"Critical Source Analysis Guide: Context, Classification, Interpretation, Evaluation", Exams of Elementary Analysis

Download "Critical Source Analysis Guide: Context, Classification, Interpretation, Evaluation" and more Exams Elementary Analysis in PDF only on Docsity! Questions for critical source analysis (not all questions may be relevant for your purpose) Place the source in its context › Who wrote it? › What do you know about the author? › Where and when was it written? › Why was it written? › To what audience is it addressed? › What do you know about this audience? Classify the source › What kind of work is it? › What was its purpose? › What are the important conventions and traditions governing this kind of source? › Of what legal, political, religious or philosophical traditions is it a part? Interpret the source › What are the key words in the source and what do they mean? › What point is the author trying to make? Summarise the thesis. › What evidence does the author give to support the thesis? › What assumptions underlay the argument? › What values does the source reflect? › What problems does it address? › Can you relate these problems to the historical situation? › What action does the author expect as a result of this work? › Who is to take this action? › How does the source motivate that action? Evaluation of the source › How typical is this source for this period? › How widely was this source circulated?