Introduction: What is the discipline of history?

Problems in World History
Index of Primary Sources
Class Calendar
Presentation Index

The Discipline of History

Problem: How is it possible to study an event that no longer exists in the present? What makes "history" a unique discipline of study? How can we use evidence to construct our picture of the past? Does it matter if our understanding of the past changes?
These problems formulate the base for our study of world history. We will use the ideas, pictures and rules we create in this unit throughout the year. We will use our understanding of the discipline of history to study world history.

History as a Way of Knowing How is it possible to know about something in the past when the past no longer "exists" in the present? Is history a unique discipline? How is it similar to and different from other disciplines? What makes it unique or special? Is history a science? What is your view of history? What are the different meanings of history?" Reconstructing the past
How do historians reconstruct the past? What are the different types of sources historians use? What makes something significant? What are some of the ways historians organize information? Do methods of organization change understanding? How might the historian's perspective or available evidence impact their understanding of the past?
Reading Evidence in History What unique questions do historians consider when they read historical evidence? Does it make a difference who produced the evidence or the account? Or when it was created? What do you think makes people, events, or evidence evidence significant? How can we evaluate or check historical evidence?

Representing the past
What is a representation? Is there a difference between a representation of an event and the event? Are maps representations? How do historians represent their understanding of the past? Are some representations "better" than others? Why? What makes a good historical argument?
Shaping the Present
Do the stories we tell ourselves about the past matter? Do they have any impact on the present? Have historical account played any role in history?
The Structure of The Discipline of History
What is the "hidden" structure of the discipline of history? How might we use our understanding the discipline of history to study the past? How can we apply our understanding?

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[Problems in World History]

Contact: Bob Bain at bbain@umich.edu

History as a Way of Knowing How is it possible to know about something in the past when the past no longer "exists" in the present? Is history a unique discipline? How is it similar to and different from other disciplines? What makes it unique or special? Is history a science? What is your view of history? What are the different meanings of history?"	Reconstructing the past How do historians reconstruct the past? What are the different types of sources historians use? What makes something significant? What are some of the ways historians organize information? Do methods of organization change understanding? How might the historian's perspective or available evidence impact their understanding of the past?	Reading Evidence in History What unique questions do historians consider when they read historical evidence? Does it make a difference who produced the evidence or the account? Or when it was created? What do you think makes people, events, or evidence evidence significant? How can we evaluate or check historical evidence?
Representing the past What is a representation? Is there a difference between a representation of an event and the event? Are maps representations? How do historians represent their understanding of the past? Are some representations "better" than others? Why? What makes a good historical argument?	Shaping the Present Do the stories we tell ourselves about the past matter? Do they have any impact on the present? Have historical account played any role in history?	The Structure of The Discipline of History What is the "hidden" structure of the discipline of history? How might we use our understanding the discipline of history to study the past? How can we apply our understanding?