Document Analysis Assignment –

Instructions
Part 2 – Final
Overview

Analysing documents is one of the most important tasks of the historian. Documents are what
we use to understand the past, and they allow us to partially reconstruct the lives and
experiences of those who have come before us. There are many different types of documents
that historians examine when they conduct their work, but two very important ones stand out.
Primary sources are documents that were produced during the period being studied. These
types of sources offer us an important window into the past, as they contain “first-hand”
accounts and interpretations of a particular historical moment. Primary sources can take many
different forms, including: letters; diaries; photographs; newspapers; articles; books;
government reports and statistics; material objects; artwork; and even oral histories. Secondary
sources are documents that were produced after the time period being studied. These types of
sources are generally written by historians, journalists, and other commentators, and they offer
reflection, insight, and analysis of a particular moment in time. Historians use both primary and
secondary sources to expand their understanding of the past, to generate ideas and
hypotheses, and to construct academic arguments about a particular person, place, event, or
process.

Now that you have completed a rough draft of your document analysis assignment (Part 1), it is
time to create the finished product. In Part 2 of this assignment (worth 25% of final grade, due
on Wednesday, 16 August, 11:55 PM), you are asked to analyse your primary source
advertisement in conversation with a secondary source. Use the document analysis template
that you created in Part 1 of this assignment, and write a 4-5+ page paper (approximately 1200-
2000 words) that presents your thoughts and ideas in a clear and concise manner. Your goal is
to analyze your chosen BP advertisement, and to construct an argument about what makes this
document significant to our understanding of the history of oil. Each of you will approach your
primary source with a different set of experiences and skills, and will therefore interpret your
documents differently. It is important to remember that there is no such thing as a “correct
interpretation” of a primary source. Rather, I am looking for your interpretation of the source,
and the ideas that you come up with after careful consideration and analysis.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this assignment, you should be able to:
 Describe and explain the key features of your primary source document
 Assess your primary source document in conversation with a secondary source
 Record your primary and secondary source in the Chicago citation style
 Design and create a scholarly analysis of a primary source document

Instructions
In order to complete this assignment, you must do the following tasks:
 Complete the Document Analysis Template (Part 2, Final) provided for you.
 Upload your completed Document Analysis Template (Part 2, Final) as a word file to
the Assignments folder.

Grading
This assignment is worth 20% of your final grade. It will be marked by your TA and reviewed by
your Instructor.
 Complete Document Analysis Template (Part 2, Final): 100 marks total
o Creative Title and Completed Title Page (5 marks)
o Introduction – 1 page (10 marks)
o Thesis Statement – 1-2 sentences (15 marks)
o Point of Analysis #1 – 1-2 paragraphs (15 marks)
o Point of Analysis #2 – 1-2 paragraphs (15 marks)
o Point of Analysis #3 – 1-2 paragraphs (15 marks)
o Conclusion – 1-2 paragraphs (15 marks)
o In-text Citations (5 marks)
o Bibliography (5 marks)