Description
The theme is: “Ambiguity in History: Challenging Perspectives.” You will need to find a topic that we have covered in class up to this point (a person, an era, a war, a battle, etc.) and then investigate that topic analyzing the “ambiguity” and “perspective” in sources/information.
To phrase this assignment another way: find a topic, find two opposing viewpoints (sources) on the topic, summarize each of the opposing viewpoints/sources, and then write about how your chosen topic can be ambiguous (as in, how facts can be “inconclusive” or even contradictory, or how perspectives on history are shaped by culture.) An example from another class (Western Civ I), which you obviously cannot use, would be explaining how the Mongols expanded and ran their empire. Many historical sources claim the Mongol Empire was vicious, killing millions in a very short amount of time. However, recently found primary accounts of the Mongols paint them almost as “liberators,” not “conquerors” or “slaughterers.” Where does the truth lie? Why are there different accounts of this event/these people?
Regarding the two sources: they have to be the same type of historical account: either both sources have to be primary/eye-witness accounts, or both have to be secondary accounts/perspectives of your chosen topic. Using websites that contain the information is acceptable, but make sure you cite the source correctly.
Thank you very much in advance.
