Huddled Masses Yearning: An Intelligent Discussion

"If History is worth studying at all, such study should be firmly integrated with teaching in the nature, methods, and purposes of History, regarded not simply as a set of background assumptions, but as something fundamental to any intelligent discussion of History at any level."

- Arthur Marwick

I think there is this assumption that anyone can DO History. That since it is feasible for someone to simply read a couple of books about a subject they can say that they know what it means to teach and practice the discipline. Especially in our classrooms, the student must first learn the methods, practices, and complexities involved in approaching History, just as one does before starting any serious chemistry or physics class.

This approach must be infused into teaching the subject matter, else we run the risk of provoking the question: Who Cares?!?

Students should learn the basic principals of History along with any specific subject matter. Historiography should not be relegated to Master's Students or as a separate course, void of any connection to subject matter. It should be injected into every discussion.

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