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WHY STUDY HISTORY?
Who does not like to hear a gripping, outrageous, shocking story? History is about fascinating and intriguing stories, and they’re not just ‘his-stories’ either!
There are plenty of ‘her-stories’ too; take that of suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, who died by being knocked down by the King’s racehorse during the Derby in 1913. What’s more, they are, by and large, true. Or are they? Did man really land on the moon, or was it a Hollywood stunt? Who did shoot JFK? Who was responsible for the sinking of the Titanic?
Why do some claim Hitler was a drug addict? Was Jack The Ripper a member of the Royal Family? And was it an accident, or was Princess Diana murdered? All these and many more sensational topics can be unearthed during your study of History.
Studying history is important because:
It allows us to understand our past, which in turn allows us to understand our present.
People often say that “history repeats itself,” but if we study the successes and failures of the past, we may, ideally, be able to learn from our mistakes and avoid repeating them in the future.
Studying history can provide us with insight into our cultures of origin as well as cultures with which we might be less familiar, thereby increasing cross-cultural awareness and understanding.
And then there are the skills:
- You will develop literacy, communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- History allows one to exercise critical thinking skills. These critical thinking skills are important for all areas in life, academic and otherwise.
- Skills of analysis are invaluable in many jobs, and the ability to analyse and then prioritise information is vital to decision making – this not only provides a skill set for a student but it also keeps career options open.
- History is mainly about adult subjects and the actions of adults, so if students can show they have studied, understood and written about these it demonstrates maturity, knowledge, and ability to future further education establishments or employers.
- A History qualification can, therefore, be an impressive and attractive feature on a CV.
The national curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:
- Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
- Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind.
- Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’.
- Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses.
- Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed.
- Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short – and long-term timescales.
