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COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Department of Social Sciences
NAME OF THE General Education
PROGRAM
COURSE TITLE Readings in Philippine History COURSE CODE SOC 101
PREREQUISITE/ CO- None COURSE UNIT 3 units
REQUISITE
COURSE OUTCOME CO1: Discuss the importance of primary and secondary sources in Philippine
history and comprehend the meaning of history as an academic discipline
LESSON LEARNING After successful completion of this module, you should be able to:
OUTCOME/S a. explain the relevance of studying history as an academic discipline and
its underlying philosophy and methodology; and
b. cite primary sources for their credibility, authenticity, and
provenance.
TOPICS Distinction of primary and secondary sources
Repositories of primary sources, and different kinds of primary
sources and examples of historical criticism
MODALITY Synchronous (MS Teams) and Asynchronous (Neo LMS)
LESSON PROPER
Historical Evidence
What exactly is historical evidence? Anything intimately connected to a prior event, person, or
era is considered historical evidence. It gives details that could aid in our understanding of what occurred
before our examination. A historian starts by looking for and gathering various pieces of evidence related
to the particular history they are researching. They must take into account which of the evidence's sources
are primary and which are secondary when doing so. Primary sources were "eyewitnesses," or
participants in the actual history, of the event. Secondary sources have arrived to us via a middleman of
some sort. They were not "eyewitnesses" to history since they were not personally involved in the events
we are investigating.
A primary source, is intimately related to the history we are studying because it truly originates from the
past. In the framework of historical study, there are many different primary sources. The historian must
choose which types of sources to emphasize for their particular research topic.
Example of Primary Sources
Written records, such as letters, diaries, journals, official documents, and speeches, are included
here (written or printed)
Books, periodicals, diaries, autobiographies, printed government documents, maps, and other
printed materials produced or published at the time
Visual sources include photographs, artwork (at-the-time made sketches, drawings, paintings,
sculptures), and video recordings (this can also be an audio source)
Audio sources include any recordings of sound that were made during the period being studied,
including tapes, LPs, digital audio files, speeches, and interviews (recorded)
Physical sources: artifacts, or things connected to or used during the historical era (frequently
found during archaeological investigations) (historical evidence definition does not define the
object - it can be anything)
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COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Department of Social Sciences
Secondary sources are items that were produced by someone who did not personally experience the
history under study. A secondary source typically draws its information from primary sources and bases
its interpretation on the data presented there. Secondary sources give us access to current historical
interpretations and are helpful when attempting to comprehend another person's view of historical events.
Example of Secondary Sources
Published sources are books, articles, or essays written about historical events that the author did
not personally see
Audio sources: songs and podcasts regarding historical events
Visual sources include artwork produced by someone to depict a historical event they did not
witness and videos that are not authentic recordings of historical events (a video of the 9/11 twin
towers collapse is a main source, but a show or movie about 9/11 is not)
What is Historical Criticism?
A specific type of literary study called historical criticism considers a text in the perspective of
all of human history. A common name for this style of analysis is higher criticism. In historic criticism,
scholars frequently compare works from the same era, drawing on additional sources to gain a deeper
knowledge of how a particular piece interacted with its surroundings when it was created.
The examination of the vast category of historical writing generally referred to as "holy texts,"
which includes the analysis of the Bible, a book that informs much of Western civilization in numerous
ways, is one example of applying historical styles of critique. In cultures that place a high importance
on the Bible, the use of historical criticism or analysis has stirred up a lot of debate.
How did things used to be is a question that historical research answers? Historical scholars must
decide between external and internal criticism.
The authenticity of the document is the subject of external criticism. Researchers must decide
whether a document's content is accurate after it has been confirmed to be authentic. Internal criticism,
on the other hand, tries to prove the document's content's reliability. The process of determining if the
information contained in a document is reliable is known as internal criticism. Its aim is to determine
whether the contents of the document can be trusted. It is concerned with the veracity of the information.
The material is subjected to internal scrutiny to identify any inaccuracies or fabrications. The process of
reconstructing historical narratives is crucial and important.
Reasons why historians conduct historical research
- to apply prior knowledge to current issues
- to make forecasts about the present based on historical data
- to comprehend current procedures and guidelines in the context of the past
- to look at trends across time
SUPPLEMENTARY LEARNING MATERIALS
Cheprasov, A. (n.d.). Important points of historical writing.
Link: http://writing2.richmond.edu/training/project/history/fpbody.html
García-Bullé, S. (2022, January 11). What is the difference of History and historiography?
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COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Department of Social Sciences
Link: https://observatory.tec.mx/edu-news/history/
REFERENCES
Keyser, A. Sullivan, N. and Little, D. (2020, November 24). Philosophy of history. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Retrieved August 19, 2022, from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/history/
Keyser, A. Sullivan, N. and Little, D. (2019, October 29). Historical Methodology: Historical Evidence and Interpreting
History. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved August 19, 2022, from
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/history/
