WHAT DO HISTORIANS DO? What distinguishes history from other kinds of humanistic endeavor? What kinds of questions do historians ask, and what kinds of skills, tools, and proof do they use to answer them? What can history teach us, and what can't it teach us? Why do we study history at all?

In this unit we continue our discussion of "East and West," only this week we will focus on the ways in which professional historians have approached the problem and what they have had to say about it. In particular, we will look at how historians use direct evidence from the past to answer historical questions, including questions of "East and West."

Prior to this week's class, you should familarize yourself with the differences between primary sources and secondary sources and the ways in which they are used by historians.

To help you understand these concepts, you should first visit the Center for History and New Media's guides to unpacking evidence and analyzing documents. These guides will give you a good introduction to how historians approach primary sources—in these cases, images.

Second, you should read the article "Inventing Assyria" by historian Frederick Bohrer as a good example of a scholarly secondary source that uses primary source images to answer some questions about "East and West." (Note: don't blow this off - you'll need to have read this article to complete your first graded writing assignment.)

Finally, please click here for your first online exercise.