10 History Home

Task 4. Historical Study

In this task you will create an historical investigation folio as if you are an historian investigating an event.

Your historical study must be based on an aspect of the world since 1750. You are required to inquire, explore, interpret, and research an historical idea, event, person, or group in depth.

The task will require you to present a ‘reasoned historical argument’. A question that invites an investigation into more than one point of view.

Completing your historical study file.

Use the following guide to help you structure and write this response:

Part 1. The Inquiry Question (50–100 words)

State your question clearly

  1. To what extent does the evidence support the claim that ……..?

Briefly explain why it is historically significant.

Part 2. Historical Context (Overview)

Provide background to help understand your topic.

Include the following information in your overview:

  • A timeline (6–8 key events)

  • A short explanation of cause and effect

  • Key people, ideas, or developments

Part 3. Evidence Portfolio. (Source analysis)

You must include at least 4 – 6 sources, including:

  • A minimum of 2 primary sources

  • A minimum of 1 secondary source

  • A newspaper cartoon

For each source, include the following information:

Source Analysis

  • Origin (who created it, when, where)

  • Perspective (viewpoint, bias, purpose)

  • Reliability and limitations

  • Key evidence (quotes or details)

  • Explanation of relevance to the inquiry question. (How does this source help answer your question)

Part 4. Contrasting perspectives. The Counter argument

History is contested.

Include the following information in your contrasting perspectives:

  • Identify at least one interpretation that challenges your argument

  • Use evidence from the sources to explain this alternative view

Part 5. Historical conclusion (In class 200–300 words)

Include the following information in your conclusion.

  • Answer your question: To what extent…?

  • Make a clear judgment

  • Use evidence from your sources

  • Acknowledge counterarguments.

  • “Which source most changed your interpretation and why?”

How to do the Historical Study

Part 1. The Inquiry Question (50–100 words)

Robert C. Williams suggests that a research question might:

"ask how or why an event happened (causation, explanation)"

"ask what the consequences were of a particular event"

"discuss the intellectual origins of a particular idea"

"ask what the cultural context of an event was";

"ask whether or not an individual was responsible for a certain act"

"ask about the social history of a political event"

"quantify broad trends in a society at a particular time"

For example:

  1. To what extent did the Soviet Union influence Mao’s “Great Leap Forward?”

  2. To what extent was the Tet offensive of 1968 a North Vietnamese victory?

  3. Did the Vietnam War represent a continuation of its Cold War policies of containment? Why or why not?

Part 3. Annotating your sources

Your annotated bibliography should contain the following sources related to decolonisation.

2 x primary sources (text)

2 x secondary sources (articles, books etc)

1 x primary source images (photos, newspaper cartoons, posters)

Annotated sources in four steps

  1. Source Citation

  2. Source analysis

    Origin (who created it, when, where)

    Perspective (viewpoint, bias, purpose)

    Concisely summarise main points/evidence from the source (Dot points are fine)

    Use quotes and facts from the source to support your summary.

  3. Assess the source's strengths and weaknesses

  4. Source Evaluation

    Explanation of relevance to the inquiry question. (How does this source help answer your question).

Sources Analysis Answer Guide

Don’t forget: Quote often and begin your response with name of the author, not the Source number. Put the source number in brackets at the end of the quote/paraphrasing.

For example:

This is supported by Jones who states that 'History students would be more popular at parties if they used this method.' (Source 3) 

More successful responses:

  • contain relevant evidence (quotes and observations) from sources when required.

Less successful responses

  • provide responses without reference to any evidence from the source

  • state that sources are limited without explaining why using evidence

  • do not assess the nature of sources clearly

  • do not explain how the nature and origin of the sources are a strength or limitation

  • do not include the source in the response.

Documents

How to answer source questions

Types of sources

Part 5. Historical conclusion (In class 200 – 300 words)

Paragraphs are beautiful - a four step fail safe plan 

To do: Writing a TEEL paragraph

  1. Topic: Begin EACH  new paragraph with a clear and precise topic sentence that refers directly to the content of the paragraph. The topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about, or its main idea

  2. Explain: Explain what you mean in greater detail.

  3. Evidence: Provide evidence to support your idea or claim. To do this, refer to your research. This may include: case studies, statistics, documentary evidence, academic books or journal articles. Remember that all evidence will require appropriate citation.

  4. Link: Summarise the main idea of the paragraph, and make clear how this paragraph supports your overall argument. The linking sentence links one paragraph to the next and provides another device for helping you ensure your text is cohesive. 

Referencing Guidelines

When do you need an endnote/ footnote?

  • Quotes

  • Paraphrasing

  • Facts and figures

  • Images 

How to footnote

  1. The first time you footnote a book, article or document you need to list it in full as follows:

  2. Jones, E., A collection of inappropriate remarks made in the History classroom, Penguin, 2024, p.34

  3. If you quote from Inappropriate Remarks as your next quote you don’t write out the whole author/title again you simply use the abbreviation ibid., p#

  4. If you quote from the same source, same page it is simply ibid.

  5. If your next quote is from a different source, you need to write out full reference: author surname, initials, title in italics, publisher, year of publication, page number.

  6. If your next quote is again from Inappropriate Remarks, you simply put the author’s name and initials and the abbreviation op.cit., p#

Footnote samples

  1. Jones, E., A collection of inappropriate remarks made in the History classroom, Penguin, 2024, p.34

  2. ibid.

  3. ibid., p.38

  4. McKenzie, C.M., Please don't make me go back in there. A classroom memoir, Featherhead, 2019, p.11

  5. Jones, E., op.cit., p.59

Example reference list

Bibliography:

Aub.edu.lb.libguides.com. (2020). LibGuides: Lebanese Civil War: 1975-1991: Home. [online] Available at: https://aub.edu.lb.libguides.com/LebaneseCivilWar.

Badran, T., 2008. The Lebanese Civil War. MERIA: Middle East Review of International Affairs, 12(2), pp.MERIA: Middle East Review of International Affairs, June 2008, Vol.12(2).

Crawford, M. & Army Command General Staff Coll Fort Leavenworth KS School Of Advanced Military Studies, 2010. Civil War and Intervention: Lessons Remembered From the Lebanese Civil War and the U.S. Response.