6 Reasons to Study History

Research, reading, and writing skills are transferable to many careers. History involves understanding unfamiliar sources and perspectives, and then clearly putting them into your own terms–skills that are useful in any context.

An outlet for creative expression : In doing an original research project, you are actually creating a story, not just reproducing it. History is an excellent supplement to creative fields. At Ithaca College in particular, many students in fields, such as screenwriting, theater, or creative writing, are inspired by events they learn about in history. It is fun to assemble a coherent story from disparate, scattered pieces of evidence.

History teaches us how to think, not what to think . By engaging with historical concepts we learn essential skills that teach us how to be critical of the world around us, especially in a world of social media and propaganda.

History builds empathy : Studying the diversity of human experience helps us appreciate cultures, ideas, and traditions that are not our own – and to recognize them as meaningful products of specific times and places.

Studying history is essential for good citizenship : History can actually be about studying the present. Historical data helps us to understand the diverse, dynamic world we are living in now. Many of the struggles people confront today are not that different from the past, even if they seem very different. As former congressman civil rights activist John Lewis put it, “You must also study and learn the lessons of history because humanity has been involved in this soul-wrenching, existential struggle for a very long time.” (NYT, July 17, 2020). Because we're intimately connected to the cultures and generations that precede us, whether we acknowledge it or not.

Sense of self: History helps strengthen our own identity, because we're hard wired to understand our place in the universe through stories we know about the past.