Rph

• History


  The study and interpretation of the written record of past human activity, people, societies, and civilizations leading up to the present day
• Historia


  The Greek word meaning "an account of one's inquiries"
• The word HISTORY now means "the past of mankind"
• Geschichte


  History
• Geschehen


  To happen
• History (as used by Aristotle)


  • A systematic account of a set of natural phenomena
  • Not necessarily chronological ordering
• Historians use all forms of evidence to

  1. Examine

  2. Interpret

  3. Revisit

  4. Reinterpret the past
• Evidence is the raw material of history teaching and learning
• History is evaluated according to

  • Credibility
  • Authenticity
  • Provenance
• The goal of historians is to reconstruct the total past of humankind
• Subjectivity


  An approach in studying history based on how it exists in the observer or historian's mind
• Objectivity


  An approach in studying history based on evidence
• The process of critically examining and analyzing the records and survivals of the past is called

  Historical method
• Thucydides in Fifth Century B.C. wrote his famous account regarding the Peloponnesian war and conscientiously told his readers how he gathered his materials and what tests he used to separate truth from fiction
• Historical analysis undergoes


  1. Selection of a subject for investigation

  2. Collection of probable sources of information

  3. Examination of sources for genuineness

  4. Extraction of credible particulars from sources

  5. Historiography (the writing of history)
• Historiography

  The imaginative reconstruction of the past from the data derived by the historical analysis process
• Relevance of history


  • Allows us to understand our past, which in turn allows us to understand our present
  • Have to look to history for answers
  • To learn from our mistakes and avoid repeating them in the future
  • Provide us with insight into our cultures of origin as well as, thereby increasing cross-cultural awareness and understanding
• Reasons why we should study history (according to Peter N. Stearns)

  • History helps us understand people and societies
  • History helps us understand change and how the society we live in came to be
  • History contributes to moral understanding
  • History provides identity
  • Studying history is essential for good citizenship
• Primary sources

  Documents, physical objects and oral/video accounts made by an individual or a group present at the time and place being described, providing facts from people who actually witnessed the event
• Examples of primary sources

  • Diaries
  • Journals
  • Letters
  • Photographs and illustrations, video and audio recordings
  • Maps
  • Newspaper articles from the time period
  • Archives and manuscripts
  • Pamphlets, broadsides, posters and other ephemera
  • Autobiographical materials
  • Interview or speech transcripts
  • Oral histories
  • Artifacts
  • Government documents (laws, etc.)
• The use of primary sources is important because it invites students to explore the content with active and deeper analysis, develops critical thinking, fosters learn-led inquiry, realizes that history is a reflection of various perspectives, and brings back the story to history
• Secondary sources


  Records based on primary sources, explaining a certain event of the past through evaluation and interpretation
• Examples of secondary sources

  • Bibliographies
  • Biographical works
  • Reference books, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and atlases
  • Articles from magazines, journals, and newspapers after the event
  • Literature reviews and review articles (e.g., movie reviews, book reviews)
• Historical method


  Critically examining and analyzing the records and survivals of the past
• Questions asked in source criticism

  • When was the source produced?
  • Where was it produced?
  • By whom was it produced?
  • From what pre-existing material was it produced?
  • In what original form was it produced?
  • What is the evidential value of its contents?
• External criticism


  Concerns and questions pertinent to the authenticity of a historical source
• What external criticism looks into

  • Appearance
  • Consistency with the historical period
  • Medium of the source
  • Quality of paper and the ink
  • Grammar or handwriting of the author
• Internal criticism


  Helps historians determine the credibility and reliability of the content of a given historical source
• What internal criticism focuses on

  • Quest for particular details
  • Focus attention on the author or creator
  • Situation surrounding its existence
  • Intended audience or reader
• Principles of source criticism for determining reliability

  • Human sources may be relics or narratives, relics are more credible
  • Any given source may be forged or corrupted, strong indications of originality increase reliability
  • The closer a source is to the event, the more one can trust it
  • A primary source is more reliable than a secondary source
  • If multiple independent sources contain the same message, the credibility is increased
  • The tendency or motivation of the source should be minimized or supplemented
  • If the witness/source has no direct interest in creating bias, the credibility is increased
• Published documents

  Documents intended for public distribution or use
• The readers must comprehend not just the substance of the published document but also the background of the author, as it may be written based on the author's perspective
• Unpublished documents

  Documents such as diaries, journals, letters, wills, and other personal papers that are not published
• Unpublished documents may be difficult to locate as they are kept in private and may be restricted from public use
• Oral traditions

  Traditions and histories or stories transferred through generations
• Accepted oral traditions as primary sources are those that come from people who have actually witnessed or experienced the past events
• Artworks and artifacts


  Visual documents that tell us several views of the past from the perspectives of creators
• Knowing the type of primary source helps in identifying its repository
• Historical documents


  Records of past events
• Human document


  An account of individual experience which reveals the individual's actions as a human agent and as a participant in social life