analysis that make your geographic area the most powerful in the world during the 1700's. Remember that as historians, there is never a "right answer." There are only answers that are well thought out (through critical thinking) and backed by factual information (stats, primary sources, etc).

5. Organize your thoughts and as a group, start to develop a thesis statement regarding the most significant factors of analysis impacting your region.

6. Get your thesis approved and continue research for homework using your textbook or library books at home. For the time being, YOU WILL NOT be able to use sources outside of the three stated above.

7. To be continued...

Day 2: Detective, Interpreter and Judge
Now that you have learned how to conduct research in the library and textbook, you may want to expand your research by using Internet resources. Mrs. Boerner already discussed with you strategies on how to do this successfully, but the following tips may help you as well.

Evaluating Web Resources
To facilitate your expertise, you will first need to learn how to research appropriate websites and texts. To ensure that your website is appropriate for historical research, you must ask the following questions and follow the same line of reasoning that a historian would use when evaluating historical sources.

Who is the author of the website?

Where did the author get this information?

How current and up-to-date is the website? How often is it maintained?

What bias may the author have when presenting this information?

Would I feel comfortable citing this website in a major essay or project? Would my classmates and teacher have confidence in this source?

For more guidance on evaluating the suitability of web resources, click on the following link: [|http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/tips.html.]

The following websites may prove helpful to you as you explore the world in 1700. These are examples of websites that your teachers deem appropriate for historical research. This is not an exhaustive list but will certainly lead you far along the path of developing expertise in your region.

Click here for  1700 Jigsaw Web Resources to help you with your project.

Citing Resources
As noted above, please research your work carefully by using trusted Internet and print resources. Remember [|Diana Hacker's rules] for validating resources and apply them judiciously. More importantly, you need to enter as much information as possible into Wikispaces using your own words. Any time that you do not use your own words or material in Wikispaces, you must cite your resources correctly. While you are gathering research on the Internet for your Wikispaces page, you need to take note of the following:

1. Name of author(s) 2. Title of the website 3. Names of any editors 4. Date of publication 5. Name of any sponsoring organization 6. Date you found the website 7. URL of the website (ex: <[|http://www.google.com>)]

Not every website will have all seven items listed above, but you need to write down as many as possible in the order listed above and then insert that information in parentheses at the immediate end of the material you enter. This will help you get in the practice of doing so when you have research papers later this year.

With your team today, you need to not only detect and interpret your source information, you need to begin making decisions about what is the most important and effective.

Project Outcomes
There will be two outcomes of this assignment as follows:


 * 1. 1700 Jigsaw:** We need to analyze and assess the world circa 1700. To do this effectively, we have broken the world into regional pieces. You have been assigned to become an expert on one regional piece of the 1700 World Puzzle.

Once you have completed your piece of the puzzle, you will be joined with other regional experts to share what you have learned so that you can assess the world effectively as of 1700.

In this exercise, you will not only be graded by your teacher for the content you post on the wiki but also by how well you teach your classmates in the jigsaw breakout session.



In addition, your classmates will evaluate your performance in the jigsaw breakout session.




 * 2. Socratic Seminar:** After the 1700 Jigsaw, you will reconvene with your regional team and prepare to discuss the following question with the rest of the class:

What factors are most important for a society to both thrive and be the envy of the world? Which societies had the strongest combination of factors to dominate other regions? Why?
Your insights, comments and active participation in the seminar will be assessed by your teachers during this session. Here is the rubric that will be used during the debate. Make sure to look over it so you know what you have to do to get full points:



After the debate you will reflect on what you have learned on the student evaluation:



WORLD HISTORY BRIGHTMAN D
Renaissance Art Follow-Up

No study of the Renaissance is complete without appreciating the artwork from the era. Based on the notes that I gave you in class, take a look at the following PowerPoint of the images featured in your notes. While you enjoy these famous pieces of art, consider the following question: