Name: Sharon HarrisonDate: 07/18/2021
Hist1010 Touchstone 2 Sample
Complete the following template, including all parts. Fill out all cells using complete sentences, aiming for one to three complete sentences for each cell of the template.
STEP 1: KNOWLEDGE
Select an issue you will address in your presentation for Unit 3 and decide which research question you want to focus on within your selected issue. Then, identify the key words and phrases that you will use as you search for sources.
What is the issue you would like to write about?
Facing Economic Change
Which question would you like to research?
How can people adjust when the workplace changes and what lessons can we learn from America’s Industrial Revolution, the new economy of the 1950s, and the Information Age?
What key words and phrases will you be looking for in your sources?
Keywords: adjust, workplace changes, America’s Industrial Revolution, new economy, 1950s, Information Age
STEP 2: COMPREHENSION From a collection of sources, choose two primary and two secondary sources that have relevant information for the historical events you want to include in your presentation. List the sources you identified and explain why they are credible.
2a. Evaluate two secondary sources that will help you investigate your research question.
Secondary Source 1
SecondarySource 2
What is the title?
Who wrote it?
Eric Goldschein. Written for the Business Insider “Welcome! Business Insider is a fast-growing business site with deep financial, media, tech, and other industry verticals. Launched in 2007 by former top-ranked Wall Street analyst Henry Blodget and DoubleClick executives Dwight Merriman and Kevin Ryan, the site is now the largest business news site on the web. Business Insider was acquired by German media company Axel Springer SE in September, 2015.”
Greg Myre. Written for NationalPublic Radio website.
When did they write it?
August 29, 2011
October 16, 2013
Why did they write it?
To compare most recent recession and get inspiration from those who lived through the Great Depression.
This was to look back at the crisis 40 years ago (1973 Oil embargo that led to massive shortages and long gas lines in the United states.) The aim was to review what happened then and why and show how lessons were learned and successful adaptations have been made and market conditions have changed in the years since to avoid a similar situation.
What is the main idea/ takeaway?
There are things we can learn from past generations who lived through hard times.
Over-dependence for key products (like oil) on foreign sources can make a nation economically vulnerable. But markets will adjust and policy changes can help to minimize the vulnerability. And, in the process, new sources can develop–like new sources of energy, which can lead to different types of jobs,
Was the writer present at the time of the events he is writing about?
No
No. he does not claim that and his bio does not indicate that. He perhaps was a small child then.
Does the writer seem neutral?
Yes
Not neutral, but fair. His reporting of the history in 1973 is short but seems reliable. His reporting on the changes of policy and and market conditions since that time seem accurate. However, it is an interpretive piece that tries to say lessons are learned and adjustments are made. One could see a piece debating his interpretation and suggesting dependence on Mideast Oil has been part of the motive for more conflicts there in 1991, and in the Iraq invasion of the 2000s, so have lessons been learned and have changes been adequate.
What are some of the facts presented?
1929 to 1932 saw a 50 percent drop in national income, and in 1933, almost 25 percent of the work force was unemployed.
The article shows a 1973 photo of the cars in gas lines. That the United States was dependent enough on oil from Arab countries that an embargo had massive consequences on everyday life in the US for the space of about a year. It points out the odd very different alignments then–we were then allies with Iran (!), this embargo led to congress establishing fuel economy standards in vehicles, etc. The US did more domestic drilling onland and offshore as a result, but also solar and other energy sources got more attention.
Explain how this source is credible.
The source uses both firsthand accounts and data to support the argument. It does not appear to persuade the reader to act in one singular way.
The source is credible but in using it, one must recognize that some of the “lessons” learned can be disputed–there are parts that are interpretive.
2b. Evaluate two primary sources that will help you investigate your research question.
Primary Source 1
PrimarySource 2
What is the title?
Who wrote it?
Sam Kornell for the Santa Barbara Independent Newspaper
Frank McNaughton (United Press) reports from Boise City, Oklahoma ; for the Pittsburgh Press (Pennsylvania)
When did they write it?
February 12, 2009; recent example
April 16, 1935
Why did they write it?
Examine the change for local bookstores when faced with online sales competition.
To depict for readers back east (Pittsburgh) the effects of the “Dust Bowl” in Oklahoma
What is the main idea/ takeaway?
Technology has changed the way we access books and therefore changes the business of selling books and working in that field.
Nature itself can sometimes compel dramatic economic collapse and change. People must adapt, and even survival can be difficult.
Was the writer present at the time of the events he is writing about?
He was present for the interview and the issue is current.
He was present to witness the effects and to interview those who lived in the region.
Does the writer seem neutral?
The writer reports on what his subjects answer and seems neutral.
The writer seems fair, though one must consider possible ifs. For example, what if he omits key info that would make the situation seem better; or what if he exaggerates for effect knowing readers back east can’t really ‘fact check” him easily in that day.
What are some of the facts presented?
-Today, online sales account for 40 percent of the Book Den’s business.
-In 2007, online book sales were only narrowly beaten out by sales at chain bookstores. This year, for the first time, more books are expected to be sold online than in stores.
– About 400 million paper books were sold in the United States in 2008, and Amazon sold 380,000 Kindles in 2008.
An immense dust storm is described first hand; effects of previous dust storms observed and described by residents. Farmers without cattle feed burn thorns to make them edible for cattle. Interviews local newsman who says (in his county) 83 percent of the farmers and ranchers are on relief and about 150 families have moved from the area. Similar figures are given for other parts of the state.
Explain how this source is credible.
The source gives a good overview of how those specific people working in small bookstores are affected by change in economy and technology.
The source is credible but perhaps dramatizes some descriptions or leaves out key information. He is writing for an eastern audience that can’t directly verify what he says. But, those are speculations; his report seems reliable. He uses direct testimony and statistics.
STEP 3: APPLICATION
Look for connections among your sources by comparing, contrasting, and corroborating information. Answer the following questions:
What links or similarities do you see among your sources of information?
Most of the sources speak of fairly sudden change. The bookstore example is more gradual and due to man-made technological change and the marketplace–this is easier to adjust to; the dustbowl change is more sudden,dramatic–and from nature–seems harder to adjust to. The secondary sources are more summary in form and cover a longer period.
What discrepancies or differences do you see among your sources of information?
There are no specific records about people who did not change. Was there ever any virtue or benefit to staying put and waiting for good times to return or the old type of bookstore to come back? Or–should we presume that those who did found that did not pan out as a strategy?
Discrepancies–really these show different types of coping with change. In any given situation–how do we know which strategy is best?
STEP 4: ANALYSIS
Examine your evidence and think about which pieces are strongest and which may be less useful, or may even oppose your argument. Answer the following questions:
What evidence provides the strongest support for your argument?
The stats in each sources and the first hand descriptions in the newspaper article on the dustbowl
What evidence provides the weakest support for your argument, or even opposes your argument?
The interpretive lessons–since these are easy to disagree about; like the lessons from the oil embargo
How will you use this evidence to make an argument about your issue?
The stories get attention; but the stats are persuasive–need to combine effectively. The more recent things might seem more relevant—if I can compare the dustbowl experience issues today of climate change, business destruction in hurricane or tornado or fire, etc,it might work well.
STEP 5: SYNTHESIS
Summarize your final argument to the research question you identified in Step 1 and be sure to include the main ideas that need to be communicated to your service organization.
Summarize your final argument – remember to include your position on your issue, describe the evidence you’ll use, and explain how your evidence supports your argument:
Workplaces change for diverse reasons–such as improvements in technology and marketplace change or severe economic downturns. But, workplaces also change due to less predictable issues like the environment and geopolitics. So–change is diverse–and it must be expected and viewed as a chance to adapt and succeed. This may require education and training, geographic mobility, and some more immediate coping strategies (government relief, more frugality, etc). But–in most cases, a consistently beneficial quality is the expectation of change and the embracing of it for new opportunities.
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