History and Philosophy of Science Primary Source Analysis Assignment Learning Ob

History and Philosophy of Science Primary Source Analysis
Assignment Learning Objectives:
1. Demonstrate analytical skills for critically reading and interpreting historical primary sources.
2. Contextualize historical information by identifying and using relevant course materials and additional library research.
3. Demonstrate academic writing skills in a concise and organized essay using correct citations and bibliography.
Instructions:
STEP 1: Read the primary source carefully, taking notes of interesting quotes and any questions you have about unknown or confusing names, events, or terms to look up. Now turn to your course reading(Lecture Reading) and the secondary source to answer your questions to make sure you understand your primary source. You are required to use the secondary source, to find contextual information about the primary source. You must refer to and cite this additional secondary source in your paper. Besides this one source that you find and cite, you should otherwise draw primarily on course reading. Be sure to cite all the sources that you use and to make clear, through the use of citations, when you are using information from other sources versus your own ideas and interpretations. An essay which relies mainly on the interpretations of secondary sources, rather than your own analysis, will receive a low mark.
STEP 2: Now that you have collected your background information, re-read your primary source alongside the questions listed in the bullet points below. Take notes trying to answer as many of the questions as you can. The questions listed in each point are guidelines to help you analyze your source—some of them might not apply to your particular source.
First, identify the source: Who is the author or creator of the source? When was it written? For what purpose or audience? What is the source about? Which theme(s) from our lecture readings are relevant to understanding this primary source?
• Interpret the source: If the source is an argumentative text, what argument(s) does the author make and what scientific debate(s) are they participating in? If the source is a text for sharing information, how did the author obtain the information they present in the source? How has the author’s own background, and/or their intended audience, influenced the way they make their arguments and present information?
• Contextualize the source: How is this source useful for understanding the broader political, economic, and social conditions of the time period when it was produced? How does it reflect the evolving relationships between scientific knowledge, technological developments, and political or economic interests?
• Next directions for research: Conclude your essay with an evaluation about what this source can and cannot tell us about the historical period in which it was produced. Based on what you have learned from lectures or secondary sources, do you think the primary source author is a reliable narrator of information? What other kinds of primary sources should a historian look for to corroborate or to challenge the information within this single source?
STEP 3: Write a short essay (600-750 words) that synthesizes your notes addressing the above questions. Your responses to each point should “show your work” in terms of analytical skills: explain how specific words or phrases in the primary source are leading you to particular interpretations, understandings, or further questions to investigate. Cite your secondary sources for the background information that you used to help you understand and contextualize the primary source.
Formatting Requirements: • Your essay must be submitted as a .doc or .docx file. Use 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, and 1-inch margins. • Your essay should be minimum 600 and maximum 750 words long. This word count does NOT include the bibliography. Please type in the final word count at the end of the essay. • CITE YOUR SOURCES using in-text, parenthetical citations. Please cite assigned readings, lecture readings and sources within your text according to the Chicago author-date style, in the format: (Author surname(s) Publication-Year, page) Example: (lecture, January 9, 2023) • YOU MUST INCLUDE A BIBLIOGRAPHY at the end of your essay. Please format each reference in your bibliography according to the Chicago author-date style, as in the following examples: Formatting for a journal article: Li, Jianhui, and Zheng Fu. 2015. “The Craziness for Extra‐Sensory Perception: Qigong Fever and the Science–Pseudoscience Debate in China.” Zygon 50 (2): 534–47.
* Primary source: Margaret Cavendish, Observations upon Experimental Philosophy. London: A. Maxwell, 1668. Pages 46-53 and 195-198 of reprint edited by Eileen O’Neill, Cambridge University Press, 2001.
* Secondary source: Experimental Philosophy
KNOBE, Joshua ; BUCKWALTER, Wesley ; NICHOLS, Shaun ; ROBBINS, Philip ; SARKISSIAN, Hagop ; SOMMERS, Tamler
Annual review of psychology, 2012, Vol.63 (1), p.81-99; Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews
*Lecture(course) reading: Steven Shapin, The Scientific Revolution, part of Introduction (p. 1-8) and Ch. 2, p. 65-117
Criteria
– Formatting Requirements
Citations are present and formatted correctly (in-text, parenthetical). Bibliography is included in correct Chicago author-date style. Paper uses required font and margins. The paper is well-written, with an organized structure and correct grammar and spelling.
– Identify
Name, date, purpose and topic of primary source are correctly and clearly identified and contextualised in relation to the course themes/topics.
– Interpret
Primary source’s content is interpreted with respect to its author’s argument, analysis of author’s use of evidence or choice of details, and connected to the perspective/experience of its author. The interpretations are supported with evidence clearly cited from the primary source and/or appropriate additional source(s).
– Contextualize
The primary source is correctly situated amid broader political, economic and social conditions in which it was produced, with references to appropriate secondary source(s) and/or course material. The paper shows how the primary source helps us understand the broader history of science and technology.
– Next Directions
Discussion of what source can or cannot tell us is included, with reference to source. Relevant next directions for research are discussed, with reasons given