At Wabash College, after their completing their fall semester senior year, soon-to-be graduates take both written and oral comprehensive exams for their majors and minors.
For history majors, their written comprehensive exams involve two parts. One part involves analyzing secondary sources to write a historiographical essay. The other involves reading a series of primary sources and writing an analytical response evaluating the sources.
Seniors receive a packet of documents to look through before they leave for their winter break, but the sheer volume of the materials can make it difficult for them to know what to do first. To help them organize their time, I prepared a guide for approaching the primary source packet they received. I also provided a model for how they could organize their notes.
How to approach the primary source packet
Step 1: Brainstorm possible questions
If all of the primary documents are offering different approaches to a theme (the title of the packet), brainstorm possible kinds of questions that you think you may be asked to address.
Step 2: Categorize
Look at the table of contents, try to determine what kind of approach each primary source is taking to the overall theme of the packet (borders). Go through each one (do not read the sources yet) and just guess what kind of source it is. Think about what light the primary document sheds on the topic (does it provide information about policy, social norms, legal history, cultural identity, something else?)
Step 3: Choose sources
This year there are 58 sources in the primary source packet (some of which include multiple subsections, with additional sources). Looking at the table of contents choose 15-20 of them that seem more interesting to you. Even if one particular kind of source seems boring to you, make sure you include at least one from each of the categories you identified in Step 1.
Step 4: Set up notes (if you haven’t already)
Create a document for your notes. Have a clear citation for each source you’ll use as evidence. (I include a template of one way to organize your note.)
Step 5: Familiarize yourself with the sources
Read the contextual material and skim the sources you’ve chosen.
Step 6: ID specfics
Read through each source you’ve chosen. Respond to the following questions:
- What type of document is it? Who created it and why?
- When was the document created?
- What was/is the purpose of the document?
- What was the creator’s situation or intention at the time of creation? What is the creator’s relationship to the document? What evidence shows this?
- Are there inconsistencies or ambiguities in the document? Does it make an argument? If so, is it supported or warranted? What makes it reliable or unreliable?
- What does the document reveal about the period during which it was created?
- What research questions could this primary source answer?
Step 7: Summarize
Write one or two-sentence summarizing the key takeaway from the primary sources you’ve chosen.
Step 8: Paraphrase and quote
ID quotes you can use for the exam (with proper citations). Paraphrase important passages (again, with proper citations). Aim for at least one specific reference per source.
Step 9: Relationship
Consider the relationship between the sources you’ve chosen. What do they help explain? Write a few sentences about their relationship with each other.
Savitri Maya Kunze 