Holly:
Why do I study history? I get asked that a lot. So many people have told me how brave I am to study something that might not be able to get me a job other than teaching, but I don’t see it that way. History is a great analytic major, like philosophy. It teaches you to see things from different points of view. Issues don’t seem one-sided 100 years after they happen. I view everything in a historical context now. What did people like back in the day and what’s changed? What’s the same? This is the kind of thinking that can help in any career field. Employers don’t look at a degree in history and think we only know how to recite the dates of the Revolutionary War. They look at it and see that this is a person who knows how to think critically, and that’s important too.
But why did I decide to pursue history? I want to teach it. Not in a classroom setting, though. I want to teach through interaction. As a kid, I hated learning in the classroom. It got so boring and tedious. When I got to go on field trips outside of the classroom, I remembered a lot more of what grown-ups were trying to tell me. Museums are the perfect places to get kids interested in history. Museums aren’t just the stuffy, old buildings with ancient artifacts behind glass anymore. They’re vibrant and technological! They’re interactive and fun! Museums are a place where you can go and immerse yourself so much in the information that you can’t help but remember it.
This is why I’m studying history. It’s my favorite topic to learn about and I want to share that enthusiasm with others in one of my favorite places to be.
Holly and Tom at the Tempe History Museum.Tom:
I went into college seeking an anthropology degree. I shot down all the “what are you going to do with that degree?” questions by saying I’m going to go to grad school and maybe work in a museum, work for the government, or something along those lines. My favorite part about anthropology was looking at the past. Archaeology and human evolution fascinated me, particularly the origins of human culture and, well, being human. My plan was to study history as a minor, the sole reason being that I just really like history.
The Museum of Tolerance in LA. Holly and I will be interning here this summer. You should stop by if you find yourself in the L.A. area!I took a history class the previous semester and loved it. I decided to add on history as a second major (I mean why not add more work and 15 page research papers?).
Then came the questions like, “Why study history?” Of course the obvious answer, history is important, we need it for a better future and so on. All that is very true, but my reason for studying history is simply because I enjoy it. It peaks my interest and I want history to become relevant and interesting to others. I also want people to know about who they are and where they came from. I will also share my passion for history with people or at least allow people to gain something beneficial for themselves from history.
History does not have to only be about pleasing the future of civilization or helping the future of our country and our culture as a whole. History can benefit anyone on a personal level. It can introduce them to people of different cultures and different times. It can give someone a smile (even if it is only for a second) because they found out that in the 1830s ketchup was used as medicine (See, there is a reason why I put so much ketchup on my food, Mom). History can take you to new places and put away your worries, even if for only a second. My biggest goal in life is to build my own exhibit or museum that really catches the eye of the visitor. I want to make history fun again. History rocks, guys.
How do you feel about history? Drop us a line at sparkysquill@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @sparkysquill
