Reading in Philippine History

Course Description
The course analyzes Philippine history from multiples perspective through the
lens of selected primary sources coming from various discipline and different genres.
Students are given opportunities to analyze the author’s background and the main
argument, compare different point of view, identify biases and examine the evidences
presented in the documents. The discussion will tackle traditional topics in history and
other interdisciplinary themes that will deepen their understanding of Philippine
political, economic, cultural social scientific and religious history. Priority is given the
primary materials that could help the students develop their analytical and
communication skills. The end goal is to develop the historical and critical
consciousness of the students so that they will become versatile, articulate, broad-
minded morally upright and responsive citizen.
Requirements

• 4 weeks summer classes - once a week online meeting

• Classes start on July 1- July 31, 2020
• Read the module, link and materials to be given
• Do the activities that required in the module every week.
• Submission of activity will be every Saturday. Additional grade/ points
will be given who will submit early.
• The final examination will be announced.
Definitions
 History was derived from Greek - “Historia”
means Knowledge
It is also means Learning
Knowledge and Learning can acquire-
Investigation
History has always been known as the study of the past
History become known as the account of the past person or group
of person through written documents and historical evidences.
• History became an important academic discipline.
• It became historian’s duty to write about the lives of important
individuals like monarch, heroes, saints, and nobilities.
• History was also focused on writing about wars, revolution and others
important Breakthrough.

• Traditional historians lived with the mantra of “No documents No

history”.

• But how about the ordinary people or indigenous group? Does it

means that they were people of no history?
 Sources of History
• Archaeology- is the study of past culture
• Archaeologist- study artifacts (materials and equipment made by
people of the past like tools, pottery, and jewelry) fossils (preserved
remains of plant, animals and people remote geological past).
• Archaeological excavation- refers to the systematic recovery and study
of these pieces of materials evidence.
• Archaeology give us an idea how things might have looked like at a
particular time.
• Primary sources- are considered as contemporary accounts of an
event, personally written or narrated by an individual person who
directly experienced or participated in the said event.

• Secondary sources- serve as interpretations or reading of primary

sources. Usually, the author of a piece incorporates his or her
personal insights and interpretation, thus detaching the original value
of the component of the subject discussed.
 Question in evaluating the validity and credibility of sources

1. How did the author know about the given details? Was the authjor
present at the event? How soon was the author able to gather the details
of the event?

2. Where did the information come from? Is it a personal experience, an

eyewitness account, or a report made by another sources/ person?

3. Did the author conclude based on a single source, or on many sources

of evidence?
Garraghan (1950) 6 point of inquiries to evaluate the authenticity

1. Date- when was it produced?

2. Localization- where did it originate?
3. Authorship- Who wrote it?
4. Analysis- What pre- existing materials served as the basis for its
production?
5. Integrity- What was its original form?
6. Credibility- what is the evidential value of its content?
Howell and Prevenier (2001) internal criteria
1. The genealogy of the document- refers to the development of the documents. The
document may be original, copy or a copy of a copy.
2. The genesis of the document- includes the situations and the authorities during the
document’s production.
3. The originality of the document- includes the nature of the document whether it is an
eye/ ear- witness account or merely passing of existing information
4. The interpretation of the document- pertains to deducing meaning from the
document.
5. The authorial authority of the document- refers to the relationship between the
document’s subject matter and its author
 6. The competence of the observer- refers to the author’s capabilities and qualification
to critically comprehend and report information
7. The trustworthiness of the document- refers to the author’s integrity-whether he or
she fabricates or reports trutfully
History has played various roles in the past.

• 1. States use history to unite a nation

• 2. It can be used as a toll to legitimize regimes and forge a sense of
collective identity through collective memory.
• 3. Lessons from the past can be used to make sense of the present.
• 4. Learning of past mistakes can help people to not repeat them.
• 5. being reminded of a great past can inspire people to keep their
good practices to move forward.