History Fan

You enrolled in this course because it likely fulfilled a General Education (GenEd) requirement--the core courses every college student must take in order to graduate. Since you probably had several choices other than History, you either chose History because it sounded more interesting than Political Science or English, or because you got a late registration time and this was the only open class that fit into your schedule. Whichever scenario best describes your situation, you must prepare yourself mentally to succeed.

University administrators, educators, and many future employers believe that a well-rounded university graduate will more easily shift into the job market. These graduates understand the world around them. They have an ability to research, write, speak, and analyze, and they can carry on fascinating conversations about a wide variety of topics before meetings, at company get-togethers, and conferences. They often provide a bridge to new employees, prospective clients, and international visitors because they have studied the global community and languages, not just Computer Programming or Accounting, for example.

Take advantage of the opportunities offered to you during your college career. Never ask why you have to take a class, ask instead how much you can learn.

College History courses demand much more than high school courses. They should challenge your previous understanding of historical events, force you to formulate complex analytical frameworks, and demand you to evaluate sources based on their origin, perspective, and other factors. You will have to remember more, think more, write more, and discuss more. Your professors will demand attention to detail on exams, in your research papers, and in defending your responses in class.

Perhaps you received good grades in high school without ever opening a textbook. Those days are gone. In college, you will need to study at least every other day in order to earn a good grade. Instead of working on a research paper the night before the due date, you will need to prepare your paper early and complete numerous drafts, editing each time you reread it. You will need to follow your professor's instructions to the letter. Most important and difficult, perhaps, you will need to motivate yourself. Professors will not call you at home or send you a note if you miss too many classes. No one is going to make sure you come to class every day. If you do not go to class, the only consequence is that your final grade will suffer. Be prepared to live with the consequences of your actions in this class and others. You are truly on your own in college. While the Student Services Office might be able to provide some assistance, you must learn how to cope with college life in your own way.

Your History course should provide you with a basic ability to research, write analytically, and speak publicly. You will gain a lifelong basis for carefully assessing the value and validity of sources, documents, and reports. You will improve your ability to write a comprehensive, organized, and supported paper. You will gain an understanding of at least one historical period or topic. While these include some of the goals of a History course in general, you will gain only as much as you put into the class. Some of you will read this book cover to cover, highlighting, tabbing, or otherwise marking this text. Others will read only sections they feel a need to peruse. Others may totally disregard this text all together. You will have to study, read, and complete more than one draft of your papers. College courses are meant to challenge you, push you to understand and rise to a higher level of analysis. This supplement will provide you with at least an understanding of how to approach various assignments and exams.

Professors understand that many of you enrolled in this class only to fulfill a GenEd requirement. They might even take this as a challenge to interest you in something that never interested you before. Students enrolled in any college course should get the most out of this opportunity to learn and hone your research, writing and speaking skills. Take advantage of the opportunity to broaden your horizons. Use this guide to assist you in negotiating through your History course.

You have heard the phrase, without understanding History, the world is doomed to repeat it. This is witnessed by the genocidal policies of some countries, communist downfalls, the rise of fall of great nations (e.g. Greece, Rome), and perhaps market conditions. Whether you continue with a History degree or go into Business Administration, Spanish, Philosophy, Biology, or Political Science, the skills learned in this History class will benefit you. Marketing analysts have to clearly understand historical trends in order to predict future market conditions. A rewarding experience with Spanish literature and language, as well as travel to Spanish-speaking countries, demands an understanding of country's and people's historical experiences. Philosophical principles reach well into the Roman and Greek classical periods and even prior to those great societies. How could one possibly understand the Socratic method without comprehending the world in which the great "Gadfly" lived? A job in Biology, while not obviously tied to historical methods on the surface, might evolve into a necessity to understand shifting populations and perhaps historical abuse of environmental conditions to understand the changes in biological (plant or animal) life in national parks, monuments, or wildlife sanctuaries and reserves. Researching land use is the key to determining reasons for regional biological change. And of course, imagine becoming a politician and serving as Ambassador to China without a clear understanding of China's stormy History with Tibet, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

History teaches many important skills, not the least of which are understanding and analyzing documentary and other sources, the ability to recognize and determine historical trends, researching and writing, public speaking, and learning to listen to and accept other perspectives (while perhaps not agreeing).

Have you considered majoring or minoring in History? Did you decide not to because you do not want to teach? Think again--many career opportunities await Historians! Besides teaching, you could work in one of the following fields: