现代大学英语精读第二版book3unit.ppt

,Why Historians Disagree,Allen F.Davis&Harold D.Woodman,Why Historians Disagree,Unit 11,Warming up,Why Historians Disagree,Unit 11,Questions/Activities,Check-on Preview,Objectives,What kind of writing is this?How does the language strike you?Academic writing?Formal words or informal words?Impersonal structures?Long or short sentences?Clear presentation?,Warming up,Questions/Activities,Warming up,Check-on Preview,Why do historians disagree?Tick the reasons.A.They get wrong facts.B.They select and use different historical facts.C.They differ on the importance of the same facts.D.They consider different levels of cause and effect.E.They view the event from different perspectives and analyze it in different theoretical frames.F.They are often revising their ideas.,Objectives,Learn why historians disagree.Reflect on what history is.Practice reading skills:reading for the gistreading academic articlesAnalyze the structure of an expository writing to see how the main ideas are cleverly organized and connected(transition).Apply what you will learn to your study and life.,Warming up,Background,Views on History,Unit 11,Why Historians Disagree,“The End of History?”(Francis Fukuyama)A.New Historicists:history and literatureB.French Annal School and total historyC.Big tradition and small traditionD.Grand narrative and rejection of such a narrativeIn all,the TEXTUALITY of history.,Background,Views on History,A.New Historicism Its a reaction to deconstructionist view of history which amounts to historical nihilism.Yet its radically different from traditional historicism.History is not a series of events that have a linear,causal relationship.The self-claimed objective analysis is impossible.Traditional historians ask,“What happened?”and“What does the event tell us about history?”New historicists ask,“How has the event been interpreted?”and“What do the interpretations tell us about the interpreters?”,Background,Views on History,B.The French Annal School A radical shift of perspective in the study of history from the SIGNIFICANT eventspolitical,economic,personalto the DAILY and ROUTINE happenings in the life of the common people.A shift of focus from the court and battlefield to the folk and tea table of the common.,Background,Views on History,C.Big tradition and small traditionAn idea particularly important in the study of cultural anthropology.By comparing the state-sponsored reports on and records of the exploits of Chinese Three Gorges Project and the movie Still Life by Jia Zhangke,we can see the incompatibility of big and small traditions.,Background,Views on History,D.His-story and her-story Women have either been excluded from the history or been denigrated in the historical account.When they were included,they were marginalized or subordinated by the male(not necessarily male)historians,or used as scapegoats to explain the misfortunes in the history.,Background,Views on History,Unit 11,Text Analysis,Why Historians Disagree,Part I The introduction(paras.1-5)Misconceptions about the study of history(paras.1-3)Definition of history(paras.4-5)Part II The body(paras.6-11)Selection of different facts about the same event(para.6)Use of the same facts from different premises(paras.7-10)Analysis of different levels of cause and effect(para.11)Part III The conclusion:inevitability of disagreement(paras.12-13),Text Analysis,Structure,How was history taught in your high school?What were you usually required to do?How were you evaluated?What are the basic assumptions and implications of this approach?What is the problem of this approach?Do historians usually agree in their descriptions and explanations of the same historical events?Does this mean that some of them are right while some of them are wrong?Does this mean that they have their facts wrong?Why or why not?How would you react when you found historians dealing with the same event often disagree?,Text Analysis,Part I(A):Discussion,Detailed Analysis,be introduced toby way of immersereact to the state of affairspresumablycontending historiansa matter of memorizing factsa matter of personal preference,Text Analysis,Part I(A):Words&Expressions,Detailed Analysis,Is it a record of the human past?Is it in some way similar to literature?Is it a collection of interesting and instructive stories?Is it a tool of propaganda?Is it only about facts?What does the job of historians involve?Is it a science?Is it purely objective science?A further question:If history is easily used as a tool for propaganda,if history is based partly on guesswork,does this mean that the study of history and historical works are not reliable?How can historians achieve any credibility?,Text Analysis,Part I(B):What is history?,Detailed Analysis,baseonrestricted vs.limitedremains n.concludeDifferent ways of giving a definition In its broadest sense,A denotes B.More restricted is the notion that A isA may be defined as,Text Analysis,Part I(B):Words&Expressions,Detailed Analysis,Part II(A):Discussion,But this does not say enough.(para.6)But this is still an inadequate answer to the question why history is not simply a record of the past.Why?Do historians just give us all the facts about the recorded past?,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Part II(B):Discussion,What is this part about?Historians come to different conclusions because they view the past from a different perspective.(para.2)What does“perspective”mean?How will differences in perspective lead to disagreements?Why do the authors talk about Wilsons new hat and the sinking of American merchant ships?Why do the authors mention a whole series of facts that could be relevant to American entry into WWI?,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Part II(B):Discussion,Why do the authors mention a whole series of facts that could be relevant to American entry into WWI?German unrestricted submarine warfareBritish propagandaAmerican loansThe Zimmermann Note(The Mexican War)A deep concern over the balance of power in Europe,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,The unrestricted submarine warfare,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Full text of The Zimmermann Telegram:On the first of February we intend to begin submarine warfare unrestricted.In spite of this,it is our intention to endeavor to keep neutral the United States of America.If this attempt is not successful,we propose an alliance on the following basis with Mexico:that we shall make war together and together make peace.We shall give general financial support,and it is understood that Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in New Mexico,Texas,and Arizona.The details are left to you for settlement.(to be continued),Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Full text of The Zimmermann Telegram:You are instructed to inform the President of Mexico of the above in the greatest confidence as soon as it is certain that there will be an outbreak of war with the United States and suggest that the President of Mexico,on his own initiative,should communicate with Japan suggesting adherence at once to this plan;at the same time,offer to mediate between Germany and Japan.Please call to the attention of the President of Mexico that the employment of ruthless submarine warfare now promises to compel England to make peace in a few months.Zimmermann(Sent January 19,1917),Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Part II(A+B):Argumentation,Historians select and create evidence by using of some theories of human motivation and behavior.(paras.6-7)Guided by different theories,historians select different facts and interpret facts differently,coming to different conclusions.(paras.8-10),Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Part II(B):Words&Expressions,relevant vs.relatedthe choice as to admittedlyresolvethe event/question under studycausethe balance of powerto sbs disadvantage,thereby,wherebymake of stem from concern with in short maintaingive equal to weightbe the key to,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,What is the main idea of para.11?Is it true that in analyzing causes of historical events the further back one traces,the better?Explain:Historians sometimes disagree because they are not really discussing the same matter.The point at which causes are both necessary and sufficient is not self-evident.,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Part II(C):Discussion,Why are you late?Overslept I stayed up cramming for the exam.I missed too many classes.I didnt like the class.,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,To illustrate the point,the authors use an analogy.,The cause of the Civil WarOpen fire at Fort Sumter?Slavery the Compromise of 1850 the militant abolitionist movement of the 1830sthe Missouri Compromise the conflict over slavery in the constitutional conventionIntroduction of blacks to America in 1619,premiserealm be faulted on the grounds that reach the point where/at whichprobedig deepergo too far back totell enough to trace the cause,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Part II(C):Words&Expressions,What does it mean when the authors say that historians often disagree with themselves?Can we eliminate all disagreements?Why not?Why is it important to know why historians disagree?Why do the authors say being able to see truth as“an elusive yet intriguing goal in a never-ending quest”will make students appreciate the study of history?,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Part III:Discussion,Paraphrase If the state of our knowledge were such that it provided us with a model of unquestioned validity that completely explained human behavior,we can.(para.13)If our knowledge of human beings and the world is thorough and advanced enough to give us a model that can explain human behavior completely and can work under any circumstances,disagreements in history can be eliminated.Unfortunately such a model has never existed.,Text Analysis,Detailed Analysis,Part III:Exercise,Unit 11,Reinforcement,Discussion,Why Historians Disagree,The title of the text is“Why Historians Disagree.”Do you think that the analyses only apply to historians?Why do people disagree in general?Why do historians disagree?What controversies have excited Chinese or foreign historians concerning either ancient or recent history?Describe one and explain the causes of the controversy.How do the authors achieve smooth transition between paragraphs?,Reinforcement,Discussion,