Problem
A. Who is the author of this source? Do a quick Google search of their name. What is their usual area of expertise? How is their expertise related to this source?
B. What specific historical period is the author examining in their article? Be as precise as possible.
C. What is the author's specific research topic or problem that they are addressing in the article? Explain.
D. What is the author's argument? Explain
E. How does this source relate to, respond to, or build on previous research in this area? Explain what this research is and how the author responds. Hint: you should be able to find references to previous research in the article and other research may also be mentioned in Oldridge's introduction to the source.
F. Re-read your source carefully. What does this source have to say about witchcraft/magic/the influence of the devil or heresy in the period that they are studying? Explain with details from the source.
G. Whose perspective of witchcraft/magic is the author exploring in their research (i.e., is the author exploring the ideas of "ordinary" people, the elite, or taking a larger view of social/political/religious causes of the witch hunts, or some combination of these)? Explain.
H. What evidence does the author use to support their argument? What kinds of sources do they use? Explain.
I. Choose one important piece of evidence that the author explains in detail to support their argument. Quote 5 to 10 lines where they explain the evidence. Type/paste the selection in the space provided for this question. Include quotation marks and an in-text citation.
J. How does the author interpret or make sense of the evidence in question 10? Explain in your own words.
K. What counterarguments or alternative explanations does the author address? How does the author explain these away? Explain
L. What is one complementary, alternative, or competing explanation of this topic have you encountered so far in this course? How does this source fit in with or compare to that explanation? Explain your answer.
M. What is one primary source that you have encountered so far that this source could help to explain or interpret? Explain briefly how this source could help your analysis of the primary source.
N. Is the author's argument/evidence convincing? Does their evidence support their conclusions? Explain your opinion with evidence from the source.
O. Why is this a useful or important source for a student who is studying the history of the European witch hunts? What is so important about this perspective/argument? Explain. (Longer answer,
P. What are the limitations of this source? Explain
Q. give the complete bibliographic citation for your secondary source and any other sources that you consulted in this assignment. If you have used information from Darren Oldridge's
References
Jane P. Davidson, "The Myth of the Persecuted Female Healer," pp. 291-294