Bracken Health Sciences Library
Fall 2009 History of Medicine -- Information Literacy Assignment #1 -- Heroes and Villains in Medical History
We know you already know how to search the web. But are you really as good as you think you are at finding BOOKS?
Rules of the Game for "Heroes" and "Villains" in Medical History
Instructions:
- Each group of 2 or 3 students will select a name from the designated LIST (click here for the list) by sending an email to Sandra Halliday - halliday@queensu.ca.
Make sure you include (a) the names of the students in your team and (b) your top three choices for the assignment.
If all three of your top choices are taken, you can help us by also including a preference (e.g. a woman, a Canadian, a Nobel laureate, or someone from antiquity, the Middles Ages, etc.).
- Use QCAT, the reference section of the library (or libraries), and the History of Medicine Subject Guide to find a variety of resources about your historic person. Try to find 5 separate resources; they must include:
(a) at least one item written by your historic person (a "primary" source)
(b) something written about your historic person (a "secondary" source).
NB NB NB
For this assignment ABOUT BOOKS, a primary source that will "count" is NOT a website. A primary source is a physical object (book?) that you can hold and will have held in your hands.
- After reviewing the material found, decide if your historic person was a "hero", or a "villain", or both, and explain why you came to this conclusion. The discussion of your historic person should be 1 or 2 pages in length and include the references to the primary and secondary sources that you found.
- NB. To learn how to search QCAT effectively for history of medicine resources complete the interactive online QCAT tutorial designed specifically for your class assignment. The few minutes it would take to complete the online tutorial could potentially save you oodles of research time.
- BE PREPARED TO BRIEFLY DISCUSS YOUR HISTORIC PERSON IN CLASS ON Friday, October 2, 2009 AT 10:30 AM.
IF WEATHER IS FINE, WE WILL GO OUTSIDE -- Bring a jacket, newspaper to sit on...
PRIZES!!!
- KEEP IN MIND:
(a) your search strategy for finding material on your historic person: where to look, what terms to use in QCAT, bibliographies and/or indexes
(b) the distinction between the various types of monographs (single author, edited volume, posthumous collection, translation, facsimile, etc.)
(c) the methods to search QCAT for maximum effectiveness (author, title, keyword, subject heading -- or a combination)
(d) the basics of controlled vocabularies (MeSH or other subject headings)
(e) the meaning of primary sources (books by) and secondary sources (books about)
(f) all history (including medical history) is a process of interpretation strongly influenced by the present.
- ONE written assignment for your group (please give all names) should be handed in to the Bracken Library Reference Desk on or before 4:30 pm on October 9, 2009.
Go Back to...
Heroes and Villains List of Names
Core Curriculum in History of Medicine
History of Medicine Teaching at Queen's