Week 2 is about continuing to develop your thinking about what historians do and about how history is made. This folder contains three short videos by the course team about their research and highlights a specific form of primary material they have used. You will notice that each of the presenters has considerable knowledge about the context in which the sources were produced which helps to enable them to explain the content of the sources. The use of multiple primary sources helps historians to obtain a fuller understanding of the range of different perspectives which existed in the past and the level of controversy which was sometimes evident about events, social groups or historical change. In many senses history is an understanding of arguments and debates which have been conducted in the past. The use of primary sources can enable you to relate to the past in a more personal way.

Watch the three videos below and then post a new journal entry answering the question 'Why do historians use multiple source materials?'

A member of the course team will respond to your journal entry with feedback.