Please make sure you have read the writing sample for the analysis, and please d
Please make sure you have read the writing sample for the analysis, and please do not use any form of AI, such as chatGPT
For this assignment you will need to:
Provide a summary of each reading:These summaries can be short, between 2-3 sentences for each text, but they should be substantive. Each summary must correctly identify the main argument, and demonstrate comprehension of the text.
Provide analysis of one of the readings:Analysis is an original insight or idea about a text. It must be unique, in that analysis is not simply repeating what the text already says, but providing a new idea or question about what is presented.Don’t worry if you struggle with this initially as we will workshop these skills more. And when in doubt, simply ask a question of the text and try to answer it as best you can.
Good luck everyone. And please see the example provided below.
Reading Response Example:
This week, the readings included two different views on the purpose of studying history.
In his work “Is History a Science?” Eugene Goodheart argues that “the task and disposition of the historian is to tell a story of events that occurred (the objective element) that may or may not achieve the status of generalization and will certainly not achieve that of law.” Here, the process of historical argumentation with the intent to add to a body of knowledge is presented as the end goal and ultimate purpose of studying history. Applications to the present and future are categorized as “generalizations,” but even that is tentative and not the main purpose. On the other hand, in the introduction to American History Now, Eric Foner and Lisa McGirr assert that argumentation is the process of history, but its purpose is in how history relates to the present moment. They say:
There is nothing unusual or sinister in the fact that each generation rewrite history to suit its own needs. Taken together, these essays portray a field characterized by remarkable diversity, vitality, and open-mindedness. They suggest that at its best, the study of history remains a mode of collective self-discovery.
They ague that beyond interpretation of historical evidence, history is significant because it is a mode of “collective self-discovery.” While not necessarily being predictive of the future, history can serve as a warning and a demonstration of what humanity can do through showing what has happened before and conjecturing about why.
My own opinion aligns strongly with Foner and McGirr in that I believe that the present
does and should have an impact on how we view history, and the ways we interpret history certainly have an impact on the present and future. However, their use of the term “rewrite history” is too strong. Using history as a means of self-discovery in a specific moment should not mean rejecting the body of historical work that came before that moment. Rather, the arguments made by scholars reflect contemporary interests and concerns by building off of preceding work, not replacing it entirely. Goodheart views the purpose of history as interpreting evidence grounded in facts with an intent to contribute to the body of work in the field. Both Phoner, McGirr, and I assert that argumentation is the process but not the purpose, which is to use the study of history as “self discovery” – discovering who we are, why, who we want to be, and how we can become that.