{"id":2116,"date":"2024-03-25T12:07:24","date_gmt":"2024-03-25T16:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.historians.org\/why-history-matters\/why-study-history\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T14:17:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T19:17:54","slug":"why-study-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.historians.org\/why-history-matters\/why-study-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Study History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\t\t\tReflections from Historians\t<\/h3>\n

\n\t\t\tWhy Study History\t<\/h4>\n\t

Any subject of study needs justification. Read this classic essay from Peter N. Stearns about why we continue to look to the past to understand the world around us.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead Now\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t

History “offers the only extensive evidential base for the contemplation and analysis of how societies function, and people need to have some sense of how societies function simply to run their own lives.”Peter N. Stearns<\/strong>George Mason Univ.<\/p>\t\t\n\t\t\t

“Why study history? To know what it is to live; to know how others have thought and lived; to know why society and the world are the way they are; to help us forge our own lives-and by so doing, to make history itself.”Gordon H. Chang<\/strong>Stanford Univ.<\/p>\t\t\n\t\t\t

“History is helpful in understanding our world. It is also helpful in explaining to nonhistorians why our world is the way it is. Good historians tell a good story. They paint with words a world that no longer exists, but which was similar enough to our world to allow a reader of any age to relate to it.”Robert Gutierrez<\/strong>Miami Sunset Senior High School<\/p>\t\t\n

\n\t\t\tThe Value of a History Degree\t<\/h3>\n

\n\t\t\tCareers for History Majors<\/i>\t<\/h4>\n\t

With clear data and informal prose, Careers for History Majors equips readers with data, practical advice, specific strategies, and answers to common questions about the study of history and its value for individuals, their workplaces, and their communities. The booklet’s contributors include alumni working in a wide range of fields and occupations as well as professional historians. Together, they show how today’s college students can prepare themselves to use historical thinking to tackle tomorrow’s problems.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn More\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\"Screenshot\n

\n\t\t\tData on the Historical Discipline\t<\/h5>\n\t

The AHA collects and shares data on topics ranging from employment, to public engagement with history, to the use of educational resources in the classroom, and more.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart Exploring\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\"AHA\n

\n\t\t\tIn Their Own Words\t<\/h5>\n\t

What is the value of a history degree? Read testimonials from history majors.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTestimonials\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\"A\n

\n\t\t\tShare Your Story\t<\/h5>\n\t

Have you studied history? If so, let us know how the skills and knowledge you developed shape other aspects of your life.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare Your Story\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

\n\t\t\tEverything Has a History\t<\/h4>\n\t

The American Historical Association advocates for the crucial role of historical thinking in public life. Our work highlights the insights that come when we recognize that everything has a history.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn More\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

\n\t\t\tSupporting Students\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\"Two\n
\n\t\t\tCore Learning Outcomes in History\t<\/h5>\n\t

The AHA’s Tuning Project asked historians to clarify and demystify the core goals and the key skills pursued in our discipline. Working collaboratively across more than 150 two- and four-year colleges and universities, history faculty convened to answer a basic question: when students complete a program in history, what should they know, understand, and be able to do?<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn More\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\""K-16\n

\n\t\t\tWhat Does It Mean to Think Historically?\t<\/h5>\n\t

This 2007 Perspectives on History<\/em> article by Thomas Andrews and Flannery Burke introduced the “five C’s of historical thinking”: the concepts of change over time, causality, context, complexity, and contingency.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead Now\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

\n\t\t\n\t\t\tK-12 Education\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/h5>\n
\n\t\t\n\t\t\tUndergraduate Education\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/h5>\n
\n\t\t\n\t\t\tGraduate Education\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/h5>\n
\n\t\t\n\t\t\tAcademic Department Resources\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/h5>\n

\n\t\t\tCurrent Events in Historical Context\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn More\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

\n\t\t\tHistory, the Past, and Public Culture: Results from a National Survey\t<\/h4>\n\t

This project aspired to take America’s historical pulse by assessing public perceptions of, and engagement with, the discipline of history and the past. The AHA partnered with Fairleigh Dickinson University to develop and implement a national survey that explored the public’s definition of the term “history,” where audiences access history.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn More\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\"IMG_8181\n

\n\t\t\tCongressional Briefings\t<\/h5>\n\t

The AHA’s Congressional Briefings series provides congressional staff members, journalists, and other members of the policy community with the historical context essential to understanding contemporary issues. The sessions are strictly nonpartisan and avoid advancing particular policy prescriptions or legislative agendas.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn More\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\"Glasses\n

\n\t\t\tHistory Behind the Headlines\t<\/h5>\n\t

History Behind the Headlines is a webinar series featuring prominent historians discussing the history behind current events. Webinars in this series are generously sponsored by AHA member Jared Brubaker.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn More\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reflections from Historians Why Study History Any subject of study needs justification. Read this classic essay from Peter N. Stearns…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":84884,"parent":1817,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Why Study History | American Historical Association","_seopress_titles_desc":"Resources and materials for parents, students, educators, and administrators explaining why we study history","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2116","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","has-featured-image"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.historians.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.historians.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.historians.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.historians.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.historians.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2116"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.historians.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109148,"href":"https:\/\/www.historians.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2116\/revisions\/109148"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.historians.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1817"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.historians.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.historians.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}