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READ: Sorqoqtani Beki (Graphic Biography)

Sorqoqtani Beki was one of many royal women whose actions and relationships shaped the Mongol empire, providing unity and later causing its division.
The Graphic Biography below uses “Three Close Reads”. If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.

First read: skimming for gist

This will be your quickest read. It should help you get the general idea of what the graphic biography will be about. Pay attention to the title, headings, images, and layout. Ask yourself: what is this graphic biography going to be about?

Second read: understanding content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. You should also spend some time looking at the images and the way in which the page is designed.
By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:
  1. Who was Sorqoqtani Beki and what was her relationship to the Mongol royal family?
  2. What was the cause of Sorqoqtani’s conflict with Oghul-Qaimish?
  3. How and why did Sorqoqtani win this conflict?
  4. Sorqoqtani’s nephew Batu agreed to support her. What did he get in return, and what was the eventual result?
  5. How does the artist use art and design to demonstrate the ways in which competition between women, and their support for each other, helped determine Mongol politics?

Third read: evaluating and corroborating

In this read, you should use the graphic biography as evidence to support, extend, or challenge claims made in the course.
At the end of the third read, you should be able to respond to these questions:
  1. How does this biography of Sorqoqtani Beki support, extend, or challenge what you have learned about the Mongols?
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to read! Remember to return to these questions once you’ve finished reading.

Sorqoqtani Beki (Graphic Biography)

Writer: Trevor Getz
Artist: Liz Clarke
Sorqoqtani Beki was one of many royal women whose actions and relationships shaped the Mongol empire, providing unity and later causing its division.
Download the Graphic Biography PDF here or click on the image above.

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