What does it mean?

Why is this primary source important? What meaning does it make?

Once you have spent time observing your primary source and then doing some contextual research with secondary sources, you may start to have ideas or make connections about your primary source. These ideas are called inferences or claims, and they should be based on the evidence you collected through observation and contextualization.

There is no "one way" to make inferences or claims. However, here are some suggested actions:

Make a mind map or something to organize your notes/observations.
Evaluate your map or notes for connections or questions
Consider a methodological approach you want to take (e.g. comparative approach, a close reading, a historical analysis, a visual analysis, etc.)
Continue to explore secondary research when you encounter unanswered questions
Make short lists of claims or inferences, and check to see if you have evidence (this may lead you back to observations or mapping)

Flow chart of how one might make a claim: (1) mind map, (2) evaluate map or notes, (3) explore secondary OR make short list of claims, (4) repeat

Mind map of The Birds showing connections between film narrative and film technique

Initial mind map after watching the film The Birds. This student might begin to notice connections between when (and how) women appear in the film, when violence occurs, and how specific scenes are framed, lit, or sequenced. The mind map is a starting point towards making inferences and claims that need to be backed up by specific evidence.

Mind Mapping

Mind maps are not required process work, but sometimes they can help you make connections that you otherwise would not have seen. There are many mind mapping tools out there, but many people find it helpful to just do it on paper.

Mind mapping can also help you if you are choosing a primary source that doesn't have an existing scholarly conversation around it. In the example to the left, Alfred Hitchcock is a well-known filmmaker, and The Birds is a well-known classic film. I might expect to find some works written about this film.

However, if I chose a film like Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), I should not expect to find a scholarly conversation about this film. However, I might find scholarly conversations about concepts and themes explored within the film, or a conversation around the interpretive or methodological approaches I am choosing to use. Mind mapping can help unearth these themes or approaches if they are not obvious.

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