Wednesday 19 September 2007

HISTORY AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE!

Had my first history tutorial today. OMG I thought I knew what History was, I learnt it at school didn't I? I remember SOME of it well.... all those Kings and Queens of England from Anglo-Saxon to Windsor. The battles and wars; important events all those dates 1066 Battle of Hastings, 1666 Great Fire of London. The Romans in Britain till 410AD, the Egyptians, the Greeks etc etc. I sent hours listening to the teachers, scribbling away in my notebook...spending endless hours of homework learning hundreds of dates and the names of Henry VIII's wives.

Well History now isn't like that......History is MADE by Historians in an attempt to understand about the past by studying and analysing historical sources...like artifacts and documents....and examining these sources for validity and bias and organizing in order to shed light on human experience. Of course the result is dependant on the interpretation of the Historian so half the time they probably won't agree anyway if the interpretation is based on differing resources. AGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!
This is probably old news to many of you but it was certainly a new approach to History for me. Re my Sociology homework..."What is Sociology"...I rewritten this at least 3 times now! and I've yet to THINK about the difference between Crime and Deviance.

And my History homework?
Wistful look out the window..................oh the pansies are flowering...

and I see a Dragonfly....

maybe I'll skive off for a while take a well earned break and take some photos.


BTW it's now thought that the Battle of Hastings may have taken place in 1067 and wasn't in Hastings at all!

18 comments:

Mark said...

Bunking off , i dont know, you will be getting lines next.
At leat the dragonflies are still around, but not for much longer ..

Cheers Mark

Go and get your homework done as you wont have any tea untill you do...

Tom said...

History eh! I think I am claased as history now ha!. It must all seem so strange, I hope in time this new way of leaning suddenly clicks and you sail through with fulll understanding.
I have been trying to get a decent photo of a dragon fly for months, this one is a stunner. My lines for tonight.
'Must Try Harder' ha!

Gledwood said...

the dragonfly looks like it's having a well-earned break as well

that history stuff sounds complicated for me... one history teacher once told me the facts are unimportant; the argument is everything...how depressing.hmm!

do you get to do English lit as well? I thought you did

oh if you want to see paris hilton and madonna eating sandwiches in the park they're ON MY BLOG! woo!

also i found a link to the hms somerset blog it is really fascinating

CG said...

Soon the winter wil be here and you won't be so tempted by outdoors!!

That homework does look a bit tedious!

Gill said...

I love history Ruth..!
Your dragonfly photo is so fantastic. You could frame that it is perfect.
xo
Blue

Sheila said...

I love history too Ruth, wish I'd paid more attention in school. We watch the History channel here quite often, so I am finally learning something..lol

Anonymous said...

But I visited the battleground in Battle in Kent. Trudge around one wet and windy weekend - in fact in torrential rain - there was only myself and husband daft enough to do it - but at least we had the place to ourselves.

It was brilliant with headphones that had a commentary from people who 'were there' at the time. From soldiers to the entourage that went with them - and the noise of the battle and cries of those injured.

Made me almost cry it seemed so real.

And now you are going to tell me that it never happened there. LOL

That I got cold and wet for hours all for nothing.

That my mascara ran down my face all for nothing.

Oh know - I don't want to re-learn all my history now!

Wonderful to read your experiences and see you lovely pansies -just planted some out myself yesterday.

Audrey said...

Im enjoying your homework Ruth, you are educating me in the process as well....lol

No bunking off, dont get disheartened, just wait till you get your first merit, you wait and see....:)

Can I bring you a nice cuppa..keep you going.

Big stretch and unwind.xx Auds

Anonymous said...

BTW how do you do struck-through writing on a blog-post. That would be so handy for someone like me as I change my mind all the time!

Betty said...

Ruth,
We've been out of pocket for several days and I didn't know you were a college student now....congratulations.....Betty

Annie said...

You know, of course, by now that the bane of studenthood is that there's always more to be done, always something looming ahead. You must make time to play, Ruth, or you'll go bonkers.

david mcmahon said...

As King Harold might have said, that's one in the eye for history!

Julia Phillips Smith said...

History of the future, where the Battle of Hastings didn't take place there and was a year early. (falling over in a faint)

mrsnesbitt said...

History is quite a revealing subject yet it makes me think who decides what we learn or what we are taught. I was taught social/economical history yet hubby was taught political history....we are good as a team!

Shaz said...

Love the Pansies but wow does that Homework make the mind boggle!

Akelamalu said...

Battle of Hastings not in Hastings or 1066? Who said?????

Sounds like you won't have much time for photography and gardening just yet Ruth. Eventually you'll get your head round it all though and it'll be easy peasy, lemon squeezy! x

Silly Goose said...

Oh Ruth!! You just have to read two newspaper accounts about one event to know that a lot of history is made up. ;-) tee hee!

Mauigirl said...

I haven't taken a history course since high school so it's news to me that 1066 is no longer the right date for the Battle of Wherever It Actually Was!

I think looking into various sources is a very interesting technique to teach history. Things apparently were not as cut and dried as they seemed when we were first in school, I guess!

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