It Instructs. Study history: How looking at the past can equip you for the future. I must have been a little delirious, but I considered it reasonable to work on the basis that I was being attacked by many-tentacled brown monsters which were trying to squeeze the life out of me, and that my job was to stop them doing it. This allows people to understand how cultural, social and societal values developed differently. This means not just reading, looking at or listening to a source – whether a newspaper report, a medieval charter, an interview or a 16thcentury woodcut – but questioning it. You will shortly receive a receipt for your purchase via email. How powerful and successful was this kind of source or message? In 1916 he stated sweepingly: 'History is bunk'. The skills of the historian are profoundly connected to understanding and working within this changing society. Most notice- ably, they never quite managed to identify exactly what it was they were attempting to achieve. The fact that any historian worth his salt reached conclusions based on the evidence found, rather than reaching a conclusion and then searching for evidence to support it, seemed to be one of the strengths that marked doing History out as being a very worthwhile activity. Everything you ever wanted to know about... Study history: Tips from an admissions tutor, So, you want to study history? Unfortunately, because my voice was virtually non-existent for a long time, I was unable to communicate with them. There are many subjects one can study. They would not have been prepared to hear what I had to say. It is a mistake to think that the way a history degree is conducted and assessed isn’t changing equally rapidly: we teach different kinds of history, hear different voices, and write new narratives of the past which challenge past orthodoxies. Studying history is important to provide people with a sense of the past. I was amazed by just how many differences there seemed to be. I even had time to think about some nice things. The beauty of studying history allows us to see whether any previous ‘war on drugs’ was successful. Take the prohibition laws in the US in the 1920s. Much to our amusement, the 90 year-old described me to his daughter as 'that poor bugger in the corner'. Thank you for subscribing to HistoryExtra, you now have unlimited access. Among the liberal arts, history is the discipline most concerned with understa… There has been the pleasure of finding out about much of what happened in the past, and there has been the acquisition of patterns of thought which I have used when tackling most practical problems in both my personal and my working life. But it also said that full-time degrees were monopolising the higher education market, and not providing graduates with the necessary skills to enter the labour market. For several days the conversation around one bed was all about a neighbour who, while attempting to manoeuvre his car, had accidentally reversed into my fellow patient's garden wall, partly demolishing it. If you subscribe to BBC History Magazine Print or Digital Editions then you can unlock 10 years’ worth of archived history material fully searchable by Topic, Location, Period and Person. The events leading up to both World Wars help us understand how a small event can set off a large series of changes. The study of history is the study of humanity, and it reveals truths about the … It seems a little far-fetched to maintain that the survival of Britain as a healthy democracy depends on there being plenty of historians around, but I can understand the thinking that leads to such an assertion being made. The biggest reason you should consider a study abroad program is the opportunity … History helps us learn to understand other people. From time to time I found myself reflecting on how lucky I was to have chosen a subject in which qualifications could be gained largely by learning interesting 'stories' and by making up my own mind about issues such as why things had happened, what had been the importance of certain events, and how significant the roles of various individuals had been. Yet most historians would feel very uncomfortable thinking in this way. I could almost hear the cries of 'Rubbish' that would have greeted any such assertion. That new industries are beginning to see the value of a historical education is surprising only to those who have rarely thought in detail about what a historical approach to the world means. Worries about the economic value of arts and humanities degrees seem to be increasing; certainly, they do not appear to be a high funding priority. History also teaches us how to learn from the mistakes of others. Then we noticed a subtle change in the way the doctors phrased their comments. This is something that is important and valued. As I had these thoughts in hospital my mind wondered in all sorts of directions. History helps us understand our own identities. Its study helps create good businesspeople, professionals, and political leaders. There would have been thoughts exchanged about what the car driver might have been feeling and, in all probability, there would have been a consideration of how we could get the outcome we wanted while causing our neighbour as little distress as possible. The hospital ward in which I found myself contained just four beds. History Is Useful in the World of Work. Those who study History for any length of time, and who get into the habit of thinking historically, almost automatically consider both sides of an issue whenever they are forming an opinion or deciding on a course of action. We write essays, articles and books, but also write blog posts, design websites and apps, and create new ways for many different sections of the public to interact with the past in collaboration with librarians, archivists and curators. The Wrongful Death of Toussaint Louverture. ...The Importance of History It is both necessary and helpful to study the context of prior history because it is relevant to who we are. Historians try and understand how things happen and what their consequences were. Not only that society’s economic bases (who is rich, who is poor; how are the rich, rich and the poor, poor; how were clothes made and acquired, buildings built and everything paid for) but also how that society legitimates its very existence. The official website for BBC History Magazine, BBC History Revealed and BBC World Histories Magazine, Save 50% on a BBC History Magazine or BBC History Revealed subscription, Dr Alice Taylor explains how looking at the past can equip you for the future…. Studying abroad helps you build invaluable relationships with people from … Alcohol was illegal for 13 years. We live in a rapidly changing world. If I had been teaching them History I would have been saying, 'read the question carefully and work out exactly what you are being asked to do. In other words, we would have been at pains to look at the situation from his point of view. History provides a foundation for activism. Top tips from a graduate, “Studying history is the ultimate passport to the future”, Medieval universities and an unlikely friendship, Editor’s pick: Ian Kershaw on postwar Europe, Saving food, saving lives: rationing in the Second World War, Admiral Lord Nelson: 10 days that created a legend, 10 tips to choosing a history degree course, Study History: Tips from an admissions tutor. The negative response would be that history can’t carry this kind of value, not any more: far more valuable, surely, to study a STEM subject (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). No doubt you are already ahead of me in working out where my thoughts are going. You can unsubscribe at any time. The Emperor Augustus, back in the first century AD, proclaimed himself to be the son of a god and had an autobiography written to tell the world how great he was – a piece of political publicity so successful we’re still reading it today. On 11 June 2018, the House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs published a report entitled ‘Treating Students Fairly: the Economics of Post-School Education’. You have successfully linked your account! Although I was lying flat and couldn't see what was happening, I could hear everything that went on. The report made many recommendations: it judged the government’s aim of marketising higher education to be unsuitable to the nature of the sector; called for the reinstatement of means-tested loans and grants; and proposed that high interest rates on current student loans be reduced. It is hard to underestimate the importance of history of education. The Benefits Because we are human, and humans are creatures of habit, history often repeats itself. The report did not single out degrees in arts and humanities subjects as causing ‘skills mismatches’. I guessed that the annoyance and the determination to make the neighbour pay for the damage would have been the same, but was sure there would have been an additional dimension to the discussion. Just a … history education teaches us life skills a long time I was there my three companions remained.! Family heritage its study helps create good businesspeople, professionals, and what their consequences were hospital my wondered! 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