Unit 1 - Understanding Thematic History

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Unit 1 - Understanding Thematic History

• Historiography, Chronology, Timelines, and
  Historical Themes
• Essential Question
• In what ways can the study of history be
  organized?

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Why Study History?

• Why Study History Video Clip_
• So whats the big deal about?

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1. Understanding the past is the key to
understanding the present 2. It keeps us
informed on current events as they unfold. 3. It
helps us to appreciate multiple perspectives and
interpretations. 4. Analyzing history
strengthens our critical thinking skills. 5. It
trains us to gather evidence and to find patterns
and trends. 6. You can apply information from
the past to analyze and solve problems in the
present. 7. It gives us an understanding of
other people and cultures. 8. It challenges us
to think outside the box, and to be
creative.  9. History gives us the excitement of
discovery, and the reward of solving real world
problems. How Many did you get? What is most
important?
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How does perspective affect historical
interpretations?

• What is Historiography?
• writings of history ( i.e history books)
• the methods used to study history
• Such as critical examinations of sources,
  selection of specifics from authentic sources,
  synthesis of information into a narrative that
  will stand the test of critical methods

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How to read Maps and Graphs

• What is the map showing?
• Maps are representations of features on the
  earths surface that historians use to show the
  location of historical events, how geography
  influences history, and to illustrate human
  interaction
• Political, physical, historical and economic are
  four types of maps

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Questions to ask yourself when reading a map

• What is the point of this map? (title)
• What lines are there and what do they mean?
  (rivers, boundaries, roads, routes, migration
  patterns etc..)
• What symbols are there? ( towns, cities,
  resources etc)
• What is labeled? ( Key places and dates)
• What do the colors mean? ( different countries,
  physical features such as elevation, political
  powers, population density, language etc)
• What does the key say? ( this can answer man your
  questions about colors, symbols, lines etc)
• Are there any insets? ( small boxes in the
  corners that show a larger scale of an area that
  is typically to small to see or out of the scope
  of the map, but relevant to the purpose)

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Comparing Maps
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What is missing in this map?
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World History Atlas and Timelines site we
will use in MWHGeaCron Link
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Some questions about historiography...

• Is there only one account of history?
• Can there be more than one truth?
• What is a fact?
• Does the author make a difference on historical
  writing?
• What does taking into account multiple
  perspectives mean and is this important when
  studying history?
• What ways can you organize events/history?

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Reading Historical Sources

• When reading historical sources, one needs to
  take into account the following...
• 1. Credibility - Being trusted or believed in
• 2. Primary vs. Secondary source
• Primary source 1st hand account that was
  written at the time period
• Secondary source - 2nd hand account made using
  primary sources and at a later date then the
  event.
• 3. Bias - favoring or prejudices toward one side
  or another
• 4. Historical Perspectives Political,
  Geographic Economic, Social/Cultural

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How can we organize events/time?

• What are the different ways we can organize
  history?

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Does a thematic approach help us understand the
world?

• What are some benefits to a thematic approach?
• Themes of Modern World History
• Cultural Diffusion
• Revolution
• War and Peace
• Balance of Power
• Human Rights