CassidyTitchenell

JulioAlicea
WorldHistory
June1,2015

WorldHistoryEOCReflection

WorldHistoryisacoursethatcanbedifficultandboringattimes,especiallywhenyouare
learningsomuchcontentallatonce.However,thisyearsclasswasdifferentforme.Thereweremany
timesthroughouttheyearwhenIfeltengagedinthecontentandwantedtolearnmore.OnelessonthatI
willrememberlongafterWorldHistoryisidentityandmembership.Identityiswhoorwhatmakesa
personthemandmembershipisthestateofbelongingtoorbeingamemberofagroup.Bothofthese
havehadatremendousimpactontheworld.Ilearnedthatidentityaffectstheworldbecausepeoplewill
trytochangewhotheyareinordertofitinandbeamemberofsomething.ThisisatopicthatIwill
alwaysrememberbecauseInowknowthatIshouldnotchangemyidentitytobeamemberofagroup,I
shouldbewhoIamandwaitforsomeonetoacceptmeforme.AnothertopicthatIwillneverforgetis
thelessonaboutstereotypesandsinglestories.Atthebeginningofeveryquarter,wewouldthinkof
stereotypestowardsagroupofpeople.Forexample,atthebeginningofQuarter4,wethoughtofalarge
varietyofstereotypestowardsMiddleEasternpeople.Afewofthemwere:TheyareallMuslims,
terrorists,havemultiplewivesandtheyallwearaheadscarf.Theselessonshavetaughtmehow
stereotypicalandrudetheworldcanreallybe.Ihavelearnedhowstereotypesandsinglestoriescanaffect
agroupofpeoplebecauseovertime,thisgroupofpeoplemightstarttoactuallybelieveinthem.Ilearned
thatIshouldntlistentostereotypesorspreadthem.Inaddition,atopicthatIwillalwaysrememberis
race.InQuarter4theessentialquestionwasIsracereal?Wereviewedraceinahistoricalperspective,
aswellasabiologicalperspective.InWorldHistorywereviewedexamplesofracialdiscriminationand
howthathasbeenanissuethroughouthistory.OneexamplethatwereadaboutwashowtheEuropeans
tookovertheAfricansandtheirlandsallbecauseofthecoloroftheirskin.Welearnedthatraceisrealin

ahistoricalperspectivebutnotrealinabiologicalperspectiveduetohumansbeingclassifiedbyspecies,
notrace.IwillneverforgetthislessonbecauseIhavealwaysthoughtthatracewasreal.Ihavealways
believedthatracewasrealsincepeoplediscriminatedagainstothersduetotheirappearance,wheninfact
itisnot.
ThisclasshasinfluencedthewayIthinkaboutthestudyandvalueofhistory.Ihavelearnedthat
historyismorethandatesandwhathashappenedinthepast.Italsoincludeswhatpeoplethinkandhow
peoplehavetreatedothers.Priortothiscourse,Ithoughtthathistorywasallaboutmemorizingtheyear
somethingoccurredandwhocausedit.Mostofmyhistorylessonshavealwaysbeenoutofatextbookor
aworksheetthattheteacherfoundonline,theydidntrelatetheworktomeinanyway,soitwasnt
somethingthatIwasintriguedtolearn.However,thisWorldHistoryclasshasdefinitelychangedmy
viewsonhistory.Forexample,Ilearnedthatstereotypesplayamajorroleinhistory.Ilearnedthatmany
stereotypescausepeopletoactadifferentwaythatusuallyresultsinanegativeeffectontheworld.I
learnedhistoryhasatendencytorepeatitself,andsometimestheonlywaytostopthatistonotbelieve
thestereotypesthatpeoplemakeaboutcertaingroupsofpeople.Anotherwaythisclasshaschangedmy
viewsonhistoryisthatIlearnedthatwomenhavearoleinhistorytoo.Ofallofmyyearsinschool,I
haveprobablyonlylearnedaboutthreewomeninhistory.ButthethreethatIdidlearnaboutwereonly
taughttomeonceandneverspokenaboutagain.However,thisyearIlearnedaboutmoreinfluential
womenwhohavemadehistory.OnewomenthatwelearnedaboutwasLaMalinche,whowasaNative
AmericanwomenwhohelpedHernanCortesconquerMexico.Thishaschangedmyviewsinhistory
becauseIlearnedthathistoryisnotallaboutmen,itcanalsobeaboutwomenmakingachangeaswell.
Inaddition,thisclasshasinfluencedthewayIthinkaboutidentityinmanyways.Beforethis
classIdidntreallyknowanythingaboutidentity.IdidntthinkaboutitandIneverevenfocusedonmy
ownidentity.However,thisclasshasreallychangedmyperspectivesonidentity.Forexample,Ilearned
thatweneverreallyknowanybodysrealidentity,we,ashumans,usuallyonlyjudgeothersbywhatwe

seeandwhatweassume.Butthatisnotthecase.Ihavelearnedthateveryonehasanidentityandapast
thatmakesthem,them.Inaddition,Ilearnedthatidentityhasahugeinfluenceonsociety.Ilearnedthatin
history,peoplehavediscriminatedagainstothersbasedontheirappearancewhichhascausedracism,the
Holocaust,andmanyotherhorrificevents.Besidesfromlearningaboutidentityingeneral,Ihavealso
learnedaboutmyownidentity.Atthebeginningoftheyearwemadeidentitychartsthatdepictedwhowe
thoughtwewere.Lookingatthatidentitychart,myidentityhaschangedquiteabit.Forexample,atthe
beginningoftheyear,IleftouthowIaminamilitaryfamily.WhenIreviewedmyidentitychartover
againIwasverysurprisedtoseethatIhadleftthisoutbecausethisisabigpartofmylife.Bybeingina
militaryfamilyIhavelearnedhowtobebrave,makesacrifices,andhowtobemoreresponsibleathome.
Inaddition,Ialsolearnedthatwemakeupourownidentitiesbywhowebefriend,howwebehave,and
howwecarryourselves.Allinallidentityhasahugeimpactontheworld.