Dead People, Living Lessons: How to Study History

If you’re in high school or college, you’ve probably asked yourself this: Why do we study history? What’s the point of learning about dead people, usually (in Western classrooms) dead white guys? How does this actually help me? Many students grumble such things while navigating dense textbooks and dry essays. Some even turn to college paper help out of frustration.

Sure, the advantages of studying history aren’t always as obvious as those of studying math, science, or business. But that doesn’t mean they’re not there. In fact, studying history is hugely important to understanding the state of our modern world and how we choose to navigate it. By adding context and meaning to our surroundings, history makes us better informed citizens of our respective countries and the wider world. Learning how to study it in academia is critical to reaping its full benefits. That’s what we’ll focus on in this article.

How to Learn History: An Overview

Up until they reach college, many students learn to associate history class with memorization and regurgitation. Names and dates swirl together aimlessly, taught by teachers who envision a mummified past instead of a breathing set of lessons for our present and future. We think it’s a shame. Sure, it’s hard to get through American history without knowing who George Washington was, but learning that he was the first president hardly captures the sum of his legacy. Nor are students served well by history classes that only teach the past “as it happened,” with one fixed version incapable of critique or revision.

In college, that all changes. College history shows students how to do the work of actual historians whose mission is to assess the past from ever new and exciting perspectives. But while studying history solidifies vital skills, from critical thinking to analytical writing, it’s also new territory for most.

Step One: What It Means to Study History

Being in a college history class for the first time can be an overwhelming but life-changing experience. Its most important takeaway, no matter the time period, is that the past is malleable. There are plenty of immutable facts, it’s true; nobody can change someone’s verified birthday, whom they married, or when they were elected to high office. But what’s different about college history is that it teaches students the value of interpreting those facts, creating narratives from them, and deciding what or who deserves our praise or scorn in the present. Historical narratives don’t just appear in nature like trees and thunderstorms; they are created by actual people who visit archives and use documents to make them.

Of course, undergraduate history classes rarely require students to do archival research (though you’ll get bonus points for trying). However, they do have students collect sources online, in textbooks, or from libraries to draw interesting, original conclusions from them.

Step Two: Choose Your Sources Well

On that note, learning how to study history in college is in large part about how to understand sources: what they are and how we use them.

Primary sources are the “real deal”; as first-hand accounts of a historical event, they bring us the closest to issues in the past and how people perceived them at the time. If we’re learning about the American Revolution, primary sources could include newspapers, letters to and from Founding Fathers, pictures, cartoons, and even clothing.

Secondary sources are just that: secondary. They serve as indirect links to the past and are written by people who didn’t actually experience the events discussed. Until college, students deal mostly with secondary sources like textbooks, articles, and documentaries. But even in college, they still have an important role in providing overviews of historical topics.

When learning about history, students who take their classes seriously need to be able to utilize primary and secondary sources in tandem.

Step Three: Write With Your Whole Chest

If you’re wondering what this one means, ask yourself this: What’s the point of “analyzing a situation” endlessly without making direct conclusions? Why should we study history if we’re just going to suggest at, and not just “say,” what we mean?

Students often get the idea that evasive writing is more professional, but it’s not! Good historians try hard to make themselves easy to understand. If there’s a long word, they replace it with a shorter one when possible. If something is worded confusingly, they never assume that readers will just “get it” and move on. They use active voice instead of passive voice, simple sentence structures instead of purple prose. When reading such straightforward analyses, many students come to realize why history is considered a social science; its language is dry and its methods are, well, scientific. What they also need to learn, though for their own sakes, is that their own writing should be straightforward as well. Make your opinions nuanced, not coy!

Step Four: Learn How to Read Effectively

Reading a history book or article isn’t the same as reading a novel. Unlike in a novel, history has no “spoilers” that prevent students from knowing what happens. Students don’t need to scrutinize every single word. If they have heavy workloads, they don’t even have to read the whole thing in order.

Whatever you learned in high school, remember that college history is not about memorizing everything. Professional history is about narratives, claims, and arguments. If you’re assigned a 30-page book chapter, it’s much better not to get lost in its minute details but rather focus on its broader takeaways. What are the author’s main points? What sources do they use to make those points? Do those sources have limitations or biases, and might better sources inspire different conclusions?

Once students learn to analyze historical texts, it becomes easier for them to write essays with analytical depth. Your professors won’t care that you know the specifics of a historical figure’s life story; they do care that you can connect that life story to wider historical themes and trends.

Step Five: Be Careful With Terms

College history teaches students not to take certain things or concepts for granted. Not everyone has the same opinion on what “race” is, or “class,” or “liberalism.” Looking at the historical context behind such terms is key to interesting analysis, and being able to discuss them with an open mind will show your professor your capacity for critical thinking.

Furthermore, college history courses bring students together from all different backgrounds, including people who may have direct connections to upsetting or traumatizing historical events. If you meet people whose parents suffered from war or under dictatorial regimes, it should go without saying to show some sensitivity during class discussions. One of the ways in which students can show respect, however, is by being careful with the language they use, whether it’s referring correctly to certain ethnicities or describing accurately (not nonchalantly) how certain events transpired. History encourages us to empathize with its victims.

Step Six: Use Effective Study Strategies

When students transition to college history, they can have a hard time learning how to…well, learn. If students don’t learn how to study effectively, they can fall back on old expectations of memorization and regurgitation. The result is that they miss the forest for the tress: reading a lot, soaking up irrelevant details, without grasping the reading’s main points.

Instead, think about how you think. Write notes by hand rather than typing them. When reading books, highlight only important analyses instead of inconsequential trivialities. When writing an essay, prioritize your thesis statement and main arguments rather than the poetics of your introduction and conclusion. If you’re not sure of how to express your ideas, use all of the resources at your disposal: friends’ suggestions, books from your reading list (yes, even optional ones), or even a good history essay writing service. Most importantly, don’t panic and don’t be afraid to ask for help!

An Overview of Learning History, Continued

At this point, we’ve discussed some general advice on what to do, and what not to do, upon taking your first college history courses. In this section, let’s keep that momentum by discussing how to study for history in more detail.

Like other social sciences, history comes down to reading and writing. While that sounds simple, students who aim to succeed in history class must learn how to do both with analytical rigor. Taking notes effectively and consulting educational materials are a key part of that learning process and will help elevate students, who may be great readers and writers in other fields, into great historians as well.

Learn Different Historical Approaches

This is part of what we meant before by “not taking things for granted.” What makes it exciting to study history is that it teaches us how to think differently about the world around us; part of that process is learning how to think about the world in different ways.

Like economics or psychology, history has its own branches and schools of thought comprised of historians who utilize sources to unique ends. The beauty of such diversity of thought is that it invites students to consider events from all angles, from feminism to environmentalism to politics. Even while doing so, historians constantly critique the legitimacy of their methods; perennials include distinguishing between “U.S” and “American” history, discussing why it’s difficult to define the “Middle East,” and asking to what extent “European” history should encompass places like Russia and Turkey. Students who grew up driving their parents crazy with “too many questions” will feel right at home!

Go Off-Script With Reading Materials

In the last section, we encouraged students to use all of the resources at their disposal, including books that are on their reading lists but not required. Let’s take it even one step further; students should use resources at their disposal and find resources in the first place.

Historians and educators are always creating initiatives designed to develop critical thinking skills and content knowledge. These professional resources, often funded by universities themselves, ask biting questions and complement what students learn in their own courses. One great example is the Blueprint History project from the University of California, Davis, which compiles educational materials on topics ranging from the American Civil War to the Cold War to medieval cultural exchange. While I wouldn’t expect its articles to literally write my paper for me, I would use them to expand my knowledge base and think about different areas of analysis. If you’re stuck writing an essay, go check it out!

Learn How to Take Notes

Consider this one an addendum to our discussion of effective study strategies. Note-taking is essential to absorbing the key findings of each historical reading, and it can easily determine whether students finish strong or become hopelessly lost.

So we can’t stress this enough: Write by hand. Write things down even if you type them first. Handwriting is proven to be better for your memory and comprehension of material, and you’re much more likely, if you’re being honest with yourself, to shelve electronic notes without ever revisiting them.

Furthermore, treat your handwritten notes like a PowerPoint presentation. Rather than clutter them with long-winded explanations, focus on headings and keywords. Develop a system for organizing main points and secondary details. If you include a quote from a book, include the page number as well! Just imagine someone else using your notes to study for an exam; that person would want you to write clearly and concisely!

Complement Knowledge With Historical Journals

Consider this one an addendum to going off-script with reading materials. One of the advantages of being a college student is you gain access, through your university, to a wide range of academic publications. That includes historical journals, which are often published several times a year and give students an insight into which research topics are popular or sites of new archival discoveries. Sometimes historical journals even have themed issues. If a journal dedicates its entire summer publication to the American Civil War, for example, then it will publish articles that approach the Civil War from unique perspectives. It’s a great way for students to get inspired when writing essays; it’s also good practice, for aspiring professional historians, to keep up with the field’s latest contributions.

Again, your student status opens up a whole world of professional resources. These may be restricted after you graduate, so don’t ignore them now!

Why Is Studying History Important?

To end this article, let’s go back to where we started. Why do we study history in the first place?

As any history professor will tell you, life is not nearly as navigable when we can’t make sense of your own surroundings. Politics can seem incomprehensible, news about different countries can seem esoteric, and even our own communities become blander when we don’t know their stories.

Studying history adds enrichment to our world and ourselves. It teaches us what to remember about the past, how we should remember it, and approach new knowledge with critical thought and respect. In other words, when we study the past, we become better informed people in the present. When we intellectually enrich ourselves in the present, we set ourselves up for successful, perpetually curious futures.

The next time you take a history class in college, take advantage of it! Its lessons will last a lifetime (and maybe more).