History Lab: INQUIRY 2
An "Object-Inquiry" Unit

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IV. General Objectives

1. STEPS: ANALYSIS, DOCUMENTATION, AND CONTEXTUALIZATION
1. Analysis
Analysis requires the careful study of an artifact to determine the process by which it may have been made and used, the purpose it fulfilled, and the precedent from which it evolved or that it set. To determine these things, one must examine the artifact as objectively as possible, at times using scientific methods to determine the materials from which it was made and the technology it represents.

Documentation

1. This step is necessary to proving or disproving the hypotheses derived during the analysis phase. Here the researcher identifies other applicable sources (artifacts, ephemera, books, periodicals, people, letters, manuscripts, catalogs, images, etc.) that relate to the artifact being studied. The basic steps in this step often include finding a similar object with a documented history, locating an image of the object in use, questioning an expert or obtaining oral histories, using maps to determine locations of origin and trade routes, determining time period by assessing the technology utilized by the craftsperson, and doing a cross-cultural comparison for function.
2. The sources noted in a. are then used to prove or disprove the hypothesis derived in the analysis phase. Should the hypothesis be disproved, the researchers shall revise the hypothesis and proceed through this phase once again.

Contextualization

1. In order to have enough information to truly place an artifact in its proper historical context, the researcher must have concluded the analysis and documentation steps. The compilation of this information will lead to identification of the object.
2. This step requires the notation of the contextual elements relating to an artifact. These elements include: Time, place, viewpoint, impact, user, cultural and technological significance.
3. The third aspect of contextualization is conducting both a synchronic and diachronic study of the object. Synchronic study forces the researcher to concentrate on a single period of time in the history of the artifact. Diachronic study compares the object to objects with similar functions from different time periods.

GENERALIZATIONS

1. Analysis of an object is critical to understanding its historical context.
2. Analysis leads to a hypothesis of use and significance, and proving that hypothesis is reliant upon documentation.
3. Documentation in its many forms is necessary to accurate contextualization.
4. Understanding the context of an object can lead to a fuller understanding of the process by which it was made and used, the purpose it served functionally and associatively, and the object and idea precedent that influenced its creation. Theorizing process, precedent, and purpose are part of analysis.
5. The concepts of analysis, documentation, and context are cyclically connected, with one influencing and refining the other through a system of inquiry.

ISSUES

1. Is it necessary to collect and preserve artifacts, buildings, ephemera, and documents?
2. Is it practical to use objects in the classroom, and can kids really learn from them?
3. Should we be concerned with the decomposition factor of objects in the present-day design and production of them?

V. Instructional Objectives

1. That students develop an understanding of how to analyze, document, and contextualize objects.
2. That students gain skills in "reading" objects.
3. That students recognize and utilize interdisciplinary connections between the analysis, documentation, and contextualization steps of object-based study.