Research Worksheet 1
Historical, Archival, and Research from Primary Sources

1. Identify 2 places in the community (off campus) that contain exhibits and archival material (such as a historical society or a museum). Explain what type of information they house and what is different about them. Choose one of the sites to visit. Identify what “archives” they have available and describe what the archive includes.

2. Identify three or four different archives of primary sources (they can be physical or online). Describe the materials in the archive, explain what makes them “primary sources” (define the term), explain how they were collected and how they are maintained. What types of research questions might you use these sources to answer?

3.  Read: Coles, Robert. “Chapter One: The Work Locations in Theory.” Doing Documentary Work. Oxford: Oxford U P, 1997. [http://www.redmonky.net/utpa/1302/Coles.pdf] (this link is currently not working. I will work on that or find a way around)
Write an essay that summarizes the chapter’s argument and definitions of “documentary work.” Your essay should capture the main ideas of the essay and demonstrate that you have a sense of what documentary work is, how it gets done, and how Coles views the purpose of doing such work.

4. Film documentaries are only one example of the broader category, “Documentary Work.” In a brief essay, discuss “audio journals” and “photo essays” and “web exhibits” as examples of documentaries.

5. Create a documentary using primary and secondary sources.