Primary Source Evidence

Prior to this section on Romans, I had no idea that the SCIM-C strategy existed. It is an extremely valuable strategy when it comes to analyzing primary source evidence, but the true value of the SCIM-C strategy transcends analysis and history as a topic. The SCIM-C strategy forces you to drastically change your mindset and look for clues you may not have even considered. The mindset provoked by SCIM-C makes it much easier to be historically empathetic with questions like, “What might have been the purpose of this object?” Questions similar to this one force you to put yourself in the shoes of someone from that time period. The line of thought may be something like this: “Why did Cicero write this letter to Atticus? In his eyes, what was the point of doing this?” It also makes other historical perspectives such as identifying continuity and change less difficult as a result of the previously mentioned mindset change. In short, SCIM-C seems to be an excellent vessel for showing historical empathy.