6-1 Discussion The Responsibility to be Historically Informed
Throughout the course, you have examined how historical events impact current events. Historians are often motivated to partly study the past because that knowledge can help us frame, compare, and understand modern problems. However, what responsibilities does an ordinary citizen have to know a particular history (such as different historical perspectives, different historical times, and different geographical regions) or to have the skills to study history effectively?
Discussing challenges that face our world often means investigating opinions and ideas different from your own. Remember to remain thoughtful and respectful towards your peers and instructor in your discussion post and replies.
Create one initial post and follow up with at least two response posts.
For your initial post, address the following:
- Discuss what responsibilities, if any, citizens should have related to being historically informed. For example, what historical inquiry skills might be important for a citizenry to have to address current global challenges?
- Think about a challenge, opportunity, event, or issue that affects your community. How might being more historically informed impact how you understand that issue or how you take action?
