Learning Outcomes: Historical Methodology PDF

Learning outcomes At the end of the Module, students should be able to: 1). Paraphrase the meaning, ideas on, and relevance of history. 2). Differentiate the types of sources and criticisms governing basic historical analysis 3). Illustrate the key indicators or considerations in comparin...

Learning outcomes At the end of the Module, students should be able to: 1). Paraphrase the meaning, ideas on, and relevance of history. 2). Differentiate the types of sources and criticisms governing basic historical analysis 3). Illustrate the key indicators or considerations in comparing and contrasting primary sources and secondary sources of history as exemplified by the texts on Tejeros Convention/Assembly. Why Study History? History is not a blueprint for the future but it is a means of understanding the past and present. History is a bridge to other disciplines. History provides us with a sense of identity; People need to develop a sense of their collective past (https://www.wpunj.edu/cohss/departments/history/whystu dyhistory.html) The study of history, is the study of the beliefs and desires, practices and institutions of human beings (Torres, V., 2018)  What is History then? History – It is the continuous process of interaction between the historian and his facts, an unending dialogue between the present and past. (E H. Carr, 1961; R. J. Evans, 2001). What is a historical fact? There are certain facts which are the same for all historians and which form, so to speak, the backbone of history. (Ibid, 2001). E.g. JFK Assassination, November 22, 1963, Parkland Health, Dallas, Texas, United States.; Ninoy Aquino Assassination on August 21, 1983, Tarmac of the MIA (now NAIA). The Filipino sense of meaning Kasaysayan – derived from “saysay” which means that is relevant or meaningful (Zeus Salazar); History as kasaysayan or history as narrative (which be written, visual, oral or a combination of all these) about past events that has meaning to a certain group of people in a given time and place (Ambeth Ocampo) “Ano ang makabuluhan?” (Who can claim and who has the claim?) E.g., The Martial Law; the EDSA People Power; the Execution of GOMBURZA; Jabidah Massacre; The War on Drugs; The PCA Ruling on the WPS (July 12, 2016 – “engraved in the annals of public international law” – Danguilan-Vitug, 2018)  b. History as a profession The essence of history as a discipline is anchored on research and teaching. History has to be both; it cannot be completely called as such without the other. The practice of history, as a study, does not end with the research and teaching and even after it has been popularized through publication for the benefit of the wider public readership but as a important tool in understanding the present, by giving explanation or even contributing solution to the problems and issues the present has. The broadening role of history in the light of the present development made history a profession of public importance, as professed by the so-called public historians.  Historical methodology Historical Reconstruction “Only a part of what was observed in the past was remembered by those who observed it; only a part of what was remembered was recorded; only a part of what was recorded has survived; only a part of what has survived has come to the historian’s attention; only a part of what is credible has been grasped, and only a part of what has been grasped can be expounded or narrated by the historian.” (Gottschalk1950; cited by Juan 2016). In sum, history as reconstruction is... that The historian is many times removed from the events under investigation Historians rely on surviving records Historical method Historians have to verify sources, to date them, locate their place of origin and identify their intended functions. In short, historical method is: The process of critically examining and analyzing the records and survivals of the past.  Historical sources It is from historical sources that our history is studied and written. Sources – an object from the past or testimony concerning the past on which historians depend in order to create their own depiction of that past. (Howell and Prevenier, From Reliable Sources an Introduction to Historical Method) Tangible remains of the past (Anthony Brundage, Going to Sources)  Forms of sources Written Sources: 1. Published materials - Books, magazines, journals; Travelogue; Transcription of speech 2. Manuscript [any handwritten or typed record that has not been printed]; Archival materials; Memoirs, diary Non - written Sources: Oral history; Artifact; Ruins; Fossils; Art works; Video recordings; Audio recordings ACTIVITY: MESSAGE RELAY - action message relay Describing Primary Sources Primary sources are materials produced by people or groups directly involved in the event or topic being studied. These people are either participants or eyewitness to the event. These sources range from eyewitnesses accounts, diaries, letters, l egal documents, official documents (government or private), and even photographs. (Torres, V. 2018, pp 5-9) What are primary sources? Testimony of an eyewitness A primary source must have been produced by a contemporary of the event it narrates A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History What are primary sources? These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event. http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.h Primary sources are characterized by their content, regardless of whether they are available in original format, in microfilm/microfiche, in digital format, or in published format. http://www.yale.edu/collections_collaborative/primarysources/primarysources.html Examples of primary sources are as follow: 1. Photographs that may reflect social conditions of historical realities and everyday life. 2. Old sketches and drawings that may indicate the conditions of life of societies in the past. 3. Old maps that may reveal how space and geography were used to emphasize trade routes, structural buildings, etc. 4. Cartoons for political expression or propaganda. E.g. of primary sources 5. Material evidence of the prehistoric past like cave drawings, old syllabaries, and ancient writings. 6. Statistical tables, graphs, and charts 7. Oral history or recordings by electronic means of accounts of eyewitnesses or participants; the recordings are then transcribed and used for research. 8. Published and unpublished primary documents, eyewitnesses accounts, and other written sources.  CRASH OUT WORD GAME In a group (2 grps), list down as many secondary sources you can think of in a 1/2 Yellow Pad.  SECONDARY SOURCES Gottschalk defines secondary sources as “the testimony of anyone who is not an eyewitness – that is of the one who is not present at the event of which he tells.” Examples: History textbook Printed materials (serials, periodicals which interprets previous research)  Historical Criticism In order for a source to be used as evidence in history, basic matters about its form and content must be settled 1. External Criticism 2. Internal Criticism  External Criticism The problem of authenticity To spot fabricated, forged, faked documents To distinguish a hoax or misrepresentation  Test of authenticity 1. Determine the date of the document to see whether they are anachronistic e.g. pencils did not exist before the 16th Century 2. Determine the author e.g. handwriting, signature, seal 3. Anachronistic style e.g. idiom, orthography(spelling), punctuation 4. Anachronistic reference to events e.g. too early, too late, too remote 5. Provenance (origin/source) or custody e.g. determines its genuineness 6. Semantics – determining the meaning of a text or word 7. Hermeneutics –determining ambiguities  Internal Criticism What is Internal Criticism? The Problem of Credibility Relevant particulars in the document – is it credible? Verisimilar (probable) – as close as what really happened from a critical examination of best available source  Test of credibility 1. Identification of the author – his reliability; mental processes, personal attitudes 2. Determination of the approximate date e.g. handwriting, signature, seal 3. Ability to tell the truth e.g. nearness to the event, competence of witness, degree of attention 4. Willingness to tell the truth e.g. to determine if the author consciously or unconsciously tells falsehoods 5. Corroboration i.e. historical facts – particulars which rest upon the independent testimony of two or more reliable witnesses Towards effective historical thinking (sense of history) Three Major Components to Effective Historical Thinking 1. Sensitivity to Multiple Causation 2. Sensitivity to Context 3. Awareness of the interplay of continuity and change in human affairs ASSIGNMENT #4 - RHIST: Read ahead pages 1-10 of the TEJEROS CONVENTION from the Handout posted in the Canvas/ in the GC.  Reading 1: The Tejeros Assembly/Convention A good example of a historical event which has two written sources is the Tejeros Assembly or Convention of 1897. Primary written account: “Memoirs of a General” (by Santiago Alvarez) Secondary written document: “Revolts of the Masses” (by Teodoro Agoncillo) As an important event, its role and contribution to the grand narratives of Philippine history cannot be discounted. Historians look at it as the turning point in the formation of a nationhood, national government, and electoral practice and election management – a seminal (original) moment of the basics of the modern and contemporary Philippine politics.  Learning tasks, con’t Comparative Analysis of the Historical Texts/Readings: > Differentiate a primary source from a secondary source of the same historical event as exemplified by the written records on the Tejeros Assembly. > See given Format and Rubrics VIDEO  QUIZ - Pointers/Type Study Powerpoint 1 and 2 under Module 1: Topic1 ØIdentification of key words ØTrue/False ØEssay 30pts Quiz Group Reporting 9,5,7,1,2,3,6, 4, 8 - BSIT 3C Group Reporting BEIR 1B 5, 4,8, 1, 9, 7, 3, 6, 2