The study of history has long been considered one of the liberal arts, and rightly so. It’s not easy to understand the world around you without the knowledge that comes from a deliberate, thoughtful study of past events and their causes. This kind of understanding allows for critical thinking and informed civic participation. It’s not something that anyone can claim to have innately; it must be acquired, and it’s a skill that can be improved upon with practice.
Whether it’s from half-remembered high school classes, movies like Saving Private Ryan, or their own passive encounters with history, most people have a theory about what happened in the past. For many of us, it forms the lens through which we view the world. It’s not uncommon for this to be heavily influenced by personal beliefs, prejudices and interests. However, for others, their theory of history is more grounded in research and objective analysis. Regardless of how you learned it, there are certain skills that are useful to all historians, no matter your approach or area of interest.
One of the most important things to remember about history is that it’s a timeline. The order in which events occur is crucial to understanding them, and it’s important to be able to put events in chronological order when taking notes. This may seem obvious, but it’s a key component to mastering the discipline.
Another essential skill to develop is an ability to discern between primary and secondary sources. Too many people assume that a primary source will offer them the ultimate truth of a topic, but that’s not the case. Historians have never argued that primary sources hold some sort of necromantic potency denied to secondary sources, but they are just as flawed as any other type of historical source.
While there’s no such thing as a truly neutral or objective account of the past, there are ways to improve your chances of getting close. When reading about a specific time or period, try to read a few different books from various authors on the subject to ensure that you’re hearing from a diverse range of viewpoints. Also, be sure to use the most reliable sources available, such as scholarly articles, monographs, or the highest quality textbooks.
Historians should be wary of allowing their work to be used as a weapon in culture wars, but that’s all too common. Using historical facts to promote self-righteousness or to discredit individuals and actions is not only unfair, but it undermines the utility of studying history in general.
No matter where you’re at in your academic career, there’s no shortage of opportunities to make history come alive for your students. The most successful teachers are those who are able to find a way to connect historical knowledge with the passions and interests of their students. Whether that’s by recreating a scene from an old film, designing a mock setting or taking a trip to Gettysburg, students will learn best when they get a hands-on taste of the past.