WHY STUDY HISTORY?

 “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced w/ courage, need not be lived
again” - Maya Angelou
 Your choice of subject for leaving certificate may influence your future career/3 rd level options
 History will give you a combination of skills & insights that will help you to:
 Prepare you for work
 Enable you to participate fully in society
 Develop you as a person
 You will submit a report on a research study that you undertake on a subject that is particular
interest to you.
 It is unique in that it investigates how human life has changed over time.\You will develop your
understanding of change thru the perspectives of political, social, cultural, economic, religious &
scientific history.
 It Is relevant to modern life.
 Many people enjoy history as a hobby, as can be seen in the popularity of history books, films &
documentaries.
 It also helps us to understand many of the issues that affect the world today
 By broadening your knowledge of current affairs, you are developing & preparing yourself more
fully for adult & working life.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
 presenting thoughts
 history helps you to write in an organized, coherent, logical way & supporting your views w/
evidence

ICT SKILLS
 history allows you to access ICT, developing skills that are relevant to life & work today
 internet offers a huge range of appropriate historical websites
 many other e-sources also exist for the study of history: CD ROMS, library databases &
catalogues
 the use of modern digital media makes studying history very enjoyable & stimulating

RESEARCH SKILLS
 by exploring evidence, you will enhance your research skills
 you will become skilled at locating historical data from diff. sources, evaluating it & presenting
your findings
 you will also realize the importance of looking issues from more than one point of view
 your study of the past will introduce you to many diff. types of evidence, such as:
 maps
 photographs
 memoirs
 political cartoons
 diary
 official records

ANALYTICAL SKILLS
 you will also develop your ability to think critically, to evaluate the usefulness of sources, to detect
bias or propaganda
 these skills are very useful in many careers & in everyday life.

Relevance to Careers:
 Historians are regarded as having had an education that train their minds to assemble, organize,
present facts & opinions.
 History is an excellent preparation for very many other jobs
  Employers tend to see those w/ history education as:
 Independent thinkers
 Open-minded & objective
 Good communicator
 Able to analyze issues & problems
 Able to put together logical arguments

Relevance to Life:
 You will develop:
 an appreciation of the society in which you live & of other societies, past & present
 greater awareness of your own identity & traditions
 You will learn more about the particular role of women in shaping the past

A. Definition & Significance of History:

1. Etymological Meaning: History is from Greek & Latin word historia which means information; a
learning or knowing by inquiry; narrative of past events, account, tale or story.

2. History as defined by Authors/Known Personalities

AUTHORS/INDIVIDUALS DEFINITION/SIGNIFICANCE
Nick Joaquin A process of creation/formation of culture, specifically a natural culture.
Aristotle An account of the unchanging past.
E.H. Carr History is unending dialogue between past & present.
De Kooning, Williem The past does not influence me; I influence it
Kierkegaard, Seren Life must be lived forward, but it can only be understood backward.
McCullough, David History is the unending dialogue between the past & present.
Tomin, Lily Maybe if people started to listen, history would stop repeating itself.
Jose Rizal History offers the key to national identity & the basis for the future
development

3. Broad Definitions of History

 History is the study of past events.
 The recording & analysis of experiences of a society comprise the totality of people’s history.
 The use of correlated discipline is necessary to understand the reasons & consequences of
human actions.

A. Theories explaining how & why events happen in societies

1. Challenge and Response Theory (Arnold Toynbee)
 Man responds to situation placed before him. Thus, mankind’s approach in coping w/
challenges determine history.
 History reflects the progress of civilizations & societies.
 The past is a succession of civilization & not of political entities.
 General pattern: growth, breakdown & dissolution.
 The failure of a civilization to survive was a result of its inability to respond to
challenges.
2. Exchange theory (Alvin Scaff)
 It refers to the systematic statement of principles that govern the exchange of goods
(tangible & intangible) between individuals, between groups, organizations & nations.
3. Role of Historical Man (George Wilhelm Hegel)
  Man has a task to do so that events may happen.
 The role of the historical man follows a principle, which he called Weltgeist or world
spirit, which embodies ideals like patriotism, heroism & unity.
4. Materialistic Concept of History (Karl Marx – Father of Socialism)
 The prevailing economic system determines that form of societal organization & the
political & intellectual history of the epoch, which thus attribute actions & events in
history to economic motives.
5. Method of Historiography (Fernand Braudel)
 Human actios are not only based on human decision but also of ‘structures’ that may
be natural or man-made.
 To achieve total history is to integrate all aspects of man’s past.
6. Analyzing Conditions of the Mass (Teodoro-Agoncillo – Father of Filipino Nationalist
Historioraphy)
 Philippine past should be written by analyzing the situation of the masses.

4 SOURCES OF HISTORY:

1. Written – medium through which historical info is written

2. Oral
3. Graphics- visual image or design
4. Artifacts- made or given by human
Fossil – remains of living things

CLASSIFICATION OF SOURCES:

1. Primary – biography, interviews & photographs

2. Secondary – histories, essay, reviews, bibliography, thesis & dissertation
3. Tertiary – almanacs, dictionaries & encyclopedias