Why Study History?

  

 

 

To Understand that Human Actions Have Consequences
 
"We can learn from history how past generations thought and acted, how they responded to the demands of their time and how they solved their problems. We can learn by analogy, not by example, for our circumstances will always be different than theirs were. The main thing history can teach us is that human actions have consequences and that certain choices, once made, cannot be undone. They foreclose the possibility of making other choices and thus they determine future events.

"What we do about history matters. The often repeated saying that those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them has a lot of truth in it. But what are '"the lessons of history?" The very attempt at definition furnishes ground for new conflicts. History is not a recipe book; past events are never replicated in the present in quite the same way. Historical events are infinitely variable and their interpretations are a constantly shifting process. There are no certainties to be found in the past."
                                                                                                                                 -- Gerda Lerner

To Develop Valuable Knowledge and Skills

  1. To explore the major themes and trends of Western Civilization and United States history, to build a bridge that links the past with the present, to discover how individuals have exercised leadership and served as agents of constructive change, to learn from the successes and failures of others, and to appreciate the contributions made by previous generations.
     
  2. To understand the approach to history defined by Will and Ariel Durant in The Lessons of History (1968): "Obviously historiography [writing history] cannot be a  science. It can only be an industry, an art, and a philosophy. – an industry by ferreting out the facts, an art by establishing a meaningful order in the chaos of materials, a philosophy by seeking perspective and enlightenment."
     
  3. To develop a working knowledge of the processes required to understand the past and to engage in the  discovery, analysis, interpretation, and communication of historical evidence (the various aspects of the historian's craft).
     
  4. To develop the critical thinking skills and lifelong learning skills needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century, especially the ability to separate fiction, fantasy, and falsehood from substantiated truth.
     
  5. To share ideas, insights, and discoveries with others using effective communication skills.
     
 

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