Why study History?

Question

People say "You can find history in books, read it, but why study it academically?"
I'm a literature student but I used to love studying History; when people say the above, I find no answer! I mean yes we can find History in books, but why do we have to study it academically and at schools?

hey fun guy
i wish i can name 10 presidents 4 Egypt (my country) :P cuz the history of Egypt only witnessed 3 presidents!!!!
guess u knw wht im talkin about!

Guys, all ur answers r about "why read history" but i wanna knw why Study history? in schools or college? why take it as our major...?

Answer 1

People tend to think that everything is know in terms of history, because it is 'history'.. however once you start studying it you will realize that it is just a science like all the others, with things that have been discovered and things that are waiting to be asked about, investigated, hypothesises need to be furthered etc. it doesn't sound as fancy as 'communication super highways'etc, but rest assured it is just as needed ..

Answer 2

That's a good question. I love history, and it's all about all that I read (including literature to go along with the period of history I'm reading about.) However, I don't think I would major in it at university. I took some university level history courses and they were BORING unless you like reading about the minutiae of history rather than about the exciting stuff. My high school hitory classes were better. There's not all that much you can do with it after graduation, and, frankly, many university history departments are currently staffed with people who have strange theories that are little connected with reality and whose classes have little to do with real history.

So major in something like accounting that you can use as a career, take a class or two in basic World History to get an orientation, then read history in your spare time (along with literature.) That way you can study what you want rather than what someone else thinks you ought to know.

But we should all know history because we will see all the things that were tried in the past and didn't work ("Those who do not know the past. . . "), plus how far we have come and how good we have it today.

Answer 3

History Helps Us Understand Change and How the Society We Live in Came to Be
History Helps Us Understand People and Societies
Studying History Is Essential for Good Citizenship

Answer 4

Studying History is necessary .
It's so sad that a lot of people know so very little about it .
I'm from Belgium and know a lot about world history , I can't speak for how education is here in the US , but in our school system History has a big part .

Answer 5

I love history too, especially things about the Roman Empire and the developments in ancient China.

The main reason to study history would be fun and curiosity. I think that are very good reasons !!

Answer 6

Here's what you can do with a BA in History in the United States: Advertising executive, analyst, archivist, broadcaster, campaign worker, consultant, congressional aide, editor, foreign service officer, foundation staffer, information specialist, intelligence agent, journalist, legal assistant, lobbyist, personnel manager, public relations staffer, researcher, teacher, etc...

Its a versatile degree... teaching is not the only option for the history enthusiast!

Answer 7

If more people read history maybe they would learn how not to have wars because of all the bad things it brings. It seems history repeats itself.

Answer 8

History is needed, i bet there are very few people than can name at least 10 President, can you?

Answer 9

2 reasons:
1. If we don't know where we came from, we can't know where we are going.
2. Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.

We can learn anything by reading books: math, science, even lit.

Answer 10

go to the website below, it answers your question in details...
hope you enjoy it.